Imagine this. You're playing with your dog at the beautiful park down the street. The sun is shining brightly, and he's enjoying what seems like the best game of fetch you've ever played. 

What you don't know is the beautiful park is full of toxins that can cause anything from allergies to cancer. Toxins are in the grass, the soil, and the air. Your dog is ingesting the toxins, getting them on their fur, and breathing them in. They're everywhere. 

The park was sprayed yesterday to get rid of the weeds and insects. 

If you spray your lawn with pesticides or herbicides, it's equally dangerous there.

Weed Killer and Pesticides Contain Glyphosate

There's a chemical in weed-killer and pesticides known as glyphosate. It's not only dangerous to dogs but also to us and the wildlife surrounding us. 

If you research this, it's unlikely you will find too much information, although the word is getting out now more than ever. If you conduct a thorough search, you will find lawsuits against those who use weed-killer… primarily from farmers. They have all kinds of side effects.

Glyphosate works by taking away a plant's ability to produce an enzyme known as EPSP synthase. This enzyme impacts a plant's ability to eat. It starves plants to death.

Plants are Becoming Resistant to Glyphosate

New pesticides add a chemical known as 2,4-D to their formula as plants become resistant to glyphosate.

Most people are familiar with a contaminant known as Agent Orange, which was utilized during Vietnam and World War II. Planes dropped Agent Orange on enemies during the wars to remove brush and plant life where enemies could hide. Those who used Agent Orange reported severe health effects.

2,4-D, which is now added to our pesticides, was the chemical that was used to develop Agent Orange. And that's what is being sprayed in our beautiful parks and visually-appealing lawns.

Glyphosate and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a topic for discussion. Where there are GMOs, you'll often find glyphosate. Approximately 80% of the world's GMO crops are resistant to glyphosate. This allows the crops to live while the rest of the plants surrounding them die. 

Glyphosate has a surfactant component, which helps it stick to the plant and prevents it from being washed away. And this surfactant is thought to make glyphosate even more dangerous. The estimated residual time (when it stays in the soil) is between 23 and 25 years.

Most kibbles contain GMO ingredients like corn, soy, and beets. If your dog is eating commercial dog food, they are likely to consume glyphosate continuously.

This is detrimental to raw feeders. If you aren't feeding organic fruits and vegetables to your dogs, they may still be exposed to glyphosate. GMO fruits and vegetables are sprayed at the beginning of the planting session, and the non-GMOs at the end of the season, just before harvesting. These chemicals cannot be washed off of the food as they are embedded in the flesh and roots of the fruits and vegetables.

When glyphosate is consumed, it can cause a range of severe effects in dogs, including:

If you notice any of these signs following a visit to the park, or an outing with your dog in an area that may have been sprayed, it's essential to contact your veterinarian. A holistic veterinarian may be critical as they may be more well-versed in these contaminants and detoxification methods. 

Unfortunately (and fortunately), most symptoms aren't seen until an extended period later or after extended exposure. By then, the toxins have accumulated significantly. 

The World Health Organization, or WHO, has published an article discussing the high likelihood that glyphosate, a common herbicide ingredient, causes cancer in humans and animals. 

The World Health Organization makes these correlations because studies demonstrate that glyphosate use can induce DNA alterations and mammal cell damage. 

Other research has found a relationship between glyphosate-containing pesticides and uncommon pancreatic and kidney tumors in animals.

Another study published in the Journal of Environmental Health looked at dogs, cancer, and pesticide use.

In the study, dog owners were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their dogs' environment, medical history, and pesticides or insecticides used in and around the house.

Researchers found that dogs with malignant lymphoma were 70% more likely to live in homes that used pesticides. 

Because your body can't effectively detox glyphosate, it builds up in your tissues over time, and your dog is no exception. So you and your dog are likely to have it in your bones, intestines, livers, spleens, kidneys, and muscles.

