Diseases from digging?

When digging, dogs can expose themselves to various diseases and health risks. Damp soil, contact with wild animal faeces or contaminated areas pose concrete dangers:

1. Parasite infestation: If a dog digs in soil contaminated with the faeces of other animals, it can easily become infected with external parasites such as fleas and ticks. Fleas transmit bartonellosis among others, ticks can transmit Lyme borreliosis.
2. Fungal infections: Certain types of fungi in the soil are dangerous for dogs. A common fungal disease transmitted through contact with soil is blastomycosis, which can affect the lungs, skin and other organs. The dog becomes infected when it inhales soil contaminated with fungal spores.
3. Gastrointestinal disorders: If a dog eats soil while digging or afterwards, it can become infected with bacterial, viral or parasitic pathogens that cause vomiting, diarrhoea and other digestive problems. These pathogens include giardia, salmonella and Escherichia coli (E. coli).
4. Leptospirosis: This bacterial disease is frequently transmitted via water or damp soil contaminated with the urine of infected animals. Leptospirosis can cause severe kidney and liver damage and is also transmissible to humans.
5. Skin infections and injuries: When digging, dogs can injure their paws and claws. Small cuts and abrasions serve as entry points for bacteria and other pathogens, thus potentially leading to infections.
6. Fox tapeworm: In some regions, contact with the faeces of foxes or smaller rodents carries a risk of infection with the fox tapeworm, which can cause serious illness in dogs and humans.

Keep your dog in secured areas where the risk of contamination is lower. Regular vet checks, deworming, and parasite protection significantly reduce the risk of infection. If your dog shows unusual symptoms after digging, you should consult a vet.

Digging, better to prevent

Digging holes is a self-rewarding activity for the dog, so it does not stop on its own. In addition to the disease risks described above, livestock in meadows can also be seriously injured by a digging hole, which in the worst case leads to euthanasia of the animal. It is therefore worthwhile to consistently prevent digging from the start.