It isn't the bacteria in pet waste that is the danger, it is the parasites. The most common problem in the U.S. are the roundworms, Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina, and the hookworms, Ancylostoma sp. Roundworms are the most common, and they have a very complicated lifecycle, and worming preparations only kill the the worms that are in the animal's intestine, not the migrating or encysted larvae that have invaded the various organs. Unfortunately, the eggs can be ingested by humans, who are pretty good hosts for this particular parasite. The eggs are not infective when they are first passed in the pet droppings, but will become so in four weeks (ideal conditions) or more. And the infective larvae are incredibly resistant to extreme temperatures (sub-zero temps, and some can survive being immersed in hot springs). So, please don't be blasé about them. One good thing is that the eggs are not absorbed by the plants in any way, they just might stick to the outer part that touches the soil, or might be in soil that is attached to the edible part of the plant (those that grow close to, or in the soil, or parts that drop onto the soil and are picked up for harvest). Removal of outer leaves of lettuce (etc) and thorough washing should remove them. The best thing to do is pick up pet waste regularly and dispose of it in the garbage. Some composting temperatures CAN kill the eggs and larvae, but in most home gardens, thorough (hot) composting is usually an iffy thing, and often doesn't include all parts of the compost, all the time, under all conditions. It's better to be safe than sorry, esp when it comes to your children. Liver problems and blindness certainly aren't common, but let's not have your kids be the exception. Sue, former vet tech Here is a link that might be useful: Roundworms

cheryllynn744: (The thread that will never end :-) Your question is what started this thread, lo, those many years ago. Best thing I've been able to do is to use one of those New Year's noise-makers that you crank that makes an ungodly noise--something the hawk has not previously heard that will freak him/her out. I have a stuffed owl up in my back yard, and it might as well not be there. For me, it worked fine for a week, and every bird in the vicinity was stressed out and came to squawk at it from a safe distance, and some were bold enough to get quite close. Couple of Bluebirds flew right above it, and hovered (as Bluebirds will) for a few moments, checking it out. But unless you move the decoy almost daily, songbirds soon learn that it is no threat to them, and they won't pay any more attention to it. Been there for about a year, and most of its feathers are gone, but it still has the silouhette of an owl--to no avail. -------------------------------------------------------- Recent hawk episode for me involved a dove nesting in my window sill. Doves--like pigeons--are "ledge nesters", and sometimes only place a few sticks on a ledge to keep the (2) eggs from rolling away. My dove built a little more elaborate nest, with lots of sticks forming a nest between my double-hung window and double-hung storm window, about 4 inches apart. I had the storm window raised about 10 inches, quite by mistake, and a dove nested there last year (between the 2 windows) and fledged 2 baby doves. Success! Another dove used the same nest this year, and added sticks to it. Unfortunately, the dove began setting on eggs about March 4th, where there were no leaves on the trees (yet) in my area, and the dove was more visible than last year. One morning about 2 weeks ago, I heard a THUMP on the window about daylight, and I opened the curtain and looked out. The dove was gone, the 2 white eggs were exposed in the nest, and a Peregrine Falcon was sitting on a tree limb outside the window, no more than 3 or 4 feet away. The Falcon saw me through the window pane, and flew off. The dove stayed away the rest of the day, and did not come back and begin setting on the eggs (again) until the next day. I thought it was rather remarkable that it even returned, after being attacked by a hawk (falcon). I had no idea how it survived the attack, since it seemed more-or-less trapped there, inside the two windows. But the THUMP sounded like the falcon hitting the window, so somehow, it slipped away. Maybe the falcon tried to attack from above, and hit the glass above the dove. I had an idea the falcon would come back and try again and sure enough, about 4 days later, another WHUMP on the window. Same result--I looked out, the dove was gone, the eggs were exposed, and the Peregrine Falcon was 3 or 4 feet away on a tree branch. But this time, I had gotten my crank, New Year's noise-maker out of the closet and had it on my dresser. I grabbed it, and ran up the hall and opened the front door as quietly as I could. The falcon was still sitting in the tree, and I eased out and cranked-out a bunch of raucous noise while running toward the tree, and the falcon freaked out and flew out of the tree. Unbelievable that the dove returned AGAIN, only a few hours later, and began setting on its eggs again, the very same day, after (somehow) surviving the second strike by the Peregrine Falcon!! Again, it sounded like the falcon hit the glass above the dove. The falcon did not return, and the dove continued setting for about 3 or 4 more days. Then one morning I heard noise in the window, and I peeped out to see the dove turning the eggs over beneath it, and it appeared to be examining them. Soon after, it flew away, and left the nest and the eggs, and did not return. After the dove did not come back many days later, it was obvious the dove had abandoned the nest, and I raised the window and got the 2 eggs out, and put them in my basement. I have an idea what I will find when I crack them open; I think I'll find 2 babies that were nearly ready to hatch until the dove flew away after the first falcon strike and stayed away for more than a day. I believe the eggs may have got too cold that night she was away, and the babies inside probably froze--or otherwise died wiithout their mother there to keep them warm. Shame that she spent weeks there, only to have it end that way. But amazing that she had the resolve to return after 2 falcon attacks and continue to TRY and hatch the eggs. And more amazing that she escaped with her own life. wt

If you have seen or heard of raptors in your new area, then I would heed the caution mentioned by previous posts and be careful. As a small animal veterinarian, I see the results of raptor attacks occasionally. The worst seem to occur at night, likely from Great Horned Owls. I say likely, because most owners do not see the attack, even though they may be nearby when it occurs. The owl swoops in, tries to take down the small dog, and then is either successful or not. The resulting talon injuries can be significant, but in a dog the size of yours, are usually not fatal. I have heard of fatal attacks of very tiny dogs by Bald Eagles, either from attack or from being carried off. We, too, see many serious attacks by coyotes and wolves, which sound like they would be less of a risk in your new neighborhood. Best advice is to stay with your pets when outside at night, and consider a good yard light to help discourage sneak attacks.

Wow, I'm glad your dogs are okay. And terribly sorry for Shelley's dog that was not. We have lots of toads here, even though we are in a dry climate. They tend to migrate around, so keep your eyes peeled for more. My personal experience has been that there will be years when you see very few toad, and years when it seems like they are everywhere. That might just be because of our climate though. About 10 years ago our dog discovered the mushrooms that grow in the lawn certain times of the year when conditions are right. It took us a couple of days to figure out what she was doing. As soon as we realized, we would go out first thing every morning and clear the yard of mushrooms. Still, she would go out and immediately begin to root around in the yard for mushrooms. Despite making her sick, they must have also given her some kind of high?