Is Dog Poop Good Fertilizer? No, Here's Why

Dog poop is organic, and gardeners swear by manure, so leaving it on the lawn can feel like free fertilizer. It isn't. Here's what the EPA, the CDC and university extension experts say about dog waste and grass, and what to do with it instead.

Is dog poop good fertilizer?

No. Farm manure and dog poop get lumped together, but the experts treat them very differently. In a 2001 bulletin on protecting drinking water, the EPA grants that animal manures can make useful fertilizer, then warns that parasites carried in dog and cat feces can cause disease in people and shouldn't go in compost piles. The same bulletin notes that dog and cat droppings often contain roundworms.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is blunter: never use dog, cat or pig manure in a vegetable garden or a compost pile. Its reason is that parasites in those manures are more likely to survive and infect people than the ones in other manures.

The "free fertilizer" idea is common enough that the EPA calls it out. Its pet waste fact sheet lists the belief that dog waste is an "all-natural" fertilizer that will "take care of itself" among the misconceptions that lead people to leave it on the ground.

What people say	What the sources say
"It's natural fertilizer."	The EPA calls that a misconception.
"Manure is manure."	Parasites in dog manure are more likely to survive and infect people than those in other manures, says UMaine Extension.
"It feeds the grass."	A pile suffocates the grass under it and leaves a dead spot, says University of Illinois Extension.
"It'll break down on its own."	Eventually, but roundworm eggs can survive in soil for months or even years, says the CDC.
"Rain will wash it in."	Stormwater carries pet waste into streams, lakes and rivers, says the EPA.

Is dog poop bad for grass?

Yes. University of Illinois Extension explains that when a dog poops on the lawn, the pile suffocates the grass beneath it and leaves a dead spot that invites weeds. The same article says dog and cat waste shouldn't go in compost piles or be used as any kind of soil amendment.

Whatever nutrients a pile holds come out slowly. An article from the University of Missouri integrated pest management program notes that feces release their waste products over time, while urine lands all at once in a concentrated stream. So the grass under a pile gets smothered, not fed. (Urine does the burning. Our guide to dog urine spots covers that side of the lawn.)

Where do the nutrients in dog poop end up?

Often in the nearest lake or stream. The EPA calls pet waste a leading source of nutrient and bacteria pollution in urban streams. It says stormwater picks up pet waste left on the ground and carries it into streams, lakes and rivers, where it can make people and animals sick and promote weed and algae growth.

In Macomb County, that trip ends at Lake St. Clair. Macomb County Public Works maintains 475 county drains, and all of them eventually carry storm water to the lake. The county Health Department tests five public beaches for E. coli from April through September. Michigan's E. coli cleanup plan for the Lake St. Clair Metropark and Memorial Park beaches lists pet waste among the possible sources, along with wildlife, sewer overflows and failing septic systems (Michigan EGLE).

So the "fertilizer" in a forgotten pile can end up feeding algae instead of your lawn.

What's in dog poop that makes it unsafe?

Germs that can make people sick. The CDC says dog poop can carry germs that make people and animals sick, and its list of diseases dogs can spread includes roundworm, hookworm, Campylobacter and Salmonella. That's why it says to pick up dog poop even in your own yard, especially where children may play.

Roundworm is the one that sticks around. The CDC says its eggs need 2 to 4 weeks in the environment to become infective, and a strong protective layer lets them survive for months, or even years, under the right conditions. Dog hookworm lives in soil contaminated with animal feces, and its larvae can burrow into bare skin (CDC).

So when a pile finally crumbles into the lawn, its eggs can stay behind in the soil long after there's nothing left to see. Our guide to whether dog poop can make you sick walks through each germ and who's most at risk.

Can you compost dog poop?

Not in a regular backyard pile. USDA NRCS tells home composters to leave out dog and cat manure, which can carry disease. It also warns that slow, unheated piles may not get hot enough to kill disease-causing organisms.

It can be done with special handling. UF/IFAS Extension describes an Alaska study, run by the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District with local dog mushers, that composted dog waste under strict conditions:

A separate pile, not your regular compost bin
A recipe of 2 parts dog waste to 1 part sawdust (never from pressure-treated wood)
At least 140°F, checked with a long-stemmed thermometer, because a cooler pile may not kill the pathogens
Turning at least once a week, for about 4 to 8 weeks

Even then, the extension notes that the Natural Resources Conservation Service isn't sure the pile gets hot enough to kill Toxocara canis, the dog roundworm and one of the most heat-resistant germs in dog waste. So the finished compost goes only on non-food plantings like flower beds and shrubs, and never on food crops. The same page lists safety steps for anyone who tries it: wash your hands after handling dog waste, keep dog-waste tools and clothes separate, take extra care around children, and ask a veterinarian about a parasite control plan.

Burying has the same limit. The EPA's drinking water bulletin says to bury pet waste only around ornamental plants, never in vegetable gardens or other food-growing spots. For most yards, the trash is simpler.

What should you do with dog poop instead?

Bag it and put it in the trash. That's the advice of the Macomb County Health Department: routinely clean up pet waste and dispose of it in the garbage. The CDC agrees: pick up your pet's waste every time, bury it or bag it for the trash, and wash your hands afterward.

Keep it away from drains, too: never rinse or sweep it toward a ditch, the street or a storm drain, since every county drain ends at Lake St. Clair. Our guide to disposing of dog poop compares the options, and how long dog poop takes to decompose explains why the pile doesn't simply vanish.

Or hand off the whole job. Poopy Scoops walks your entire yard in a grid, double-bags every pile into your outdoor trash can (or takes it away with haul-away, $4 a visit), and texts a gate-check photo when we're done. Weekly visits start at $19 for one dog, in 22 Macomb County communities. Get your price in about 30 seconds.

Frequently asked questions

Is dog poop better or worse than cow manure for a garden?

Worse. University of Maine Cooperative Extension says never to use dog, cat or pig manure in a vegetable garden or compost pile, because the parasites in those manures are more likely to survive and infect people. The EPA agrees that animal manures can make useful fertilizer but says parasites in dog and cat feces can cause disease in people. Even livestock manure comes with food-safety guidelines for vegetable gardens.

Will dog poop kill my grass?

It can leave dead spots. University of Illinois Extension says a pile suffocates the grass beneath it and leaves a dead patch that favors weeds. Picking up regularly keeps piles from sitting on the same spot for days. If you're seeing brown spots where there was never a pile, that's more likely urine, which the University of Missouri calls the bigger problem for lawns.

Can I bury dog poop in my yard?

You can, within limits. The CDC lists burying or bagging for the trash as options. The EPA's drinking water bulletin says to bury pet waste only around ornamental plants, never in vegetable gardens or food-growing spots. Keep in mind that the CDC says roundworm eggs can survive in soil for months or even years, so burying keeps them in your yard. The trash is simpler.

Can I put dog poop in my compost bin or vegetable garden?

No. USDA NRCS says to keep dog and cat manure out of home compost because it can carry disease, and University of Maine Cooperative Extension says never to use it in vegetable gardens. A special hot-composting method studied in Alaska can work, but even that compost should go only on flower beds and shrubs, never on food crops.

Is dog poop good for your lawn? Why it isn't fertilizer