Love your Dog, Love Kilkenny - Protecting the Health of Children and Dogs
Love your Dog, Love Kilkenny - Protecting the Health of Children and Dogs
Dog owners should know the 2 simple actions to prevent children from becoming infected with worms from dog dirt. They are;
- Worm your dog to prevent dog dirt presenting as a human health risk
- Clean up after your dog in public places to decrease the opportunity for children coming in contact with dog dirt.
There can be serious health consequences for children who become infected with common round worm (Toxocara canis). The infective stage of the worm is found in dog dirt. Children are put at risk when they swallow worm eggs which can happen by handling dogs or items such as toys, shoes and buggies that have been contaminated by dog dirt. Infection can cause damage to the liver and lungs and if the worm larva migrates within the body, it can migrate to the eye to cause blindness. While the risk is considered low, no child in Kilkenny should be put at risk. Dog owners need to clean up after their dog while out in public and seek advice from a vet on the appropriate worming frequency for their dog.
Worming a dog keeps it healthy. The dosage frequency depends on the dog’s age. While roundworm infections are often symptom-less in adult dogs, they can cause severe problems in puppies and can be fatal.
If you don’t worm your dog regularly it’s likely your dog has worms. There is no preventative treatment that will stop your dog becoming infected. However worming your dog will kill the worms and prevent them from producing eggs thus preventing contamination of the environment.
Love your Dog, Respect Kilkenny – Worm your dog regularly and clean up dog dirt when walking your dog in public. Free pooper scoopers are available from local libraries, County and City Hall. Pet shops also sell a variety of them. Love your Dog, Respect Kilkenny is an anti-fouling campaign run by Kilkenny Local Authorities to highlight the legal and social obligation of cleaning up dog dirt.