To remind you that dog poo can cause blindness?

[UnlimitedChipsAndSalsa]

Around 100 people (mostly children) a year in the UK experience vision loss because of exposure to dog poo. Clean up after your dog every time.

YABU - I already knew about dog poo and blindness.
YANBU - This is new information to me.

Thanks for voting. I'm really curious to know whether this is common knowledge.

Also, keep your dog out of "no dogs" parks! (Pretty much just a rant from here, so feel free to skip this part .) I'm also so tired of seeing entitled dogs owners bringing their dogs into "no dogs" parks, which are set up (in part) to reduce children's exposure to harmful faeces.

PREDICTABLE EXCUSES:
PE#1: "But I clean up after my dog."
Not 100% you don't. There's no way you would rub your hand in the place you just cleaned up and then stick it in your mouth. That's what kids do, and that's why there are a few but some areas that do not allow dogs.

PE#2: But I worm my dog regularly."
The reason it has to be redone is because dogs pick up roundworms again, so it's not 100% effective.

PE#3: "But I'm just passing through."
Passing through the "no dogs" park is being IN the park. And dog faeces aside, there are other reasons why people might go specifically to a "no dogs" parks (severe allergy, fear of dogs, etc.).

PE#4: "What about cats/foxes?"
We're talking about dogs here.

PE#5: "What about service animals?"
Service animals are allowed to go anywhere the owner goes, so obviously I'm not talking about those.

Can you show me the source for this, particularly the proof that it is from dog poo not fox or cat.

Dogs are the most likely to be wormed and least likely to be leaving poo around.

I think it'd be a better campaign to raise awareness among cat and dog owners to worm their pets and for anyone who insists on feeding urban foxes, to worm them too if thats possible.

After all (put on M&S advert voice) it isn't just ANY poo... its the worm loaded poo of cat, dog and fox that is the issue.

These posts may be well intentioned, but the people who acknowledge the guidelines surrounding dogs and the restrictions of where the can go, already do. And those that don't, don't care.

@Meraas it’s not a silly comparison that the other poster made. Years ago dogs roamed free and no one had a problem then with dog mess every where 🤷🏼‍♀️

@DotDotDotDot

Is anyone else reminded of Amanda from Motherland with the patronising and bossy tone of this post? I'm picturing her at a flipchart with the predictable excuses on a page each.

"What about cats/foxes?"
We're talking about dogs here

😂

YANBU I didn't know this! I don't have a dog but I didn't know about this at all. I do have cats though (confined to my garden) so I know about toxoplasmosis risks during pregnancy but I also did not know that their poop could cause blindness in the general population.
With toxoplasmosis it's ingestion (not envy) what is it with blindness?

@Drivingmeupthewall I agree with you about not preserving poo in plastic for an eternity. But I use Adios Plastic poo bags that are made from cornstarch and break down in 3 months with zero plastic waste. They’re really, really good. I recommend them.

For toxocariasis, you need to ingest poo, that contains worm eggs, and they need to have sat for 10-21 days at the exact right temperature and humidity, or washed into the soil again that has remained at the right temp/humidity.

So a smear of dog shit on pavement left by someone picking up after a regularly wormed dog - not a risk, at all.

A lump of fox shit in your garden in the three weeks in summer when the temp remains exactly right = risk.

Despite this thread being intended to raise awareness, its 5 pages in and people STILL think it is the POO that is the risk and not the eggs it may or may not contain.

If there are 100 cases a year (I actually found sources saying it was between 50 and 100), then there is a 0.00015% chance of getting even partial vision loss in the UK.

actually op 'stick and flick' is being increasingly recommended. If you can remove it from paths @Katedanielhasakitty

I meant to quote this when I said "That's new info to me (don't have s dog myself), and good to know.

I hate stick and flick - my DD likes to wonder off paths (where allowed eg Forestry Commission areas not footpaths on private land) and has found poo in undergrowth and she also likes to find a nice walking stick - now I have to tell her to check them for dog shit!

Hanging poo bags in trees is just disgusting.

And whoever said they bury shit in woods - what really? You take a shovel and dig a hole and bury it deep enough that nobody would find it? Biodegradable poo bags are very widely available so there is no 'I don't want to use a plastic bag' excuse.

'No dog' parks and beach area are there for a reason and people who break the rules should be fined - heavily. The CFs

The complete batshittery on this thread is way more shitty than the risk of catching anything from dog shit. Dog free countries indeed. Fucking bonkers

Around 100 people (mostly children) a year in the UK experience vision loss because of exposure to dog poo
What is the source of this statistic?

@kikipie

The complete batshittery on this thread is way more shitty than the risk of catching anything from dog shit. Dog free countries indeed. Fucking bonkers

That's because two issues are being mixed

a) the risk of toxocariasis - which is not limited to dog poo, and indeed once poo has been lying on the ground, is not limited to poo either. Excluding the roles of cats and foxes in the pattern and spread of this disease is illogical, no matter how much OP wishes to exclude it

b) sharing public spaces nicely so all users benefit. Which means clearing up after you dog, not abusing dog free areas, etc. And for humans it means realising that there are areas in regular use for dogs to play off-lead (very few actual dog parks, but they do exist) and leaving them to their space, clearing up their litter which is a choking hazard to wildlife generally, but chocolate, raisins/grapes and cooked chicken bones are a specific hazard to dogs

@DynamoKev

Around 100 people (mostly children) a year in the UK experience vision loss because of exposure to dog poo What is the source of this statistic?

