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Did you Know?

By Brandon Wilson - 3/14/2022

Did you know dog poop is bad for the environment?

In fact, the EPA classifies dog poop in the same category as oil spills. While cow manure can be a great fertilizer, dog poop can be quite the opposite. A dog’s diet is high in protein, which causes it’s feces to be very acidic, and high in nitrogen, which can burn and even kill grass, requiring reseeding to bring it back. Nitrogen, while normally good for grass, can kill it in the amounts found in dog feces.

Dog poop also takes a very long time to break down. One pile left undisturbed can take up to a year to fully break down. If it contains parasites or viruses, some of them can survive in the soil for years. What gets broken down into the soil can turn up in the ground water and end up in wastewater treatment plants, which aren’t capable of filtering the bacteria it contains.

Did you know dog poop is dangerous to humans & pets too?

1-gram of dog poop can contain 23 million coliform bacteria. It can contain worms, bacteria, parasites, and viruses that can be dangerous and even deadly to both people and pets. Parvo is only one of the many viruses it can contain, and has been on the rise in recent months.
 

Did you know you can tell a lot about your dog's health by looking at their poop?

Certain colors and consistencies can indicate different health problems such as malnutrition, overnutrition, deficiencies, and more. Obviously, if it's brown, solid, looks kind of like Play-doh, and leaves little or no residue when picked up, this indicates an ideal healthy poop.

If your dog's poop is runny, in piles or spots with no defined shape, similar to diarrhea, this could be cause for concern. If this lasts for more than a day, consider a trip to the vet to rule out any major health concerns. Now if it's the exact opposite consistency, really dry, and hard, this could indicate your dog is eating too much fiber, and not drinking enough water.

When your dog's poop is green, this may indicate they have an upset stomach, or other GI issue, and they are eating lots of grass as a way to treat themselves. Some pet parents feed their dogs canned pumpkin as a natural way to help with stomach problems. If this goes on for more than a day, you may want to visit your vet.

Red streaks in your dog's poop can indicate bleeding in the lowest parts of their digestive tract, while black stools can indicate older blood from bleeding higher up in the GI tract, possibly in the stomach or small intestine. Either way, this should warrant a trip to the vet.

Yellow stools can be a sign of problems with the pancreas, liver, or gallbladder, and should also warrant a trip to the vet to be safe. White dots, or small rice like specks, may indicate your dog has worms and should also warrant a trip to the vet.

Whatever the case, if your dog's poop looks off to you, be safe and take a trip to the vet for their safety and yours.

When we are out scooping your yard, we will keep an eye out for any abnormalities in your dog's poop, or any dangers in your yard, and notify you right away.



Some of that sounds pretty crazy and hard to believe right? Don't just take our word for it; check out some of our resources below, or do a Google search and find out more about the dangers of dog poop for yourself.

Keep your family and friends safe and:


 

Hire a Pooper Scooper today!

*We are not Veterinarians and none of this information should be used to prevent, diagnose, or treat any kind of medical condition for your pets.

Resources:

Kristina Lotz, “6 Gross and Scary Reasons We Need To Pick Up Our Dogs’ Poop,” I Heart Dogs, n.d., accessed March 14, 2022, https://iheartdogs.com/6-gross-and-scary-reasons-we-need-to-pick-up-our-dogs-poop/

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Jessica Vogelslang, DVM, "What Should My Dog's Poop Look Like?," PetMD, published September 02, 2015, accessed March 14, 2022, http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/how-should-my-dogs-poop-look

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