A vet has revealed the gross reason why you should never flush your pet’s poo down the toilet, revealing it could lead to a whole host of health issues for people

Some pet owners may think it's fine to put their dog and cat waste in their own toilet, but a vet has warned why this may be really dangerous to human health and why he advises against the practice. And the reason you shouldn't flush your pet's poo down the toilet is likely to leave many people feeling disgusted.

While animal lovers spend months trying to train their beloved pets where and when to go to the toilet, the UK-based veterinarian, who makes TikTok content as @Ben.the.Vet, described what happens when that poo is flushed in a recent video.

Ben's video is captioned: "According to Anglian Water, you shouldn't flush your pet's poo down the toilet! Have you ever done this?" Over the top of the video, he warned: "Don't flush your cat or dog's poo down the toilet."

@ben.the.vet According to Anglian water, you shouldnt flush your pet’s poo down the toilet! Have you ever done this?? #LearnOnTikTok #toilet #vegetarian #dogsoftiktok POPOPOPOPO -

The vet shows the information section for the water company and explains: "This is the FAQ section of the website." He says that they tell you "no you cannot flush any type of animal faeces down the toilet." And they say that this is due to the presence of "toxocara", which is a "parasite in animal faeces which is tolerant to the high temperatures and harsh conditions found in the final stage of processing used water".

Ben said: "The reason toxicara is a worry is because it's zoonotic, so we can pick it up, and children, in particular, are susceptible. Humans are what is called an intermediate host for toxicara which means that we don't develop the adult worms in our intestines, but what happens is that we accidentally swallow the eggs (in poo particles) which hatch into larvae and these move around in our bodies.

"One form of this in humans is called visceral lava migrans where the larvae move around inside internal organs like the liver. Another form is ocular lava migrans, where the larvae move to the eye and cause damage to the retina, potentially leading to sight loss. There's also evidence that exposure to toxicara in childhood can reduce cognitive development and IQ.

"These conditions are thankfully rare, but worming your cat or dog regularly will reduce the chance of them shedding these eggs." He then ended the video by saying he was interested in hearing if people do put pet poo down their toilet, and, after seeing how dangerous it can be, whether their mind has been changed and will they stop the practice.

In the comments, some people admitted that they did it, and would continue. One owner wrote: "Yes I do, my puppy isn't house trained yet, I'm not putting it in the bin to stink out the house after I've picked it up with tissue." Another said: "Why is this not more advised? I've been doing it for a year or more since having one cat and then adding another and now a dog."

Someone else commented: "So great thanks for facts but where exactly do we put it? I can imagine throwing it in a bin it still has ways of getting into water system," while another used it as a chance to take a stab at the water companies themselves, saying: "I take your point, but I believe it's a symptom of our outdated water infrastructure, tbh. I'd like to be confident my drinking water has no worms."

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Paul Donald

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