# Dog poo down the toilet?



## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Hi guys, i was wondering, do any of you flush dog poo collected from the back garden down your human toilet? I always do this, but a friend told me recently that I shouldn't do it as it is unhygienic and bad for the environment. She puts the poo of her pet (actually her pet is a cat but I don't think this makes any difference -does it?) straight in the bin which I feel is even more unhygienic. Who is right?


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## MiffyMoo (Sep 15, 2015)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Hi guys, i was wondering, do any of you flush dog poo collected from the back garden down your human toilet? I always do this, but a friend told me recently that I shouldn't do it as it is unhygienic and bad for the environment. She puts the poo of her pet (actually her pet is a cat but I don't think this makes any difference -does it?) straight in the bin which I feel is even more unhygienic. Who is right?


Why would it be any more unhygienic than ours?


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

I don't understand why that would be unhygienic as long as it flushes and none gets left around the bowl (sorry tmi )
But, it would be a bit of a faff because you gotta pick it up in the first place with a poo bag, so may as well just tie it up and put it in the bin.


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

I don't know! I was confused.


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## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Hi guys, i was wondering, do any of you flush dog poo collected from the back garden down your human toilet? I always do this, but a friend told me recently that I shouldn't do it as it is unhygienic and bad for the environment. She puts the poo of her pet (actually her pet is a cat but I don't think this makes any difference -does it?) straight in the bin which I feel is even more unhygienic. Who is right?


I certainly don't simply because I am not going to trapes stinking dog muck through the house to dispose of it in a toilet. That said your friend is talking absolute balderdash. Sewers are by definition unhygienic and some dogs mess isn't going to change that one way or another.


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Hmm Ok. Yeah I was just literally picking it up with toilet paper and just putting it straight in the bowl.


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Hmm Ok. Yeah I was just literally picking it up with toilet paper and just putting it straight in the bowl.


Oh ok, yeah I wouldn't fancy as cbcdesign says, trapsing through the house with it.
I suppose at least you are saving on poo bags in landfill.


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## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Hmm Ok. Yeah I was just literally picking it up with toilet paper and just putting it straight in the bowl.


Well if it works for you fine but believe me you would not want to do that with the product that comes out of my dogs behind. She is a big girl on steroids which doesn't exactly play nice with her digestive tract. Bags and outdoor waste bins is the only way.


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Well our toilet is downstairs and right by the backdoor, and the dog is only a small terrier with little turds. I did think it was good to save the environment from all those poo bags, plus I jsut find something wrong with all those poo bags sitting in the wheely bin all week waiting for collection :-###


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Well our toilet is downstairs and right by the backdoor, and the dog is only a small terrier with little turds. I did think it was good to save the environment from all those poo bags, plus I jsut find something wrong with all those poo bags sitting in the wheely bin all week waiting for collection :-###


Good on you. I don;t see anything wrong in that


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2016)

I use poo bags to pick up then bin as soon as I get to a bin.


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Thanks Muttly. I'm guessing its ok then. My friend does talk a load of B.S sometimes LOL! Anybody else have an opinion on this?


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## anachronism (Jan 30, 2014)

As far as I am concerned poo is poo  Keep doing it your way


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

I see nothing wrong with your way, infact I but my dogs poo in the toilet while he couldn't go outside.


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## Fleur (Jul 19, 2008)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Hmm Ok. Yeah I was just literally picking it up with toilet paper and just putting it straight in the bowl.


When we lived in a house with a downstairs toilet this is what I did.
No problem and much more environmentally friendly than filling landfill with plastic bags.


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## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

Waste and the bags I use are biodegradable!


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Thanks guys, luckily my friend isn't on this site or she would be on here telling you all you are totally wrong! FFS


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Yes CBCdesign but what about the poo sitting in the wheelie bin all week?


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## jamat (Jun 3, 2015)

nothing wrong with using the toilet to get rid of dog waste though at the moment I'm trying to get Alfie to do this


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Wow Jamat that is awesome! Ok well that is really remarkable.


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## jamat (Jun 3, 2015)

and for number ones I want him to learn to do this


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Ha ha ha! Absolutely brilliant! I cant wait to show these to my friend she will go ape shit!


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## peaps10 (Oct 24, 2016)

I don't see it as a problem, saving on poo bags too! I would probably do this if my dog was smaller but he's huge and his poos are also huge, it would probably block my loo! I don't see how it can be unhygienic, it's no different to our waste and I would say better for the environment.


