Pet waste

[fantalover]

I was reading in Reader's Digest that you should pick up after your pet because pet waste contains harmful bacteria, like E.coli, and contributes to the buildup of oxygen-killing nutrients in the water, leading to algae blooms and fish kills. If we throw pet waste into the landfills it will only leechs (i think I spelled that wrong) into the soil and goes into I guess were I live into the Chesapeake Bay and it would do the same if I put it in my compost bin. So my question is what are you supposed to do with pet waste?  

[AliceofMaidoraHearts]

I don't know, I used to know an old lady who would burn it, but that smells horrible, and we once had a neighbor who used it as manure. This is the type of question you should ask on Yahoo answers, there are probably a lot more experts on there then here on Gaia Online. neutral

 

[neufchatel]

if you feed your pet natural organic meals then its poop is no different than that of any other wild animal. nature has been just fine with wild animals pooping wherever they want, anything more you do is just a courtesy for other humans  

[Hurricane Islandheart]

neufchatel

if you feed your pet natural organic meals then its poop is no different than that of any other wild animal. nature has been just fine with wild animals pooping wherever they want, anything more you do is just a courtesy for other humans

This, but I would like to add on a couple of points.

Yes, wild animals do poop anywhere they want, and nature has always handled it. However, we have an exploding dog and cat population in this country, thanks in part to pet owners who do not have their pets spayed/neutered, even if they're not breeders. Feral cat and dog populations in some areas rival other urban pests such as rats and mice.

E-coli is a bacteria, and like most bacteria, it requires a hospitable environment in which to live. Most strains of e-coli do not live very long outside the body; their normal residence is the lower intestines, and their function is to aid the digestive process.

The strain most commonly worried about in illness is O157:H7 - this particular strain of e-coli is found only humans, cattle and goats. You will not get it from dogs and cats, and it doesn't exist in their poop at all. When e-coli gets into water and/or food, and causes people to become ill, it is most frequently due to human or cattle waste coming in contact with the water or food source. (Two virotypes of e-coli do come from dogs, along with other animals, and they also cause diarrhea in humans, including 'traveler's diarrhea,' but it is less frequent in the reported cases you see on TV.)

Algae blooms and fish kills are more frequently a result of excess nitrogen and other fertilizer runoff in the water - when nearby farms spread fertilizers in the early spring, it is partially absorbed by the (often heavy) spring rains and snow melt. This carries it to nearby water sources; smaller lakes, shallow streams and other fragile water sources can be overcome by the concentrations in the water, especially as runoff continues into the heat of summer.

Most regulated landfills have a liner that prevents a large amount of leeching into the surrounding ground water. What does leech out is filled with much more scary chemicals than some animal waste laden with e-coli. Even though there are warnings against throwing away many of them (batteries, oil-soaked rags, etc) dangerous chemicals make it into landfills daily. Just like they're hazardous to humans, these chemicals are hazardous to other biological forms, and can kill bacteria like e-coli as well.

The best solution: feed your pet organic meals made at home, take hir on walks in over-grown areas where the poop will act as fertilizer for wildflowers and grasses, and make sure your pet goes in for regular immunizations and checkups so that sie stays healthy. smile