This is the reason you should never flush your cat or dog poo down a toilet.
Veterinary surgeon, Ben, shared on TikTok exactly why you should never dispose of your pets poop down the toilet, and the answer might surprise you.
Ben said it is due to extremely strong chemicals in an animal's poo, that could be harmful to humans - especially children.
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In the TikTok video, he said: “This is because of the presence of toxocara, a worm parasite in animal faeces, which is tolerant to the high temperatures and harsh conditions found in the final stage of processing used water.
“The reason toxocara is a worry is because it’s zoonotic, we can pick it up and children are particularly susceptible.”
Toxoplasmosis is the disease that can be passed through human contact with animal faeces, and Ben explained that we are an ‘immediate host’ for the dangerous chemical.
Yikes.
He added: “It means 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 inside our bodies.”
Really lovely thoughts for you there.
We can also develop an infection from the same situation, which is called visceral larva migrans.
Ben said: “It’s where the larvae move around inside internal organs like the liver.
“Another form is ocular larva 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 toxocara in childhood can reduce cognitive development and IQ.”
And whilst this all sounds very concerning, Ben did take a moment to clarify that these conditions are ‘thankfully rare’.
However, there are other ways you can prevent your furry friends from producing this.
Ben continued: “Worming your dog or cat regularly will reduce the chance of them shedding these eggs.”
People in the comments section were baffled by the new information, and were concerned as to why they had never heard this before.
One person 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.”
Another said: “I had a vet tell me this once. I used to do it when my dog had accidents but after he told me about it, I stopped immediately.”
But others were outraged that people would even think to dispose of their pets' waste in this way.
One wrote: “I’ve had dogs and cats my entire life, I’m actually traumatised about the number of people saying flushing their animal’s waste down the toilet is a regular routine.”
Mia Williams