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## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Yes CBCdesign but what about the poo sitting in the wheelie bin all week?


What about it and how is that any different to dog mess sitting in council dog bins all week?


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## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Sits in our Wheelie bin for 2 weeks up here!  On the plus side, I can fit about 4 Muttly poos in a normal size poo bag


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## steveshanks (Feb 19, 2015)

I'm sure i read you can get water soluble poop bags somewhere ........Found them, Steve
http://www.flushablepoobags.co.uk/flushable-poo-bags-1/


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## steveshanks (Feb 19, 2015)

You can even by a Doggybog LOL
http://www.flushablepoobags.co.uk/the-doggybog-basic-kit/


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## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

steveshanks said:


> You can even by a Doggybog LOL
> http://www.flushablepoobags.co.uk/the-doggybog-basic-kit/


Outdoor soil pipes used to be the norm but not since the 80's when centrally located spoil pipes hidden in stud walls became popular.


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## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

jamat said:


> nothing wrong with using the toilet to get rid of dog waste though at the moment I'm trying to get Alfie to do this
> 
> View attachment 288006


Surely at that angle the dog is about to do it on the seat?


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## jamat (Jun 3, 2015)

MilleD said:


> Surely at that angle the dog is about to do it on the seat?


Funny my wife complains about that to i just look at alfie and tell he's a bad boy


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## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

jamat said:


> Funny my wife complains about that to i just look at alfie and tell he's a bad boy


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## LoopyL (Jun 16, 2015)

I had a cat who used to poo in the loo!


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

steveshanks said:


> I'm sure i read you can get water soluble poop bags somewhere ........Found them, Steve
> http://www.flushablepoobags.co.uk/flushable-poo-bags-1/


I bought some of those but found them hard to flush away. OH was worried about them blocking the drains too.


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## evel-lin (Jul 1, 2010)

LoopyL said:


> I had a cat who used to poo in the loo!


My girl cat was at the vets a couple of weeks ago and she went for a wee in their sink. Vet thought it was hilarious, not something that's happened to her before!


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

The reason it is not recommended to flush cat faeces down the toilet is that if they contain the parasite Toxoplasma gondii this can survive sewage treatment and get into the water supply. It can also be carried to the oceans and survive for up to two years, affecting marine mammals. The following article in scientific American explains more.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cat-disease-threatens-endangered-monk-seals/

Also article in the Guardian about it...

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/14/cat-parasite-beluga-whales-arctic-toxoplasma

Article in vetmed Re sea otters...

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/whatsnew/article2.cfm?id=1176

Edited to add. Dogs like humans can also be affected by toxoplasmosis. In healthy humans and dogs they are generally unaffected however dogs that become infected even if showing no symptoms eg through eating cat faeces or raw meat / prey containing cysts can pass the parasite in their faeces though I understand this is rare and usually the cysts are retained in the muscle. However it has been shown that the parasite oocysts can pass through their gut unharmed after eating cat faeces and potentially infected raw meat / prey too.

See
Schares G, Pantchev N, Barutzki D, Heydorn AO, Bauer C, Conraths FJ. Oocysts of _Neospora caninum_, _Hammondia heydorni_, _Toxoplasma gondii_ and_Hammondia hammondi_ in faeces collected from dogs in Germany. Int J Parasitol.2005;35:1525-37.


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## foxiesummer (Feb 4, 2009)

Wouldn't do for we. We have a septic tank and it costs to have it emptied. Adding dog poo would mean it's emptied more often as we have kennels. We use a wormery for dog poo..


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

Wow the flushable poo bags look great!!!! 

Kittih maybe this toxoplas is why my friend was advising me against flushing dog poo - either she got confused or perhaps this is an issue for dog muck too?


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## shirleystarr (Mar 22, 2009)

A cat has poo that is different from a dogs anyway I always flush my dogs poo down the toilet but then she is a small dog


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Wow the flushable poo bags look great!!!!
> 
> Kittih maybe this toxoplas is why my friend was advising me against flushing dog poo - either she got confused or perhaps this is an issue for dog muck too?


See my edit to my original post to answer your question


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## Westie Mum (Feb 5, 2015)

Lucy poo's on the step outside when it's raining so she doesn't get wet 

I can't leave it until later as one of the others would probably stand on it coming back in the house so I pick it up with tissue and flush it down the toilet (I do put harpic down the toilet straight afterwards though). 

