Q: My husband and I are dog mushers and live in a roadless area in Alaska. As you might think, we have an abundance of dog manure gracing our acreage. We’d like to put the animal wastes to use in the garden (especially since commercial fertilizer must be toted in at a considerable expense), but we’ve heard that dog droppings carry intestinal parasites that can be harmful to humans, and that only thorough composting will destroy the “bugs.” Composting dog poop takes as long as three years in our cold climate, though. Can you suggest alternatives to this process?
Unless the proper precautions are followed, both dog and cat manure can be harmful to human health. Because so many folks own one or both species, we’d like to take this opportunity to address the overall question of using pet wastes in the garden.
Cat feces pose the greater threat to human health because they may transmit toxoplasmosis, a disease that is particularly hazardous for pregnant women, since it can seriously harm the central nervous system of an unborn child, resulting in fetal blindness, brain damage or other problems. The adult parasite involved is carried only by cats, but the eggs shed in the manure can infect humans, pigs, cows and other mammals. Because the symptoms of toxoplasmosis are similar to those of a flu virus, the disease is often diagnosed as the more familiar ailment. It’s estimated that as many as 50 percent of all Americans have been infected with the parasite at one time or another. The eggs remain viable in the soil for as long as 18 months, and the illness can be acquired through contact with infected cat manure or by ingesting the undercooked meat of an animal that became diseased by grazing near the feces. For these reasons, feline manure should always be handled with care — and not at all by pregnant women — and should never be used in the food garden. Instead, bury the waste in nonfood trees.
The primary hazard present in dog manure is roundworms. However, canine feces can be used in the garden if the waste is first composted. As you mention, the limiting factor for composting is the temperature of the pile. Try the following recipe from China: Make a pile of 1 part manure, 1 part green matter and 3 parts soil; cover the heap with a thick layer of clayey mud; and leave it until it’s “done.” In Alaska, insulating the mound with a double-walled solar bread-box-type enclosure might help shorten the incubation time.
Alternatively, uncomposted dog waste could be used as a side-dressing for nonfood plants, fruit-bearing shrubs and trees, and other cultivars whose edible parts are not in direct contact with the soil. Be sure, though, never to use the fertilizer in areas where children might play.
To Island Bird: are you sure urea is an enzyme? I have never before heard of it being considered as one.
I have collected dog feces for several years, but it is first treated with lime (hydrated calcium hydroxide) before being bagged. Has anyone successfully composted it this way? I am pretty sure that prior to composting, the lime will need to be neutralized with something simple, such as vinegar. Anyone’s thoughts or experience is appreciated!
I have a question about DIY doo-doo composting... can straight urea be used as the composting starter enzyme?
Question about dog poo composting: can I use straight urea as my activator in a DIY doo-doo composter?
I have a question about using deer manure in the food garden. Do you recommend composting it first and if so, how long might it remain composting?
I agree with the toxoplasmoses in feline stool is toxic to a fetus but it does become sterile at 160 degrees F (most cat feces would not become hot enough in a regular compost pile.) But if Kitty has it and is living with a pregnant female there would be exposure with out maticulous sterile technique. So the other things chicken (few) and dog (much more likely) have round worms which in a yard aerate the soil. and so you can put dog and human feces in the compost pile, after a week in the compost jon and a week of collection of dog stool, then you can put in with the green stuff and white things in the secondary compost bin you have in your yard for composting the lawn clippings, recycling food waists, egg shells and coffee grounds. The center has to get to 140 degrees, as I just stir it enough and hold for 2-3 weeks... then use on your grass, garden, flower and food.
what temperature would it need to reach and how long would it need to stay at that temperature for it to become safe to use ? ...maybe I could bake it in the neighbors oven when no one was home