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Dog poop isn’t just gross — it’s also potentially infectious. That’s why signs reminding pet owners to “curb your dog” and scoop their poop have been joined in some places by posted warnings that pet waste can spread disease.

As a small animal primary care veterinarian, I deal with the diseases of dog and cat waste on a daily basis. Feces represent potential zoonotic hazards, meaning they can transmit disease from animals to humans.

The reality is that waste left to wash into the soil, whether in a neighborhood, trail or dog park, can spread life-threatening parasites not just among dogs and cats but also to wild animals and people of all ages. A 2020 study found intestinal parasites in 85 percent of off-leash dog parks across the United States.

While human diseases caused by soil-transmitted parasites are considered uncommon in America, they infect as many as an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. Signs that remind you to pick up after your pet are not just trying to keep public spaces clean; they’re urging you to help safeguard your community’s health.

Abandoned poop’s impact on people

Common dog waste parasites include hookworms, roundworms, coccidia and whipworms. Hookworms and roundworms can thrive in a variety of species, including humans.

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Their microscopic larvae can enter the human body through small scratches in the skin after contact with contaminated soil or via accidental oral ingestion. Remember that next time you’re outside and wipe sweat from your face with a dirty hand and then lick your lips or take a drink — it’s that simple. After hose or rain water has rinsed contaminated poop into the soil, these parasite eggs can survive and infect for months to years to come.

Once in the human body, both hookworm and roundworm larvae can mature and migrate through the bloodstream into the lungs. From there, coughs help them gain access to the digestive tract, where they leach nutrients by attaching to the intestinal wall. People with healthy immune systems may show no clinical signs of infection, but in sufficient quantities the parasites can lead to anemia and malnourishment. They can even cause an intestinal obstruction which may require surgical intervention, especially in young children.

The impact on other animals

Dogs and cats can also develop the same symptoms people do from parasitic infections. In addition to risks of hookworms and roundworms, pets also are vulnerable to whipworm, giardia and coccidia.

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Beyond parasites, unattended poop may also be contaminated with canine or feline viruses, such as parvovirus, distemper virus and canine coronavirus, that can create life-threatening disease in other dogs and cats (the canine strain does not infect humans), especially in adult animals that are unvaccinated and puppies and kittens.

These viruses attack rapidly dividing cells, in particular the intestinal lining and bone marrow, leaving them unable to absorb nutrients appropriately and unable to produce replacement red and white blood cells that help defend against these and other viruses. Vaccination can protect pets.

Many species of local wildlife are within the canid and felid family groups. They, too, are susceptible to many of the same parasites and viruses as pet dogs and cats — while being much less likely to have received the benefit of vaccinations. Coyotes, wolves, foxes, raccoons, minks and bobcats are at risk of contracting parvovirus, coronavirus and distemper.

Responsible pet poop management

So, wherever your dog or cat relieves himself — at the park, in the woods, on the sidewalk or even in your yard — pick up that poop, but always avoid contact with your skin. It’s safest to use a shovel to place the poop directly into a plastic bag, or put a baggie over your hand to grab the poop and then pull the plastic bag over it.

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Tie up the bag and make sure to place it in a trash can — not on top — to avoid inadvertent contamination of a neighbor or sanitation worker. Promptly wash your hands, particularly before touching your face or eating or drinking. Hand sanitizers can take care of many viruses on your skin, but they won’t kill parasite eggs.

Other potential sources of poop — and parasite — exposure are the sandbox, beaches and park sand found under and around playgrounds. Sand is comfortable to lounge on, fun to construct into castles and softens the impact if you fall off a play structure. But cats and other small mammals love to use it as a litter box. Covering sandboxes when not in use and closely monitoring your environment at the beach and playground are key steps toward minimizing risks.

By keeping your pets on regular parasite prevention protocols, with annual testing for intestinal parasites, and routine removal of fecal material from the environment, you can also help to minimize the potential for these diseases among all the mammals in your environment — human, pet and wild.

Key points to remember to avoid parasites and minimize the impact on your ecosystem:

• Pick it up and safely throw out waste regardless of where your pet poops. Sanitize your hands afterward.
• Wash your hands before eating or touching your face while gardening or working in the yard.
• Avoid rinsing poop into the soil. Using rain or a garden hose removes only the visible mess, not the microscopic issues.
• Make sure sandboxes are covered when not in use.
• Keep your pets on monthly intestinal parasite deworming schedules.
• Have your vet test your pet’s poop annually for intestinal parasites.

The writer is a clinical assistant professor of small animal clinical sciences at the University of Florida.

This article was produced in collaboration with theconversation.com.

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