GROSS question about doggie "'doo" in yard

[Horse Fork Farm]

I know I sometimes worry about strange things and ask questions that make you laugh but I really do need to know. So here goes...... I have a fenced in side yard that I really need to make available for the kids to play in. Its a nice yard for small kids and will be a big help for me as I hang laundry and cook etc. The problem is, my husband temporarily put one of the dogs in there for the winter and neither of us thought ahead as far as it being unfit later for the kids to use. We always clean up the dog poo most of the year but in the winter it can get pretty messy there. any ways, the dog is elsewhere now but I worry aboutr there being something like worm eggs or some kind of parasite in the soil. What do you all think? Is there somethging I can put on the yard to "sanitize" it? I also have to replant grass in a couple of areas. I would DIE!!!! if one of em caught worms. We had a couple of hard freezes if that might help. Thanks for helping an OCD mom calm herself!! Kathy

[Jenn]

HOw old are they? I assume my 7 yo will not put her hands in her mouth (have taught her not to) when playing in dirt/grass. Would worry about 3-5 year olds. And can't ensure cats never baptise....

[The Paw]

Originally Posted by Heartstrings

I know I sometimes worry about strange things and ask questions that make you laugh but I really do need to know. So here goes...... I have a fenced in side yard that I really need to make available for the kids to play in. Its a nice yard for small kids and will be a big help for me as I hang laundry and cook etc. The problem is, my husband temporarily put one of the dogs in there for the winter and neither of us thought ahead as far as it being unfit later for the kids to use. We always clean up the dog poo most of the year but in the winter it can get pretty messy there. any ways, the dog is elsewhere now but I worry aboutr there being something like worm eggs or some kind of parasite in the soil. What do you all think? Is there somethging I can put on the yard to "sanitize" it? I also have to replant grass in a couple of areas. I would DIE!!!! if one of em caught worms. We had a couple of hard freezes if that might help. Thanks for helping an OCD mom calm herself!! Kathy

Others might have different opinions, but I don't think most parasites can exist outside the host body for very long. In winter, with hard freezes, I would say very low likelihood. Pick up all the dog crap you can see, make your kids wear rubber boots if it is sloppy outside, and tell them not to lick the ground....

everything should be fine.

[DayBird]

Clean up anything you see. Use a hose end sprayer and apply several gallons of bleach and then cover the entire yard with bark mulch. It's gotta be cleaner than the sandbox at the city park = giant litter box for the neighborhood cats.

[L.A.]

Was the dog sick and wormie?

[Horse Fork Farm]

Its the 2 almost 2 yr olds I'm concerned about. Theres no visible poop anywhere in the yard. Its mostly grass with 2 bare places. A cat would be insane to come in my yard! Otis (the dog), would eat it. This i0s the same dog i posted about before that has a permanent bald spot on his head from running through the picket fence. Hes just a little puppytrapped in an 90 lb body!

[Horse Fork Farm]

I don't think he was wormy, we do regularly worm, BUT.... he loves to eat goat poop if he gets the chance and goats most always carry some wormload.

[General Brown]

If I recall correctly, humans have worms as well as other mammals. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[GoldenMom]

He won't get worms from eating goat poo (carnivore and herbivore parasites don't transmit). Very rarely do kids get infected from their own well cared for dogs, usually it's at a park, etc where they come into contact with contaminated soil from unknown dogs. You could have your vet check a fecal on Otis and put your mind at ease that he's "clean". The canine intestinal parasites you need to watch out for are hookworms and roundworms. People don't get these as intestinal worms, rather they enter thru cuts, etc and then the larvae/worms migrate thru the skin, causing problems that way. If you are still worried, don't let the kids go barefoot.

[Horse Fork Farm]

Thanks to all! I feel better now. When my oldest girl was 4 we lived in S.C. in a big apartment complex which had a huge park for the kids. It had 2 big playgrounds and multiple sandboxes (u know where this is going). Daughter got up one morning complaining of belly pain so off we go to the doctor. Yep... WORMS!!!!! I felt like such a terrible parent but the doc said he saw it all the time and treated her before sending us home. I have to say it REALLY FREAKED ME OUT when she went to the bathroom as I had never known of a kid having worms before!!! OMGosh!!!! That event has always stuck with me and I surely don't want a repeat! EEWWWWW.....

[BaronsMom]

Just an FYI - neighborhood cats use our wood mulch too for a litter box - ICK!

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

clean up what you see and rake the yard then spread lye on the yard and keep the kids of a few days this will help your soil also and break down the thatch

it is a spring practice my ols neighbor would do made is lawn grow well and lye is what they use to clean/ sanitize barn floors.

[Rita]

CountryPete, are you sure it is lye? Farmer's I knew used lime and that wouldn't hurt the soil, but lye?????

[Maura]

Yea, I'm sure it's lime.

[Beaners]

I had worms as a child and I survived. Or is that too much information?

BTW...we didn't have pets at the time either.

Kayleigh

[Toads tool]

A little ringworm never stopped me as a kid.

[DayBird]

Just worm the kids like all the other livestock. I, too, have survived worms. It's really no big deal.

[Horse Fork Farm]

BwaaaHaaaaaHaaaa......... you guys crack me up!! I was serious when I said I'm OCD. Things like this are my weak point. I'm like that guy Monk on tv- well, not actually THAT bad but germs and icky things on my kids pushes all my wrong buttons. I think most moms are a little like that.

[DixyDoodle]

Clean up anything you see. Use a hose end sprayer and apply several gallons of bleach and then cover the entire yard with bark mulch.

Good idea, but like someone else said, cats may use it for a litter box. You could put down pea gravel, might not attract cats as much.

[bbbuddy]

Originally Posted by Toads tool

A little ringworm never stopped me as a kid.

Ringworm is not worms, its a fungus...