Flushing dog or cat poo down the loo

[loubielou31]

I found out recently that someone I know, (but don't know well) flushes their dog poo. Please tell me this isn't actually a thing that's okay because it seemed pretty gross to me. I don't have dogs or cats so I haven't given it any thought before. I do know that cat poo in particular can have some parasite that is pretty dangerous for people. But maybe it's okay and water treatment is good enough to clear out all the nasties.

YABU: flushing is fine and better than all the plastic poo bags going into landfill.
YANBU: It's gross and carries germs that are not adequately removed from the water during sewerage treatment.

What's wrong with it? I don't because she goes on a walk but if she's been sick or had an
accident then yip loads of loo roll and down the loo it goes

Please do NOT do this. There are parasites in animal faeces which aren’t dealt with by sewage processing which are harmful to humans. The sewage system is not designed to deal with animal waste.

Bag it and bin it is the mantra for a reason.

I believe you are right and water companies don't like it. I know that I checked when we got our dogs a few years ago, and it was clear that bagging and binning was the appropriate disposal method where I live in the South West.

I suppose the main issue is that whilst the system can probably cope with the occasional one, if every dog and cat owner did it regularly, then it'd be a nightmare to deal with.

But the sewage system doesn't become the water supply system! There's lots of steps in between. And what do you think happens to parasites from animals that shite in the wild? That obviously runs off into rivers and lakes that ARE part of the water supply.

Don’t dogs usually go outside. Does she pick it up in a bag and the. Empty into the loo?
I would have thought any parasite potentially in animal faeces would also potentially in their owners faeces. Most pet owners worn their animals regularly

Check with your local water authority. Scottish Water representatives have previously said this is fine, but are now firmly stating not to do it. The issue is that roundworm is hard to eradicate from the resulting sewage so that

I think a whole generation will blame Auntie Mabel and Pippin. #IfYouKnowYouKnow

Sorry, posted too soon. Possible roundworm is the reason they say no.

Water and sewage companies tell you not to do it, for the reasons I state. That’s good enough for me.

My friend does it. It's grim

Don’t most animals in the wild bury their waste? I imagine the time between production and any rainfall to wash through the soil goes some way to killing off some parasites.

…And eventually the sewage system does become the water supply it’s a finite resource that’s constantly cycled. It’s doesn’t disappear off the face of the earth.

I think if it's from the garden then yes, picks it up and flushes. Actually I have remembered a different person I know who scoops the poo out of their cat litter tray and flushes that. I just assumed that pet owners had stinky bins because the right place for animal poo is in the bin. If the neighbours cats poo in my garden then I bag it and bin it, and curse them until bin day!

I heard a recent radio 4 programme about this. It’s apparently really dangerous due to the parasites. Please don’t do it.

Personally ive never and would never flush dog poo. Mine goes on the beach and I bag it and dedicated poo bin it. He's not a garden pooer anyway.

Only time ive ever flushed anything related to animal waste is when a pup has weed on the floor and ive mopped up the liquid with loo roll before cleaning.

https://faq.anglianwater.co.uk/article/qed94917/can-you-flush-dog-poo-down-the-toilet

Run off from farms into rivers and streams is a massive problem for water quality. I think the numbers of genuinely wild animals is small enough in comparison that it causes very little problem. And pet owners have a choice about where they dispose of their animal waste so they should (and I appreciate that many don't) make the best and safest choice.

What worries me is that there is no way that preventing and stopping people flushing their pet’s poo down the toilet can be enforced in their own homes as you can hardly monitor it!

Then horrible nasty parasites will get into the water system and contaminate it

I think it's grim and I don't do it, but I can see why people would. Black bin non recyclable waste only gets picked up every 2 weeks here. If your dog poos in your garden and you put dog poo in the bin every day for 2 weeks (even bagged, it makes no difference) the smell and the germs in that bin would be monumental. I have a dog and don't allow his poo in my bin for this reason. Generally I take it with us on a walk and put it in a bin that allows dog poo. But I can see why people would flush it.

The hypocrisy from companies happy to flush raw sewage into the rivers and seas on a daily basis

This!

I recently listened to a podcast on BBC sounds - Sliced Bread, which was about dog poo bags and the most eco friendly to dispose of pet waste and flushing down the loo is a definite no no.

As of reading this forum and links (thanks @itsmyp4rty ) I absolutely will not flush any animal poop, but I have to admit my mind is blown!! 😵 I've always cleaned up cat/dog accidents in the house with loo roll and flushed them. I had no idea that was inappropriate.

It can't be a huge problem otherwise it would be far more widely known, surely?

That said, OP, ignoring the above - if your friend is collecting it from outside and then flushing it inside, that's just weird. 💩😂

I've always bought cat litter that is safe to flush and flushed everything away.

Why would you get so animated about what someone flushes down their own loo?

Also it's obviously safe as we aren't all ill or teeming with parasites are we 😉

All the videos I've watched of people training their cats to use the toilet now feels like a massive waste of time.