CLA in the North calls for dog owners to clean up mess

CLA in the North calls for dog owners to clean up mess

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in the North is reminding dog owners to clean up their pet’s mess when walking in the countryside this Bank Holiday weekend.

The membership association for the owners of rural land, property and businesses has issued the call after a dairy farmer near Huddersfield saw more than 20 calves aborted by their mothers because of a deadly parasite which can be picked up from grass infected by dog faeces.

CLA North Director of Policy and Public Affairs Douglas Chalmers said: “There may be no obvious symptoms in a dog, but the effects of this parasite - Neospora caninum - can be devastating in cattle and there is no known treatment.

“We welcome visitors to the countryside over the Bank Holiday, but anyone who brings their dog should make sure it has been wormed and also remember to pick up and remove any mess. Even if there aren’t any animals visibly grazing in a field, they may do in future, or the grass may be cut and used as feed through the winter.”

Neospora caninum affects mainly cattle, dogs and other animals such as foxes, although it can also affect sheep, goats, deer and horses. The parasite lives in both dogs and cattle, but only reproduces in dogs. It can be transmitted to cattle which graze on grass infected by dog faeces. Once inside a cow the parasite is deadly, often resulting in abortion or the birth of premature, impaired or infected calves.

Mr Chalmers added: “The Countryside Code and onsite signage will often remind owners to keep dogs on leads or under close control, and hopefully common sense will alert owners to potential risks to lambs and their mothers, to ground nesting birds and from cows with calves at foot, but equally serious, silent and unseen risks to livestock such as this parasite are largely unknown.”