Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => The Environment => Topic started by: tackem on 16/06/2022 21:41:33
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We traditionally use animal manure as a natural fertiliser, yet reject dog poo used in the same way.
I understand some of the drawbacks but surely there are some work arounds that would turn muck into money?
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Canine diet being very similar to human diet, there is no obvious reason why it shouldn't be treated in the same way as domestic sewage, which does indeed find its way into fertiliser. The only practical problem is persuading the pooch to poo in a flush toilet instead of drinking from it.
As I understand it, poo bags are sent to landfill, which upsets some folk because landfill emits methane. But if you just left the poo in the kids' sandpit or your neighbor's lawn (surely the greenest way to treat it - no poo miles or plastics) it would eventually turn to methane anyway. The advantage of landfill is that you can collect all the methane from lots of poo and put it into the gas grid. There are still a few gas lamps in London, permanently lit, and carrying the cast iron blazon "Webb's Patent Sewer Gas Destructor", because the Victorians were way ahead of Extinction Rebellion and their plastic tents.
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Canine diet being very similar to human diet, there is no obvious reason why it shouldn't be treated in the same way as domestic sewage, which does indeed find its way into fertiliser.
The problem with sewage works is they are an all in one system, various toxins are also present in it, zinc from plating works, paint etc.
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I think the diets of carnivores are typically too high in sodium for plants to be happy with.
It's not an impossible problem.
But the real problem (apart from the offence caused by thoughtlessness as well as the material) is usually the fact that a lot of it is deposited in a limited number of places.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2307320-dog-waste-may-harm-nature-reserve-biodiversity-by-fertilising-the-soil/
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the fact that a lot of it is deposited in a limited number of places.
I used to work in a laboratory whose site was split by a 100 meter footpath to a public park. Dogs recognised the chicane between the security fences as the last chance to stop and defecate before running loose and chasing whatever vermin or protected wildlife happened to be in the park. Being subject to the Official Secrets Act, the name "Sh1t Alley" never appeared on the site plan, but I'm sure the KGB knew it.
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I would disagree that canines and humans have similar diets: canines are principally carnivores and we are omnivores. One concern I would have with dog scat is the possibility of pathogen transmission, one in particular being the nematode toxocara. This organism can encyst, which may or may not be persistent. Maybe a helminthologist could elaborate?
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anines are principally carnivores and we are omnivores.
Not quite true. Cats are obligate carnivores and get all their nutrition from raw meat but dogs are primarily opportunist scavengers, bred over thousands of years to be different even from their wolf ancestors and strongly coupled to human societies. Like most humans they enjoy meat but can (and many do) thrive on an entirely vegetarian diet. They may not process raw grass like a herbivore, but any cooked food goes down well.
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I would disagree that canines and humans have similar diets: canines are principally carnivores and we are omnivores. One concern I would have with dog scat is the possibility of pathogen transmission, one in particular being the nematode toxocara. This organism can encyst, which may or may not be persistent. Maybe a helminthologist could elaborate?
It's probably worth mentioning that cats carry toxoplasma better than dogs.
It would be unfortunate if cat owners were lulled into a false sense of security.
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Yes quite true, toxoplasma is much more likely in cats. However the hazards presented by these two organisms differ widely. Toxoplasma infection causes a flu like illness after which the parasite remains in the body for life but does not cause a problem as long as the immune system is not compromised(eg aids, chemotherapy), a behaviour similar to herpesviruses. Toxocara can cause repeat infections with the grave risk of blindness if the immature worm lodges in the eye. Toxocara is found in both cats and dogs, puppies apparently carrying the greater risk.
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but does not cause a problem
That's debatable.
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I suppose it's debateable, as most issue are open to debate(excepting mathematical theorems, which can be proven). With the global incidence of antibodies I think the latent state, if a hazard, would have been obvious at the current state of medical science. To go completely off topic, huge strides have been made recently with the so called autoimmune illnesses: It looks increasingly likely that EBV is responsible through the immortalising of rogue b lymphocytes.