Why Animal Feces Removal Is Dangerous
Cleaning up after our pets each day poses very little threat to our health. But when conducting animal feces removal from a hoarder’s home or where animals may have been abandoned, the situation can become dangerous. Read below to learn how animal feces removal and urine removal can impose a risk to your health and the health of others.
Animal Feces Removal
Having canines comes with the job of cleaning up poop from time to time—it’s just a fact of life. Some might even say that it’s a small price to pay in comparison to the joy dogs bring to our lives. But when canine owners leave dog feces sitting for an extended period of time to accumulate, the situation can become a health risk to pets and the people who take care of them.
Diseases People Can Contract From Dog Feces
1. Campylobacteriosis
Ever heard of Campylobacteriosis? Campylobacteriosis is a bacterial disease humans can contract from dog poop, and it’s anything but pretty. This nasty disease includes symptoms like diarrhea, fever, extreme cramps, and pain in the abdominals.
Campylobacteriosis generally lasts for a week, but for those with weaker immune systems, campylobacteriosis can last for much longer. Immunocompromised individuals can experience life-threatening infections if this bacterial disease makes its way to their bloodstream
2. E. coli
Much like campylobacteriosis, E. coli is a very real and potentially life-threatening bacteria that can cause mayhem in the body. Symptoms are synonymous with what one would experience with campylobacteriosis: nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and fever. However, E. coli poses an even more serious infection for weakened immune systems and can end in death.
3. Salmonellosis
Did you know you can contract Salmonellosis from dog poop? Salmonella is not just a bacterial disease humans can contract from undercooked food. This nasty infection can be transmitted through animal feces as well, specifically dog poop.
4. Yersiniosis
Yersiniosis is another bacterial infection that is usually detected in the water. Never swim in water where animal feces may have contaminated the space.
Unfortunately, it gets worse.
Parasites
Among an array of especially disturbing parasites, tapeworms and roundworms are the most common cause for concern when it comes to dog poop. Roundworm makes its way into the human body where larvae can travel to the brain, heart, eyes, lungs, and kidneys. Roundworm larvae can also cause a person to lose their vision.
While tapeworms won’t bring about blindness or infect your heart, they can still do an insurmountable amount of damage. Tapeworms like to seep into the human body through the skin, infecting their victims through the pores. Tapeworms like to attach to a person’s intestines and suck the nutrients from the tissues.
Cat Urine
If you have a cat, know a cat, or have ever spent time with a cat, you probably know that their urine smells foul. That foul-smelling odor is ammonia, which is a toxic gas that can make someone sick pretty quickly. When cat urine is not cleaned up, it solidifies, making the concentration of ammonia higher. That’s why cleaning up cat urine, especially urine that has sat for a long time is considered dangerous to your health.
Cats are able to transmit a bacterial disease called Toxoplasma Gondii, which can cause severe to life-threatening health risks—especially for pregnant women.
People who are not pregnant and do not have compromised immune systems usually experience Toxoplasma Gondii like they would the flu. Sore muscles, a headache, and swollen lymph nodes can last for weeks to months. Those with weaker immune systems, like pregnant women, endure much more serious and life-threatening symptoms. Pregnant women may experience miscarriages. Babies exposed to Toxoplasma can be born stillborn or with abnormally large or small heads.
When To Call Us
It’s important to know when you need the help of a professional and when you can take on the issue by yourself. If you consider cleaning up a hoarder’s home, or a place where animals have been left inside for long periods of time, don’t risk your health doing so.
Without proper protection, removing animal feces and urine can cause life-threatening illnesses that don’t go away overnight. These bacterial diseases can diminish a person’s quality of life for a long time, or even potentially take a person’s life, depending on the exposure.
If you’re unsure of the right way to handle your animal waste problem, we invite you to give us a call. The BIOClean Team happily serves Southern California and Las Vegas.