Lawn maintenance can take a lot of work for homeowners with all the watering, fertilizing and mowing so when dead spots start showing up in the grass, it is very frustrating to see all that hard work being ruined. Often the blame is placed on the family dog but how can the problem be avoided? Scoopy Doo’s dog poop service in Longmont can help prevent damage to your lawn from concentrated dog waste.

In his article “Dog-on-It Lawn Problems”, Dr. Steve Thompson, Director of the Teaching Hospital Wellness Clinic at Purdue University, explains that while all waste products contain nitrogen, the urine and feces of dogs, cats and all carnivores, is highly concentrated. At the right levels, nitrogen can act as a fertilizer but too much will burn vegetation which is why dead brown spots from pet waste are usually surrounded by a dark green ring where the diluted nitrogen caused growth. According to Dr. Thompson, “Female dogs, being less likely to urine mark and more likely to squat, are the primary culprits of lawn damage since they will urinate anywhere on a lawn and usually all at once.”

Dr. Thompson emphasizes that the pH level of pet waste is not a factor in the damage done to lawns, so modifying your pet’s diet by adding acidifying supplements, like tomato juice, or alkalizing material, such as baking soda, is not recommended. Actually, both acidic and alkalizing additions to your pet’s diet can increase their risk of bladder stones! A better option is to invest in a food with high quality protein which is more digestible and therefore leads to less nitrogen being dumped in their waste- and smaller stools.

The other two recommended approaches for dealing with burn spots were to 1) train your dog to do their business in a separate area from the lawn, and 2) water the grass after it has been urinated on to dilute the concentration of nitrogen. But perhaps the best solution would be to hire a low-cost weekly dog poop service like Scoopy Doo’s of Longmont to keep your lawn looking its best!

Summer is here and your family is probably spending a lot more time in your backyard. The kids are running through the sprinkler and kicking the ball around on the lawn. You are hosting barbeques for neighbors, family and friends. The last thing you want is for someone to step on a landmine of doggy doodoo or have an infestation of flies spoil the food. Enjoy a clean yard this summer by hiring Scoopy Doo’s of Longmont for affordable pet waste service.

Besides the foul mess, smell and potential transmittable diseases in our pet’s waste, it also attracts unwanted flies. Fresh animal feces is the preferred breeding site for houseflies and also one of their top food sources. Flies consume liquified food with their proboscis, then regurgitate and excrete wherever they land next- and if that place is on food or utensils, pathogens can be transmitted to people. According to the World Health Organization:

“Flies have been shown to pick up and carry many pathogens (viruses, bacteria, protozoa, eggs and cysts of helminths, etc.) both externally, on their mouthparts, the body and leg hairs, and sticky pads of the feet, and internally in their crop and intestinal tract…The germs on the surface of the fly often survive only for a few hours,… whereas pathogens can live for several days in the crop and gut of the fly.”

Houseflies are suspected of having a role in transmitting over 65 diseases, including bacterial infections (such as salmonella), viral infections, skin and eye infections, and intestinal worms. Clearly, we want to do everything possible to avoid attracting these disgusting insects to our backyard parties!

Scoopy Doo’s in Longmont will keep your yard clean and significantly reduce unwelcome flies with our pet waste service- call us to set up a visit before your next barbeque!

School is almost out and summer is right around the corner and maybe you’ve decided now is the time to get a puppy! How exciting! Owning a dog can be a wonderfully rewarding experience but it is a lot of work as well. Scoopy Doo’s of Longmont is an affordable pooper scooper service that can take care of the most unpleasant part of being a pet owner and give you more time to enjoy your new family member!

