Question
QUESTION: i live in southern Pa. we've had grubs for the past 3 yrs. they were slowly taking the grass. i get as many of them as i can and get rid of them. my 3 dogs started digging them up when we 1st saw them. when we got the 3rd dog, he had giardia. we treated him for 5 months. at the 4 month mark, after researching, i used borax laundry det. to help get rid of the parasite. after the 5th treatment, parasite was gone from the dog. unfortunately, i used the borax 2x's. we've gone thru several kinds of grass seed, and no luck. nothing will grow. my husband thinks the grubs will dissapear on their own i guess as he not really doing anything abt it. SO....what the heck can i do to my yard now. i did put some lime down to help save what grass i did have left. no luck.  its dec 17th and we have a mud pit in our back yard...with 3 dogs....    i'm thinking, come spring, we will have to dig up our yard(at least a foot down)to get rid of bad dirt(?)and bring in clean dirt and then sod. yes, no..HELP.

ANSWER: Hi Dawn,

I'm really not sure how much of this question I can answer effectively. I'm a bit confused as to how the Giardia parasite and borax ties into your lawn situation. There's really no obvious correlation that I can see.

A yard with 3 dogs is a near impossible maintenance project unless you literally have a few acres.  The dogs will dig because that is their habit. Typically they don't eat grubs, they are just digging because that is what dogs do. They will also tear up grass by running on it and kill it with urine.

I doubt that grubs or bad soil have much to do with your yard problems, and digging up the yard to replace the soil will likely be overkill, expensive, and ineffective. I'd recommend getting a large load of bark mulch and spreading it several inches deep wherever the dogs run. The grass probably won't make it anyway, and at least the mulch will look better than mud.

Please let me know if I've misunderstood your question.

-C.J. Brown

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well, i read that the borax will pull the parasite down into the ground, as to not keep reinfecting the dog, or infect the other dogs. we had somewhat of a half decent yard before, with two of the dogs. did have areas worn away because of them,and areas b/c of grubs.  it just snowballed with burning the grass and the grubs. and the dogs will eat the grubs(yuk..i dont let them!) we were just talking abt putting hay down(?)  ANY suggestions would be great. we'll look into the mulch. thanks

Answer
I'd definitely talk to a Veterinarian before following any further recommendations on using Borax or treating giardia with any home remedies. It's my understanding that this parasite survives and spreads via polluted communal water supplies. Untreated pools, ponds, etc. Your yard really wouldn't have anything to do with it.  Again though, I'm not trained in veterinary medicine.

The dog urine and the running can only be dealt with by giving the dogs new, different places to run and "go." Nothing can be done to help make the yard better withstand these stresses.

Unless you can minimize the amount of stress the dogs put on the yard (by taking them to parks or wooded areas to exercise and play), then I would recommend putting down a good bark mulch in a thick layer. If you CAN get the dogs to spend the majority of their outside time elsewhere, then do that, and see how the lawn goes next season. Grubs are easily fixed with an application of Imidachloprid (Grub X Season Long) in June. It's pretty much that easy.

Good luck!

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com