The toilet door is right next to the back door so saves me getting wet going to the bin


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

OK so it seems its not so uncommon to do this as my friend made out. I think I will continue to do this, flushing the poos down the toilet. 

However, Kittih I got in touch with my (irritating!) friend, and she confirmed that it was the idea that toxoplasm could be residing in the dog faeces and that it shouldnt be flushed. I will read the articles that you posted and maybe do some more research into the matter.

Alternatively, perhaps the doggy poo bags are the answer! Phew so much help here such a supportive group!


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Yes CBCdesign but what about the poo sitting in the wheelie bin all week?


Yuk, it's bagged here and goes in a bag in a small bin outside - and is then put at the very top of the wheelie bin at the last minute before it's emptied!


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

OK BREAKING NEWS!

I emailed the environmental health agency about this, and they told me to contact Thames Water. Here is the reply that they gave to my enquiry as to whether it is safe to flush dog faeces down the human toilet:

_Our sewers and sewage treatment procedures are designed for human waste only. Animal waste decays differently to human waste. The conveyance of dog waste in the sewers, might not cause any damage to the fabric of the system, but for public health reasons we must ask you not to use our sewers for this purpose.

We know that dogs suffering from intestinal worms, transmit the eggs in their faeces. The eggs can survive sewage treatment and remain harmful to humans. Therefore, as a matter of policy, we don't allow the disposal of dog or any animal waste into our sewerage system.
_
So apparently it is NOT a good idea to flush the faeces down the toilet after all! I feel terrible! So maybe it is best to use the bin after all? Does anyone have any opinions on this?

But with the bin - with collection once a week can this be hygienic? Especially in summer, to have a whole weeks worth of poo sitting steaming in a hot bin????!!


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## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> OK BREAKING NEWS!
> 
> I emailed the environmental health agency about this, and they told me to contact Thames Water. Here is the reply that they gave to my enquiry as to whether it is safe to flush dog faeces down the human toilet:
> 
> ...


My opinion is you have been told flushing it down the loo is not on, and poses a risk to public health. Dog crap sitting BAGGED in a BIN (you know where people dont tend to hang around, leave their kids, lick on a regular basis) is no more unhygienic than any other waste the household produces.......


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

steveshanks said:


> I'm sure i read you can get water soluble poop bags somewhere ........Found them, Steve
> http://www.flushablepoobags.co.uk/flushable-poo-bags-1/


They are probably like the so called soluble wet wipes that our plumber is getting annoyed about as he has to unblock drains all the time after they have been flushed.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> Well our toilet is downstairs and right by the backdoor, and the dog is only a small terrier with little turds. I did think it was good to save the environment from all those poo bags, plus I jsut find something wrong with all those poo bags sitting in the wheely bin all week waiting for collection :-###


That should be absolutely fine.
Dog poo going into the sewage system will undergo the same filtering and treatment as human poo as well as saving on the plastic bags going into landfill, so all round better for the environment.
A local boarding kennels disposes of all their dog waste into the sewage system, (though via a manhole rather than taking barrow-loads through the owners house) - and the council that licenses the kennels endorses this.


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## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

Burrowzig said:


> That should be absolutely fine.
> Dog poo going into the sewage system will undergo the same filtering and treatment as human poo as well as saving on the plastic bags going into landfill, so all round better for the environment.
> A local boarding kennels disposes of all their dog waste into the sewage system, (though via a manhole rather than taking barrow-loads through the owners house) - and the council that licenses the kennels endorses this.


Thames water have told him not to - its not fine. See above........


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Lexiedhb said:


> Thames water have told him not to - its not fine. See above........


Yes I saw that. It seems to be OK with our local water company (not Thames).


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

The issue is not that the sewerage system won't break down animal waste. It is that parasites or more specifically the eggs ( oocysts) do not get killed and remain in the water system or are washed out to sea. These parasites have been shown to have serious effects on marine wildlife as well as the potential to infect humans and other land animals.

Disposing of the waste in landfill keeps any parasites in a more contained area and reduces re-infection.

Please refer to my more lengthy comment about this on page 2 of this thread.


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## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

Burrowzig said:


> Yes I saw that. It seems to be OK with our local water company (not Thames).


