Dog feces in compost?

[Brigitte J.]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but is dog poop OK in the compost bin?

Thanks, Brigitte

[Steve Peek]

[zxcvbob]

Sure, in small amounts in a hot bin or an active worm pile.

I wouldn't put large amounts in a cold compost pile or directly in a vegetable garden.

I can't cite a reference, but I've read in several places that dog and cat waste can carry disease and should not be used in a garden. But it won't last very long in a working compost bin (even human waste can be used in a garden if it's from a properly designed composting toilet.)

Bob

[Alfred Falk]

"Brigitte J." wrote in news:%yLtc.9163$ [e-mail]:

This gets asked repeatedly, and you'll get answers on both sides. I've been doing it for years, with no noticeable problems. However, this is small healthy urban dog fed only prepared foods.

Some obvious risk factors for having nasties in the dog poop: - dog doesn't get regular health checks and shots, etc. - dog eats uncooked meat - dog catches and eats wild prey - dog has a lot of contact with many other dogs

Be sure your compost is well-rotted before, and for extra safety don't apply directly on top of edible vegetables - better to dig into the ground.

[Katra]

My grape vines seem to be enjoying it...... ;-)

K.

[Katra]

Proper composting kills pathogens...

Thing about Humanure. :-P Contains far more pathogens than dog poop!

[Katra]

Hot composting is the key... Predator poop is going to be higher in nitrogen than herbivore poop, so can be useful but it really needs to be completely composted to kill possible pathogenic bacteria.

K.

[Pat Kiewicz]

If it's your own dog who licks you, sits on you, and basically 'shares' himself and whatever he may have inside him with you, and your compost is made in hot batches it would probably be OK. But it's not something anyone would encourage. (After all, I'm sure the dog has been wormed at intervals, right??)

Poop from strange dogs (or other carnivores) would definitely be RIGHT OUT!

[FDR]

Would you really want to risk it considering you may not properly compost? I'd sooner spend a few bucks on a bial of straw or hay than throw dog shit in my bin.

[Penny Morgan]

No. The easiest way to know which is o.k. is to remember that any animal that eats meat (carnivores) cannot be used in making compost. Herbivores like cows, horses, chickens, etc. are o.k.

[H Hornblower]

It was one of my chores to put it there when I was a kid. Over the years this involved several large dogs and was in what we called the "compost heap" . not nearly as fancy as many believe composting to be. As far as I know nobody ever got sick because of it.

[Katra]

I shovel up the dog shit and throw it up against the fence for my wild grape vines to eat. The grapes never come into contact with the poop, so I don't worry about it. The grape vines seem to be very happy, and I've got to do SOMETHING with the shit from 3 shelties and a border collie, plus two lab/chows that I'm boarding for a friend! ;-)

The grape vines (and the honeysuckle vines) seem to appreciate the fertilizer!

K.

[Glenna Rose]

And therein lies the key . . . use it only for non-food items in areas where no food plants will be planted.

[Katra]

Good point!

Cheers! K.

[Brigitte J.]

Seems that using it on anything I'm going to eat is out of the question. But I have some other things I might try it on.

Thanks for all the "shitty" ideas. :)

Brigitte

[Glenna Rose]

[e-mail] writes:

Not everyone who has a dog "shares" with the dog. There are still some of us who don't allow the dog on furniture, etc., and licking by the dog is confined to the hands or arms (of the human), which are frequently washed. (I've never licked my own hands after the dog has! Nor do I eat afterward without washing). Also, there is a huge difference between saliva (and what it may carry) and poop (and what it certainly carries!) . . . after all, most people would not object to a kiss from a young child but certainly don't want child poop distributed in the same way.

My point is that poop/feces has bacteria, etc., in it that is there because of the digestive process and what the animal has eaten . . . things that are definitely not in the same dog's "kisses." Yes, I know a dog licks itself, but that "material" is significantly changed immediately by the saliva in the dog's mouth. Saliva and poop are *not* the same!

It's not even an option to put this crap (literally) on the garden (even through composting which may or may not be hot enough at any particular time) because you are not the only person who might eat from that garden. A principal that I always use is to consider the youngest eater of the garden, which in this case is my granddaughters, and consider what even minute amounts of something might do to their tiny bodies which have less body mass to fight toxins/bacteria/bad guys as well as smaller and less effective immune systems. Something that has not been mentioned in all this discussion of human/predator manure is the extremely and tragically high childhood death rate in countries which do routinely use it (for lack of better). That is very definitely only one factor, but it is a factor. Certainly, we, living in this country or even signified by the fact we have computers (designating a different access to resources), are not required to use potentially dangerous/harmful elements for fertilizer for our very survival. While fertilizer is sold by many cities after processing waste through the sewage treatment plants, it is not the same as can be done by an individual. For 15 years, my husband worked on site at a plant during expansion construction . . . trust me, *no* common nasties can survive what they do to the sludge! And there is absolutely no way that we can begin to process feces as effectively, short of buying hospital grade sterilizing equipment . . . there is a reason they call it "cooking" and refer to a step in the process as "roast turkey." The discussions here about how to make it "safe" have bordered on amusing to those who have some familiarity of the entire process of using sewage waste for fertilizer . . . it isn't a simple matter of loading it and trucking it to your garden.

Okay, I have that "off my chest" for now. It's time to go pull weeds after our downpours of the last couple of days!

Glenna who knew there was a reason to put off preparing the new beds for the last of the purchased plants

[Katra]

:-D

Just be careful with it. It's very rich in Nitrogen!

K.

[zxcvbob]

You're overreacting, bigtime. Do you allow children to play in the grass where maybe a dog has shit when you weren't looking? (BTW, the risk with dog waste is parasites much more than it is bacteria.)

And that sewage sludge you mentioned may contain toxin metals that are definately not cooked out.

Best regards, Bob

[Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat]

I have two huge GSDs and a springer spaniel, so lots of dog crap here too. I wish I could find something fool proof to do with it - particularly this week as some nerk has stolen my wheelie bin !! (I'm in the UK - for anyone who doesn't know what a wheelie bin is - it's a big trash bin you set outside every week with your trash bags in it to be put in the garbage lorry. I expect it will be a week or so before the council will bring me a new one). So my poor little temporary dog s**te bin in the back garden is full to overflowing ....ick.

Rachael

[Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat]

Interesting. So would one assume that poop from veggie dogs would be ok ? My three are veggies, healthy, wormed reguarly, given regular shots, etc. and only I and my bf (and the dogs) will eat from my garden, which has to be said, is mostly flowers, but this year with some sunflowers, tomatoes and peppers, plus a few herbs.

My composting is not up to stratch yet (waiting for my big composting bin to arrive as I haven't the space or area for a heap) but I am always hoping to use all that cack I get from my three for *something* !

Rachael