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I'm really sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm a total beginner with growing veg. Basically the plot that I'm digging beds in has some special gifts from my terrier. Should I get rid of this or just dig it into the soil? Will it harm the soil, help the soil or just not make any difference? Like I said, stupid question :)

Tom

I`m no expert but - all the authorities I`ve read say you shouldn`t use carnivore droppings because of pathogens that don`t degrade.(?)
However, before we read this stern stricture, we used to dispose of our dog`s home produced droppings by burying them in the back garden - where we now have a magnificent soft fruit bed!
I`d be really interested in the practical advice of them wot knows!

The soft fruit bed sounds like a good plan. I personally wouldn't use it on stuff like carrots where the bit you eat is in contact with the soil, but on fruit trees and such I'm quite certain it can't do any harm.

Well - am not one of thems wot knows, but have always had dogs, have always had a compost, and doggie doo has always gone in compost... as does dog hair, puppy paper, kitty litter and whatever other byproducts may result from pet ownership.

IF - The shep drops one in the yard (usually under the bamboo), I hose it in when I'm watering.

Oh - right! Thanks for that folks. Guess I`ll start burying it again - perhaps work up to a new raspberry plot!

Fair enough but just be aware of the pathogen thing, and that the residual worming stuff in the dogs doo doo (you do worm your pets don't you?) will play havoc with the earthworms as well

Nev

Crikey!
Things are never simple are they?
Thanks mate!

Thanks for the advice everybody, I think to be on the safe side I'll clear them away. Now I'll have all the fun of putting up some sort of fence to keep the little buggers off the veg patch and make sure I don't get any more there!

Merry wrote:Crikey!
Things are never simple are they?
Thanks mate!

No they aren't! (No worries!)

I went to a course on composting with the council, you can buy dog ang cat poo composters here, so I asked the lecturer what gives, she said yep, it would kill the worms - so those dog/cat poo composters seem to be a pretty silly idea!

Nev

Oh dear! That means when I am worming the chooks and I pick up their poo I shouldn't put it in the compost should I? Oops.

I worm my poultry with condies crystals (permanganate potash) and all other livestock with fresh garlic.

I do have chemical treatments here, which I used alternatively until I was confident in the natural treatments. Don't think I have dispensed a chemical wormer in about 2 and a half years. That was when I had a goat arrive in real bad shape, so I used it while she was in quarantine.

When I worm (in either fashion), I confine and rotate animals out of their pens after 48 hours. Those pens are then cleared and left idle for at least two weeks before the animals are allowed back on that ground. The soil/muck is still used, but not in vegie beds... usually under the bamboo or at present its being directed in behind a rock wall.

pathogens oh yeah works if you use fresh manure too lol so fresh manure has to sit for a while personally i move the doggie doo or turn the dog vegetarian lol.

I wouldn't bother with the dog/cat poo composters, my folks tried one years ago that your burried in the ground and 'filled' then added a chemical activator. All that happened was it just got more and more full and ended up pouring loads of expensive (and probably toxic) chemicals down it, before digging the who mess out and putting it in the bin!

You can compost dog and cat poo if you're using it for non-edible reasons. Be aware that there will be chemical residues in it if you're going for totally chemical free (that includes wormers, booster jabs and antibiotics).

The reason you shouldn't compost dog and cat poo is because of the pathogens contained in the waste from meat intake. Meat faeces contains harmful pathogens (coliforms etc) but veg faeces doesn't. Its also to do with how the digestive systems work - if the aminals shed blood cells in their faeces or not. horses and other animals (and birds) don't shed the amount of blood cells that meat-eating animals do, so their poo is safer.

You can compost rodent poo, including rabbits because it is mostly vegetable based. I asked the man from the council about this and he said that they were safe. Also compost any bedding used, like wood shavings, shredded paper etc.

Gidday

I know a lot of you will disagree with me but I would rathet bury the dog in the garden and that would solve the problem.