Pesticide drift is the transport of pesticides from where it's applied to an unintended location through the air. Drift occurs when pesticide droplets or dust migrate away from the target spot during spraying. It can also happen after the application. Pesticide drift can expose people, animals, plants, and property to pesticides.

In other words, even if you don't use pesticides on your lawn, there is a chance your dog can still be exposed even without leaving your home if your neighbors use it. 

Of course, you want your dog to go outside. Pesticide drift is important to keep in mind if you are trying to limit your dog's exposure. You may consider visiting your neighbor and asking if they utilize pesticides and, if they do, providing them with some education regarding the side effects of pesticides. If they aren't interested in knowing more, you may consider moving your dog's walking area to an area further away from the neighbor(s) utilizing the weed killer.

Pesticide is also important to keep in mind when visiting the park. If there's a sign that one area of the park has been sprayed and the other hasn't, it doesn't necessarily mean the side that hasn't been sprayed doesn't contain toxic chemicals. 

After discovering all this information, could you believe glyphosate has been patented as an antibiotic? 

Glyphosate is unusually effective as an antibiotic against Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, and Enterococcal species, all considered beneficial to humans and found in virtually all probiotic supplements. Still, it is ineffective against Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium botulinum, and Salmonella. To put it another way, glyphosate changes the microbiome's composition, killing or reducing helpful microorganisms while favoring the expansion of bad ones.

Essentially, it's as you would expect. Although it has been claimed as an antibiotic, it violently disrupts the gut microbiome and assists in the proliferation of harmful bacteria in the body. 

The antibiotic pathway assists in killing the plants it targets. Glyphosate destroys good bacteria like bifidobacterium and lactobacilli, which are essential for plant and animal health but also increases the activity of dangerous diseases, including clostridium, phythothera, pithium, and Rhizoctonia. Glyphosate does not harm plants in sterile soil; these pathogens that kill them.

Natural Alternatives to Toxic Pesticides and Herbicides

If you weren't aware of the dangers of glyphosate, please don't feel guilty. Many people aren't aware of the risks; it's not exactly public knowledge. Now that you know, you can search for natural alternatives to keep your lawn visually appealing. 

BurnOut is a commercially-sold product that offers a natural alternative to toxic chemicals. It's known to begin working in less than an hour and provides an excellent alternative to toxic chemicals.

Be sure not to bring your dog to a location that was recently sprayed with insecticides or herbicides.

Use alternative, natural weed killers for your lawn.

Take your dog to a veterinarian, preferably to one that is holistic or integrative, if you notice any of the clinical signs mentioned above, and if your dog may have been exposed to a known toxin.

Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate - The Lancet Oncology 

Entropy | Free Full-Text | Glyphosate's Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases 

Household chemical exposures and the risk of canine malignant lymphoma, a model for human non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 

The WHO's cancer agency left in the dark over glyphosate evidence 

Heavy use of herbicide Roundup linked to health dangers-US study | Reuters 

How Dangerous Is Pesticide Drift? - Scientific American 

Monsanto's Roundup Faces European Politics and US Lawsuits - The New York Times 

Herbicide Poisoning in Animals - Toxicology - Merck Veterinary Manual 

Facts and Fallacies in the Debate on Glyphosate Toxicity 

Role of glyphosate in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria? 

Clostridium Bacteria and Autism Spectrum Conditions: A Systematic Review and Hypothetical Contribution of Environmental Glyphosate Levels 

The Effect of Glyphosate on Potential Pathogens and Beneficial Members of Poultry Microbiota In Vitro | SpringerLink 

Frontiers | Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Glyphosate and of a Glyphosate-Containing Herbicide Formulation for Escherichia coli Isolates – Differences Between Pathogenicand Non-pathogenic Isolates and Between Host Species | Microbiology 

Environmental and health effects of the herbicide glyphosate - ScienceDirect 

Imagine this. You’re playing with your dog at the beautiful park down the street. The sun is shining brightly, and he’s enjoying what seems like the best game of fetch you’ve ever played.&nbsp;

Pesticides Plague Your Dog Daily

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