I think they mean following toxocariasis (all sources, it's not just dogs)

I knew this but put yanbu because I agree with your post.

You sound nothing like Amanda - take no notice.

What is the source of your information?
From what I can find out, there are about 100 cases a year of toxocariasis. Most will suffer mild flu-like symptoms with no vision loss. And there is no way to tell whether the cases come from dog poo, cat poo, fox poo, or other poo.
So, i) how many people actually suffer vision loss as a result of toxocariasis infection? ii) what evidence is there to link any infections to dog poo?

Please will someone, presumably a dog owner, explain to me the reason for bagging up the poo and then hanging it on a tree or a fence 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I live by a Military Cemetery and yesterday there were 4 bags of poo hanging on the fence..Why?? What is the point? I need to know 🙏

It's something I'd been told as a child but never thought much about. Possibly thought it was one of those exaggerated old wives tales.

But if the problem is roundworm then that's pretty common in horses yet people are happily spreading their dung all over around their veggies. I don't think a patch of grass where dog poo has been is much of a risk!

Here's some actual science..

www.reviewofophthalmology.com/article/detection-and-treatment-of-ocular-toxocariasis

"Human infection by the nematodes Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati can cause both systemic and ocular toxocariasis. The definitive hosts for these species of nematodes are dogs and cats, respectively. Humans acquire the disease by ingestion of embryonated eggs, usually from contaminated raw vegetables or infected raw meat (chicken, rabbit and lamb),2 contaminated water sources or via geophagia"

academic.oup.com/cid/article/39/2/173/326661

"To our knowledge, no previous European study has established a prevalence estimate for ocular toxocariasis.....M. Rogers (personal communication, 1998) stated that, in discussions with 5–6 ophthalmologists on Merseyside (Liverpool, United Kingdom), whose hospital practices served a population of about 200,000 children, they could only recall 3 cases of ocular toxocariasis between them in the previous 20 years."

The rest of the discussion at the end of this article is interesting, I have just quoted the most relevant bits there.

Given that eggs wash through the poo and into soil/sand, I'd be very surprised if foxes and cats were not a much higher risk for spreading toxocariasis via soil, contaminated vegetables etc, than dogs (who are far more likely to be wormed regularly) leaving visible turds on pavements, or owners picking up and leaving a smear of poo. The risk on grass is higher, but again only from animals actually carrying roundworms - routinely wormed dogs who are not eating wild food, minimal chance of them having roundworms so minimal chance of them spreading worm eggs!

I knew and pick it up anyway but don't discount foxes - they can carry the same diseases as dogs (and much more!) cats are also potentially dangerous so it's essential cat owners do not allow their cats to roam into other peoples gardens!

@WiddlinDiddlin

Here's some actual science..

www.reviewofophthalmology.com/article/detection-and-treatment-of-ocular-toxocariasis

"Human infection by the nematodes Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati can cause both systemic and ocular toxocariasis. The definitive hosts for these species of nematodes are dogs and cats, respectively. Humans acquire the disease by ingestion of embryonated eggs, usually from contaminated raw vegetables or infected raw meat (chicken, rabbit and lamb),2 contaminated water sources or via geophagia"

academic.oup.com/cid/article/39/2/173/326661

"To our knowledge, no previous European study has established a prevalence estimate for ocular toxocariasis.....M. Rogers (personal communication, 1998) stated that, in discussions with 5–6 ophthalmologists on Merseyside (Liverpool, United Kingdom), whose hospital practices served a population of about 200,000 children, they could only recall 3 cases of ocular toxocariasis between them in the previous 20 years."

The rest of the discussion at the end of this article is interesting, I have just quoted the most relevant bits there.

Given that eggs wash through the poo and into soil/sand, I'd be very surprised if foxes and cats were not a much higher risk for spreading toxocariasis via soil, contaminated vegetables etc, than dogs (who are far more likely to be wormed regularly) leaving visible turds on pavements, or owners picking up and leaving a smear of poo. The risk on grass is higher, but again only from animals actually carrying roundworms - routinely wormed dogs who are not eating wild food, minimal chance of them having roundworms so minimal chance of them spreading worm eggs!

Thanks for this. OP has ignored requests for the source of the claims.

@EstuaryBird

Please will someone, presumably a dog owner, explain to me the reason for bagging up the poo and then hanging it on a tree or a fence 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I live by a Military Cemetery and yesterday there were 4 bags of poo hanging on the fence..Why?? What is the point? I need to know 🙏

I'd love to know this too; and I have a dog (I bag his every emission, he's never off lead in public and never in a no dogs zone).

I live by a Military Cemetery and yesterday there were 4 bags of poo hanging on the fence..Why?? What is the point? I need to know
So you are going on a long walk and your dog does a poo 1/3rd of the way. You know there are no poo bin anywhere on the walk. You don't want to carry the poo, which still smells even if in two bags, so you leave it there until you return, pick it up, and throw it then in a bin, which usually can be found where you park the car.

I've done this once only, but made sure I hid the bag so it couldn't be seen. The problem is when people change their mind and don't come back the same way, or worse forget about it.

I am going to be frank and say that I for a swcond don't believe people "forget" about their poo bag....

Isn’t it funny how all dog owners (on here and in real life) are so quick to note that of course they pick up after their dog and would never dream of not doing so.

And yet the pavements are grassy areas are riddled with shite regardless of all these wide-eyed, innocent dog owners.