Protect your pet: With soaring temperatures, risk level high for waste-borne parasites

Newton dog owners take note: With temperatures mounting on top of a wet summer season, risk levels are high for waste-borne bacteria and parasites that can harm the health of your family and pets.

While keeping dogs hydrated and out of cars is common pet safety knowledge, lesser known are the dangers associated with dog waste.

Dog waste is more than just a gross and unsightly mess. In wet, hot conditions like those seen in Southeastern Massachusetts this summer, dog waste left on the ground can quickly become a breeding ground for infection - especially in dog parks and other areas where dogs frequently gather. Bacteria, worms and other parasites thrive in the waste until it’s cleaned up or washed into the water supply. Giardia, ringworm, roundworm, heartworm and E. coli are examples of such inhabitants, all of which are commonly found in dog feces and are easily transferable upon contact.

When dogs become sick, pathogens are often times shed through their waste and into their own yard. The longer infected dog waste stays on the ground, the greater a contamination becomes. When this waste is not picked up, pets are at a high risk for contracting a parasite or bacterial infection over and over again.  

Roundworm, for example, is one of the most common parasites found in dog waste and it can remain infectious in contaminated soil and water for years.