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Composting Pet Manure
The question most often encountered is whether pet manure is safe to
handle and whether potential pathogens are eliminated when it is composted.
There are few studies on cat feces but dog manure has been successfully
used for composting. Dogs produce a large volume of dog manure; pollution
from dog waste poses a serious threat to water quality and public health.
Composting dog manure helps keep waste from landfills and protects wetlands
and groundwater, while producing a usable soil amendment and fertilizer.
Composting dog manure is ideal for large kennels where the volume of
dog waste is high. It takes usually 10-20 dogs to get enough volume of
waste for composting. In 1 or 2 dog households it may be better to compost
dog and human feces together, for instance in a composting toilet. If
you still insist on composting 1 or 2 dog manure it is essential you
use grass clippings to provide enough insulation to raise the internal
temperature of the compost to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. That is because
animals that eat meat have bacteria in their manure which if not composted
properly can lead to fatal diseases in humans.
Method:
Prepare a sunny, well-drained site near the dog house or dog kennel.
Add sawdust to dog waste, and then add water to make the mix moist. Continue
adding ingredients until the compost heap is 3 feet deep. Turn the compost
every two weeks, until a rich, black, friable mass is ready for use.
Cautionary Measures:
Yet extreme care must be taken while handling dog manure. When shoveling
dog waste into a compost heap be extra careful. Although there is a plethora
of potential pathogens, the primary agents for disease are roundworm
eggs. Dogs eat these roundworms from the soil and they hatch in human
intestines and travel to the main organs. Other parasites may also be
a problem in different geographical regions.
Composting dog manure reduces its volume by 50% and renders it odorless.
Dog manure is also rich in phosphorous if the dogs are well-fed with
plenty of bones in their diet. Composting dog manure makes good sense
for it produces soil additives that improve aeration, root penetration
and water infiltration.
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