help advice puppy has worms :(

frugalsar

oh I'm devastated we're doggysitting a freinds 1 year old puppy (we have his brother so it wasn't much bother) from the day he came he's been dragging his bottom on the floor and another freind said that was a sign of worms upon investigating it turns out that he does have worms so I took him and my dog to the vet today and she has given them tablets and instructions to monitor thier poops The thing is I have a veg patch in my garden, they dont really go near it because it's raised and I have netting over it but I' so worried because I cant garuntee they haven't been near it they definatly havn't pooped on it though! I've only got four courgette plants, 12 Red cabbage, 40 Beetroot, 12 swedes, 20 onion sets and a whole packet of carrot seeds that havn't germinated? Should I emtpy all the compost (£20 worth) and start again or do you think it will be ok?? I've never had a dog before and all the info on the internet is so confusing!!! :(:(:(

foreign_correspondent

Soil is full of worms, nematodes, worm eggs and bacteria... it also has a fair proportion of rotted organic matter in it, birds !!!!!! in it and no-one worms them... the pup having worms will have no effect on your veg at all... what are you worried about exactly?

amcluesent

OMG! I'd burn everything to avoid the risk of toxocariasis which can be carried by flys that feed on dog poo onto food. Dogs are the reservoir for Toxocara canis, but puppies pose the greatest risk of spreading the infection to humans.

If you do eat any of the veg. (yeuch!) then look out for symptoms of coughing, fever, abdominal pain, headaches, and changes in behavior and ability to sleep.

Claire_Bear

Does this have anything to do with worms or just with flies and dog poo? Because I'm pretty sure flies will be on your plants with germs carried from other places all the time anyway and it has nothing to do with what the OP was asking. I think you're being a bit overly dramatic :eek:

savingmummy

I wouldnt worry too much.
The veg patch sounds safe to me (high and covered) so well protected.

If your really worried maybe ask at your local garden centre for advise.

Kimitatsu

amcluesent wrote: »

OMG! I'd burn everything to avoid the risk of toxocariasis which can be carried by flys that feed on dog poo onto food. Dogs are the reservoir for Toxocara canis, but puppies pose the greatest risk of spreading the infection to humans.

If you do eat any of the veg. (yeuch!) then look out for symptoms of coughing, fever, abdominal pain, headaches, and changes in behavior and ability to sleep.

If you are worried about this then I can only assume that you must grow your veggies in a bubble. Flies can travel long distances so it may not even be in your garden, it could be someone elses!!

OP - wouldnt worry about it to be honest, as long as you pick up the poo regularly and dont leave it hanging around then there should be no issues. Your beds are netted amyway so you know that the dogs have not come into contact with the soil at all.

I have 8 dogs and 8 cats, we live on a farm and there are 16 chickens on my veggie patch - the beds are raised and netted but the chooks graze in between them, and in the last 20 years we havent caught toxicaris/avian flu/whatever else is on the governments health list at the time at all