**Compost harmful to dogs**

[Stonehenge]

I just got an email from a client - seems her little pooch got into her compost pile, and has some resulting (likely permanent) neurological problems. I'm not sure why I never knew this, but I didn't. After a brief search on google, it's pretty clear compost piles are not good for dogs.

Anyone have any info they can share about this issue?

[BRL]

Well I've seen compost piles, and I've seen what people put in them. So it's not too far of a reach to me to make the guess to keep the pets & kids away from them. I wouldn't have thought of neurological type damage though. Interesting.

[Stonehenge]

I was sweating it for a little while - the client is a reasonable person, but when something happens to a pet or family member, reason can go out the door.

The compost pile was hers, brought in by her, and she's said as much to me, and also saying she is pretty sure this was her fault.

This is a really awkward situation - I'm a real dog lover and hate to see anything like that happen to any dog, but at the same time the blaring red alarms were going off in my head 'LIABILITY -- LIABILITY', so I wanted to be cautious about what I said.

I got an update from the client, she's been diagnosed with menengitis and it appears it's only 50-50 that the dog even survives. If she does, she's certain to have brain damage.

I hope everyone out there will mentally file this one away, that other dogs don't meet the same fate.

[BJR]

Did you also know that chicken manure can kill dogs when eaten?

Especially when in concentrated pellet form.

[Stonehenge]

Well, whatever this dog got into did her in. I just got an email from the client - her pooch died yesterday.

I'm kinda bummed.....

[Dale Wiley]

Over the years I have had a couple of people say that sprays or fertilizer's offed a dog or cat. I was able to prove otherwise in both cases, but like SH, that nasty word" liability" comes up all the time.

Any time you use compost that you do not make, you have to be carefull. My training does not show me how residuals can be present in compost, but I cannot discoutn the possibility.

I purchased some reccyled planting mix from a supplier who assured me there was no residuals at all in it. We planted one gallon plants of the same type in that mix and some we had from another supplier.

The "guaranteed " mix appears to have some type of residual herbicide in it. The plant blocks are side by side in the nursery, and it looks like a university trial. The owner of the supply yard who processed the mix denies it is possible, that he cooked it long enough, but could not explain the difference when he came out and looked at it. I hvae to replant the effected blocks, so I am out some cash on this deal. Never again, spec my own mixes from good materials.

[Stonehenge]

In my brief research on Google, it appears that the bacteria present in compost can leave behind toxins, and especially so when the compost accelerants are used. The client's vet told her that this was a primary cause of poisonings. It's still a bit of a surprise to me, as I never knew this was such a problem.

Here's the Google search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=poison+dog+compost