Tips for Preparing for a New Puppy

• First, all puppies are small (that’s part of what makes them so irresistibly cute) but you should think about their fully-grown size and if your home would be suitable. A large breed is not the best choice if you live in a tiny apartment.
• Second, if your pooch will not have access to a yard to burn off their energy or if they’ll be home alone most of the time, then to prevent them from becoming destructive out of boredom, hiring a dog walker is highly recommended.
• Third, puppies are adorable but they like to explore everything (usually via their mouths), make messes and will require a lot of your time to train- so if you’d rather skip the housebreaking stage, consider adopting an adult instead!
• Lastly, in addition to lining up a walker, sitter, groomer, trainer and veterinarian, might we suggest adding a pooper scooper service to that list? Puppies grow at an astonishing rate and will eat a lot to fuel that growth and as a result, they will also poop a surprising amount!

Even with a lot of preparation, bringing home a new puppy can be stressful- especially for first time dog owners. Cleaning up after your pet can sometimes feel like the straw that broke the camel’s back- but it doesn’t have to be! Scoopy Doo’s in Longmont provides a very affordable pooper scooper service on a regular schedule so you can forget about the back end of your puppy and focus on belly rubs!

Last month we discussed the diseases people could potentially contract through their pet’s waste. This month we will list the diseases our beloved pets could succumb to via another dog’s feces. Scoopy Doo’s in Longmont understands how much you love and want to protect your pet, and our dog waste service is a very effective way to ensure their health!

Dog Waste Service Reduces Risk of Transmittable Diseases

• Tapeworms: Although a dog can only contract tapeworms by eating infected fleas, lice or rodents, the tapeworm’s life cycle involves shedding through stool.
• Other Intestinal Parasites: Roundworms, hookworms and whipworms all lay eggs that come out in the infected dog’s bowel movement. Other dogs can become sick when they eat contaminated soil, drink contaminated water or lick their contaminated fur or paws. All of these worms cause malnutrition and diarrhea but hookworms can also cause blood loss.
• Giardia: Puppies are at the highest risk of infection, but all dogs can become ill from this parasite that is shed in feces.
• Parvovirus: This virus is shed in enormous amounts through the stool of an infected dog, is highly contagious and can survive for months outside of a host- even in freezing temperatures. It causes severe vomiting and bloody diarrhea by attacking the gastrointestinal tract and there is no cure. Dogs who are very old or very young or have a compromised immune system may not be strong enough to fight through parvo.

Source: https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Disease-Risks-for-Dogs.aspx

It’s important to note that with warmer temperatures, comes an increase in the spread of canine viruses so hiring a dog waste service like Longmont’s Scoopy Doo’s is even more beneficial for the months ahead!  And just so we don’t end this month’s news on a down note, here is a link to a wonderfully uplifting story about a shelter helping handicapped service dogs!

Besides minimizing the mess and smell, Scoopy Doo’s of Longmont advocates hiring a regular pet waste removal service to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that “Although germs from dogs rarely spread to people, they might cause a variety of illnesses, ranging from minor skin infections to serious diseases.” Below is a list of diseases transmitted through infected dog waste that can cause human illnesses.

Pet Waste Removal Helps Prevent These Transmittable Diseases:

1. Campylobacteriosis– One of the ways this disease can spread is by contact with the stool of an infected dog, which may show no symptoms of being sick. People who contract campylobacteriosis will experience fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

2. Tapeworm– Although fleas are required to complete the transmission of tapeworm from infected dogs to other animals or people, feces is part of the process.

3. Hookworm– The larvae of this parasite embeds itself in the skin when a person walks, kneels or sits on ground that is contaminated with infected stool. Itchiness and a red squiggly line just under the skin are telltale signs of hookworm.

4. Roundworm– Children are most likely to contract roundworms by accidentally swallowing an egg after coming in contact with a contaminated area. This parasite can invade the retina, liver, lungs or central nervous system.
5. Giardia– This parasite can cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, greasy stools and dehydration for 1-2 weeks. If a dog is infected, people can contract giardia through their contaminated stool.
6. Salmonella– If a person contracts salmonella through contact with a dog’s infected stool, they will become ill with vomiting, fever and diarrhea.

If you’ve been debating whether or not to hire a pet waste removal service, hopefully this information has helped you decide it’s worth it- if so, give Scoopy Doo’s in Longmont a call today!