Lots of anecdotal claims, but little conclusive evidence that ivermectins have any significant effect on earthworm populations. See study linked below. On the dog poop deal...I'd be more concerned about the risk of visceral/ocular larval migrans from Toxocara(roundworm) eggs than I would bacterial contamination - and then only on 'drops', but if you washed them, the risk would be infinitesimally minimal. Hand-picked fruit... no problem whatsoever. 'Wildlife' are not pristine and blameless; there have been cases of E.coli O157/H7 infection traced to unpasteurized cider made from apples collected in an orchard frequented by deer - and the exact strain of O157/H7 was isolated from deer droppings as was isolated from the human cases. cuznfloyd - I wouldn't advocate fertilizing herbivore pastures with manure from non-herbivores. I see Sarcocystis cysts in muscle tissue from virtually every mature cow I look at, courtesy of dogs & coyotes defecating in pastures. Additionally, two of the leading causes of abortion in sheep/goats(Toxoplasma gondii) and cattle(Neospora caninum) - are associated with accidental consumption of oocysts from feline(T.gondii) or canine(N.caninum) feces. Here is a link that might be useful: anthelminthics & earthworms This post was edited by lucky_p on Mon, Aug 4, 14 at 15:29

Having spent a decent number of years in places where bilharzia (worms that enter the skin, grow, and then finally leave, picked up by wading in or drinking contaminated water), Onchocerciasis (aka 'River Blindness', from fly bites), Falciparum malaria from mosquito bites), those little worms that dig under your toenails (forget the name) , 'bot' flies, the ones where the eggs stay on wet laundry, so you have to iron everything or else you have a worm larvae burrowing and growing along the bikini line, then Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness, from the tsetse fly; they sure love it when you go in the shade). I honestly wouldn't worry about domestic poop from your domestic dog, I mean unless you just let him devour stray, stumbling and obviously sick rodents and 3 week old road kill for his main source of nutrition. Where I live now, I have about a half cubic yard (bit of poetic license) of raccoon poop, in the summer, all over the place. Its disgusting. Like owning 34 German Shepherds on laxitives. This stuff I am pretty wary of, and depending on location, I either take a shovel and toss it over the fence into the pasture beyond, or bury it in-situ. I have become allergic to furry pets, so I can't keep dogs anymore. That limitation does not stop me from offering advice (obviously).

A person needs to compost what they feel comfortable with. If you are not comfortable with poo in your pile, don't use it. If you are looking for a way to dispose of pet waste and you feel comfortable composting pet waste, then go ahead and compost it. And understand that poo could be a potential vector for a disease or parasites. If you are comfortable with your piles ability to heat up to kill pathogens and you are diligent about proper hygene (washing your food and hands) then go ahead and compost poo. I do find this comment on a compost forum a bit confusing. "The post about the leggionaires disease also tells me that it is important to keep as much bacteria out of the soil as possible." I think the post about leggionaires disease was to remind people to use proper hygene and precautions when handling the compost. Trying to keep bacteria out of soil is contrary to what composting is all about. As we are adding organic matter to increase microbial activity in the soil.

From experience I can tell you that dog poop really doesn't degrade much when on it's own or only has a small amount of other material added to it. I no longer try to compost dog poop, I throw it in with the 'green' waste and let the city compost it. As to contamination, I am with Kimmsr. Unless you get 'splash' onto the fruit it won't be a problem. However you might consider just putting some kind of barrier up so the dogs don't decide to actually pee on the tree itself (more of a acid hotspot problem than a contamination problem.)