Norovirus spreads easily via contaminated food or drinking water, but a more insidious route is from a person touching a surface contaminated with the residue of stool or vomit from an infected person and then touching his or her mouth before hand-washing.

FORBES: Magazine Article

To avoid constipation, your doctor might recommend a fiber-rich diet or use of stool softeners.

CNN: Overactive bladder

Confusing the picture further are private labs that offer tests of stool or saliva that they say can definitively diagnose gluten sensitivity.

WSJ: New Guide to Who Really Shouldn't Eat Gluten

If any of these symptoms develop in the days or weeks that follow you might talk to your doctor about having your child's stool evaluated for an infection since dog poop may contain bacteria and sometimes parasites (such as roundworms, or Toxocara canis) that can cause illness in humans.

CNN: What should I do if my kid eats dog poop?

Beyond avoiding the national catastrophe that you've warned about, once all the legs of your stool are in place, how can the American people gauge whether or not your programs are working?

WHITEHOUSE: Presidential Press Conference

Understand that the concept of the Nuclear Security Summit that we set up was not directed at the specific issue of Iran or North Korea, but was directed at one leg of a multi-legged stool when it comes to our nuclear security.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama and President Lee Hold a News Conference

Grab a stool and a glass of wine with folpetti (baby octopus) salad, or enjoy yours dockside along the Grand Canal.

BBC: Mini guide to eating in Venice