Maybe they have different "cleaning" systems depending on which water company it is/ area


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

I use these bags now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/3442350031
Nice smell...you know, as far as a poo bag goes, and they're biodegradable. We keep dog waste in a seperate bin in the garden which we try and keep in the shade in the summer. Peppermint oil on the bin lid keeps flies away, I also put some inside the bin and it doesn't smell.

Oh, and we only get our bins emptied on a fortnightly basis.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

I don't put i down the toilet but we have a man hole on the drive so I used to lift the lid and put dog poo straight into the drains then pour a bucket of water own to wash it away. I can't do it now as our caravan is stopping me lifting the lid easily


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

OK Burrowzig - that is really interesting that your borough let a whole kennel put their waste down the sewer but Thames water object to the poo of one little (and very cute) terrier! Would it be possible for you to let me know which area this is - I would like to investigate this further. I cant see why it is different across the country, unless as Lexedhb says, there are different treatment procedures in different areas?

Kittih I found the links you posted on this topic earlier in the thread very interesting. But it seems that these diseases causing environmental problems in whales etc. are coming from cat faeces. Do you know if dog faeces can also create similar problems?


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> OK Burrowzig - that is really interesting that your borough let a whole kennel put their waste down the sewer but Thames water object to the poo of one little (and very cute) terrier! Would it be possible for you to let me know which area this is - I would like to investigate this further. I cant see why it is different across the country, unless as Lexedhb says, there are different treatment procedures in different areas?
> 
> Kittih I found the links you posted on this topic earlier in the thread very interesting. But it seems that these diseases causing environmental problems in whales etc. are coming from cat faeces. Do you know if dog faeces can also create similar problems?


Cats tend to be a vector for it and can shed the eggs in their faeces. In other animals the parasite can lodge in muscle tissue where it may be benign or cause issues. Dogs like humans don't tend to act as a host for the parasite, however if dogs eat meat containing the eggs or cat faeces or items contaminated with cat faeces ( eg grass) then the eggs can be passed through the gut and deposited in the dog's faeces.

With dogs it therefore depends on how likely the dog is able to access contaminated items.

If dog owner also owns cats, their dog eats raw meat or has access to food / cat faeces scavenged elsewhere then it would be best practice I think to not flush dog faeces into the human sewerage system.

If a dog doesn't have such access then the risk is lower for toxoplasma but I don't know about other parasites. The tox. eggs are very very hardy and can survive most things and can remain viable for a couple of years.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> OK Burrowzig - that is really interesting that your borough let a whole kennel put their waste down the sewer but Thames water object to the poo of one little (and very cute) terrier! Would it be possible for you to let me know which area this is - I would like to investigate this further. I cant see why it is different across the country, unless as Lexedhb says, there are different treatment procedures in different areas?
> 
> Kittih I found the links you posted on this topic earlier in the thread very interesting. But it seems that these diseases causing environmental problems in whales etc. are coming from cat faeces. Do you know if dog faeces can also create similar problems?


I'm in Lancashire. Water company for the region is United Utilities.


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## D.JonathanFletcher (Oct 25, 2016)

OK let me up date all you guys about where we currently are with this.

So as you remember , I emailed my local water supplier, Thames Water to enquire as to whether it was actually safe to flush dog faeces down the toilet. They responded:

_'We know that dogs suffering from intestinal worms, transmit the eggs in their faeces. The eggs can survive sewage treatment and remain harmful to humans. Therefore, as a matter of policy, we don't allow the disposal of dog or any animal waste into our sewerage system.'
_
In response to this, I posed the question that where it not possible for my dog to lick my face and thus transmit the worms to me - meaning that the eggs would be in my faeces and so would be transmitted to the sewer through the human toilet in a way that the water company had legitimised. My concern was that these eggs would then be incapable of being broked down, just as if they had been passed in the dogs faeces. I provided a link to this website to illustrate how eggs can pass from dogs to humans: http://www.petful.com/pet-health/can-humans-get-worms-from-dogs/

They responded with the following:

_'Whether intestinal eggs are more manageable, after they have passed through the human body, is not something I can answer immediately. The volume of eggs passing through our system, via this method, is probably quite small, but your email has been forwarded to our sewage treatment technicians so that they can give me a qualified response.'
_
I was pleased with this as obviously my concerns where being taken seriously. Eventually they returned with a response as promised. It contained the following:

_Further to my email, dated 12 January 2017, I've received information from our sewage treatment technicians to allow me to fully answer your enquiry. The processing at our sewage treatment sites is provided by conventional bacterial digestion and pasteurisation.

