Dog Waste

[sunny-dave]

I work hard to train my dogs to (whenever possible) evacuate their bowels in my garden - it's then very simple to use a poop scoop to transfer the waste to my downstairs toilet & flush it away. It seems much preferable to collecting the stuff in plastic bags and adding it to domestic landfill waste - or indeed decorating trees in the local wood with the bags - is this some sort of bizarre ritual ?!?

As it happens, I process my own effluent with my private treatment unit (not on mains drains) and the output is monitored by the Environment Agency, who are happy with the water quality of the final outflow - which then flows into a ditch and eventually the local stream. So everyone is happy.

But .... it has been suggested that if I was on a mains sewer it would be illegal to flush dog droppings away via my domestic toilet.

Is this true, if so what is the reasoning ??

[Zacs-Master]

Can't find owt with a quick google Dave. I must be thick but I never thought of doing it but now I will, so ta.

[murraymints]

Buy a cat !

[pixie373]

I really don't know, but can only think of the risks of worms or diseases, which may need a different treatment.

[Sparkles62]

I can't see any reason why,
I do the same with the cat poo.

[gness]

I think, but would need to investigate more, that dog waste can be flushed down the loo but not cat waste...As this seems to be my day for dealing with poo I will see what I can find out from my poo contact. x

[Zacs-Master]

Re Cat poo down the loo.
Some research shows you can flush it down the toilet, minus the litter. However, research suggests that the eggs of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in cat poop, may survive the wastewater treatment process and contaminate waterways. While Toxoplasma rarely affects healthy people, it can cause defects and brain damage in babies whose mothers were exposed when pregnant. Brain disease can also develop in people with compromised immune systems. In addition, Toxoplasma has been shown to harm sea otters and may affect other wildlife as well

[ChuckFickens]

The BBC say it's OK...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/plain/A11998461

(cat poo shouldn't be put down the toilet though as it contains parasites that won't be killed by the normal treatment)

[gness]

Zacs has done it for me....have a hug Zacs....x

[murraymints]

My cat always buried his poo I never saw it...is this unusual ?

[Zacs-Master]

Don't mind if I do gness.

[gness]

:-) x

[Psybbo]

Hey Gness, hands off Zacs!!

[hc4361]

murraymints, not unusual at all. You never saw it because the cat used the neighbour's garden.

[gness]

Lord! That woman....I get away with nothing!...:-( x

[Nibble]

well I never knew that - we have a litter tray in the bathroom and the poo always goes down the loo.

[Jeza]

I had a cat that used the toilet.

[boxtops]

My friend from years gone by had a cat who did that too, jeza.

[Sparkles62]

Same here nibble, I've done it for years, she doesn't go out very often, nothing stopping her, door is always open, she just doesn't like it.
If I dont flush it, then it will just go in the bin with the cat litter and go to land fill, surely that is just as bad.

[Jeza]

Boxy, for weeks I admonished my son for not flushing the toilet, he kept protesting that he did. Then I saw the cat using it.

[boxtops]

LOL - it would save a fortune on cat litter (mind you, us and three cats all jostling to use the loo, the mind boggles)