Dog waste matter + children in small garden

Raiser

Hi All,

Have a very typical Semi-Detached with a smallish back Garden to match.

The dogs [two terriers] are wormed every 12 weeks as standard [checked with Vet]

- The [whole] back garden a doggy toilet - go out every day or two and pick up mess with a rubber glove.

So the question is - how safe is that back garden for a 2 year old ? The little 'un is only old enough now + Spring is here......How paranoid and extrme do you have to be re. that scary parasite thingy that could potentially blind children etc.

Also was going to post in Gardening & DIY re. an effective/easy/cheap way of dividing the Garden so that one half is always kept crap free - but thought I'd enquire here first.......need to chop garden in half parallel with this back wall - with a gate to allow access to the shed......Must be dog proof for jumping and digging........[Although they're really not that bright ]

anniehoo

Hi,
First congrats on being a v responsible pet owner!! The parasite you're talking about is Toxocara which causes Toxocariasis. Good link http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/parasitic/toxocariasis.html
Regularly wormed animals like yours should not have this parasite in their faeces! If you're garden is cleaned on a regular basis, id have no qualms letting my child play outside. Its impossible to keep track of what kids do all of the time. If you find theyve ingested any soil etc then it may be of slight concern but dont panic and seek doctors advice.
This can also be transmitted by cats (along with another blighter called toxoplasma) so all your hard work may be futile if you have stray cats etc wandering about in your garden! My advice is keep doing what you've been doing and let your child enjoy your garden!!After all, we rolled around in the muck in our gardens when kids and we all turned out grand!

anniehoo

...............

Raiser

Hey Anniehoo !!!

thanks very much for taking the time to reply, and to provide so much information and peace of mind - greatly appreciated

Paul.

luckat

I'd do a poo patrol every day with shovel and poker, and put the poo down the shore - get the kids to tell you if they see any so you can dispose of it. Better safe than sorry.

scaldybelt

I've just set up a large dog run for my 2 gundogs.
I bought here http://www.cilldara.ie/ as it gave me a portable but secure unit which I could move around the garden.
Admittedly I have a much larger garden than your typical semi, but the great thing about it is that you can buy them one panel at a time, and they come with lockable gates, so you can keep the kids out - at least until they know not to put poo in their mouths!

I reckon a few panels against 2 sides of your garden would do it for you.