The digestion process reaches a high enough temperature to ensure 99.9% of all pathogens are destroyed and the resulting sludge is deemed safe for use on agricultural land. Following pasteurisation, the sludge achieves a status where 100% of pathogens are eliminated.

While we don't have a policy of encouraging animal faeces to be disposed of in the sewers, we're fully confident that the treatment process in place will kill any pathogens present.
_

So basically, their final position is that while they dont actually enncourage you to flush your dog's poo down the human toilet, it is actually safe to do so.

Meanwhile I also emailed United Utilities for their opinion on this matter as it was mentioned above that they possibly had a policy which allowed the mass depositing of dog faeces into their sewers. They responded thus:

_Our sewers and drains are for the removal of human waste and dog faeces should NOT be put down the toilet/drains. The dog faeces do not break down the same as human waste and will cause blockages, and as you have rightly said dogs suffer from intestinal worms and transmit the eggs in their faeces. These eggs can survive and be harmful to humans.
_
I find it really odd that United Utilities are taking a different positon to Thames Water on this one. I am going to investigate this further to see what exactly is different about these two systems (if anything!!!!) that makes each have a different policy in relation to this issue.

I currently emailed a Professor of Vetinary Pathology, Dr. Alan Wolfe to find out more about the impact of dog faeces on the wider environment. The issue of Toxoplasmosis has been mentioned several times on this thread, and I really wanted to clear this issue up. Here is how he responded to my inquiry:

_
'Toxocara eggs can survive some of the water treatment facilities. It depends on the particular treatments used. If you regularly deworm your dog then there should be no issues with flushing the feces down the toilet. Dogs don't transmit Toxoplasma in their feces. It's in cat feces. Toxoplasma and Toxocara are different.'_

I find the professors opinion interesting. Obviously not being responsible for dictating the policies of any water board in relation to this issue, he allows for personal responsibility in relation to dog faeces being flushed down the human toilet. Obviously from a scientific point of view then, it is safe so long as you regularly worm your dog (which I do). However I had one outstanding concern - although Toxoplasmosis is not present in dog faeces, Toxocara is and I wondered if this had proved harmful to marine life. The response was as follows:

_There's no data that I know of looking at whether Toxocara affects marine mammals. However, it's possible that it does, as it infects a wide variety of land mammals. _

So it seems that the jury is still out on that one. I will do some more research on this and keep you all posted. I am thinking that I will probably contact some experts on Toxocara in land animals and ask there opinion about the possibility for the disease affecting aquatic life.

Finally, I emailed my local authority to find out there advice on putting dog waste in the bin. They replied succinctly as follows:

_'Dog waste should be placed in the residential black bin, double bagged, to reduce spillage.' _

I said that I do double bag the dog poo, but I worry about the smell and the hygene of the poo being in there for a full week, and also worry that the smell attracts foxes who jump into the bin or knock it over and all things like that. I asked about flushing the poo down the human toilet - did they think that would be a good idea? Or maybe a service for dog owners to collect poo? Their reply:

_The council only advises disposal as per my original email below. There are lots of websites with suggestions for disposing of waste and many with eco-friendly suggestions. Some also suggest if it is a small dog that using a human toilet should be fine.'_

Again, mixed messages!

However, I am more than happy to see a general consensus building that indicates that it is actually fine to flush dog poo down the human toilet. Obviously United Utilities do not agree with this idea - although Thames Water, and Waltham Forest Council do. Professor Alan Wolfe seemed to think it fine - though importantly, only if the owner has regularly wormed the dog in question. He also raised the issue that Toxocara is not only present in dog faeces, but that its status in relation to marine life is uncertain, and that in the face of a lack of research he speculated that this might cause problems for aquatic animals.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

D.JonathanFletcher said:


> OK let me up date all you guys about where we currently are with this.
> 
> So as you remember , I emailed my local water supplier, Thames Water to enquire as to whether it was actually safe to flush dog faeces down the toilet. They responded:
> 
> ...


Your post is very interesting. Thank you for carrying out your extensive enquiries. I will be interested to hear of any further information you get. Would I be worth contactingvsome of the author s of the papers relating to the marine mammal infection issue. They may have information that helped them in their research in relation to dog faeces etc.


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