how long does grass need to be dog free?

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lovelygirl

lovelygirl

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Hi

i am going home to my mums for a month with my girlies and she does not have a dog but does have one visit occasionally, how long does grass need to be dog free to be considered safe? Also what is it about dogs that makes the grass unsafe?
 
It is the dog pee which is poisonous to pigs; so you better wait until the grass has grown back and been cut again.
 
what makes it poisonous, i know that it is, also what about fox pee and cat pee?
 
Sorry, I can't help you with that one!
 
surely someone can tell me the answer? is it just dogs or cats and foxes etc and what makes it posionous - chemical, parasite, bacteria?
 
Grass growing near busy roads should not be fed to gp`s because as it is porous it will soak in toxic fumes from the car exhuast.Washing will not remove this.

As for soiling by cats,foxes etc, as long as you do the obvious and avoid any grass that has obviously been soiled,and as long as you wash the grass thoroughly under running water,the danger of a gp getting any disease from it is very miniscule.The zoonosis between cats,dogs and gp`s is very low indeed.It is possible that wild mice,rats etc could possibly contaminate the grass,but having said that,we put our indoor piggies out on our lawn on clement days,and in 30 years or more of keeping gp`s I have never had a health problem that I could put down to contaminated grass,and we do have wood mice living in our rockery.These little creatures do sometimes run over the lawn.

I think the rule of thumb here is just be sensible about where you pick the grass and wash thoroughly.

Your piggies will enjoy the yummy grass.

Maryh
 
I wouldn't feed any grass that is used By people or pet's I would only use grass that is a special area for the guinea pig's.
 
I don't have a dog at the moment but with my previous pigs we also had a dog who used the lawn and we never had a problem, all our pigs lived to a ripe old age! (Patch was 7 -aw!) I've never heard this thing about contaminated grass.
 
Whenever i cut grass from my mums garden i always wash it before feeding it. She doesn't have dogs but cats frequent her garden & the piggies have had no ill effects from it :)
 
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