Tips for minimizing your pet’s climate impact

The idea that pets are part of the family is more than just a sweet sentiment. data We’re seeing more and more pet owners purchasing food that resembles their own diet.

The trend toward refrigerated, “fresh” and even “human grade” pet foods can come with prices that exceed your pet food budget.

one of the most important Climate-aware decision-making Our decision is whether or not to keep a pet. It’s the same reason humans have so much influence. eat every day. And most of them eat meat. The environmental impact of meat includes the land the animal lived on, the food it ate, the waste it produced, and other factors.

“What else do pets do? We have to feed them. I think that’s why pets are number one,” said Alison Lesser, director of sustainability and innovation at the Pet Sustainability Coalition.

But just like humans, pets’ impact on the planet varies greatly depending on their diet.

Does that mean human grade is better?

Marketing of high-quality pet food suggests that it is healthier.

But Alison Manchester, assistant professor of clinical science at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there’s not much evidence to suggest that refrigerated, fresh, or human-grade foods lead to improved health in pets.

“I think a lot of it is marketing and treating pets as part of the family,” Manchester said.

She said traditional kibble and wet foods can also provide a completely balanced pet diet, and often utilize animal parts that may be unpalatable to humans or would otherwise have been discarded.

Billy Nichols, a pet food researcher at Bryant Research, said the trend toward using human-grade meat in pet food increases the climate impact because pets aren’t just eating animal parts that would otherwise go unused.

“Just saying these are offcuts and environmentally negligible, you definitely can’t ignore these impacts completely,” he said.

Reduce your pet’s climate footprint

In the United States, dogs and cats are responsible for more than a quarter of the environmental impact of meat consumption. The pollution produced by the meat consumed by dogs and cats in the United States is equivalent to the pollution produced by driving 13.6 million cars in a year. According to a UCLA study.

One common and easy problem to solve is to reduce the amount of food you feed your overweight pet.

“[Overfeeding]doesn’t just mean your dog’s health is poor,” Nichols says. “It also means the environmental impact is increasing.”

According to the American Kennel Club, the majority of weight problems in dogs are diet-related, and making sure they’re getting the right amount of calories (including treats) is the main key to solving the problem.

According to the American Association of Feed Control Officials, protein should make up about 18% of an adult dog’s diet and about 26% of an adult cat’s diet.

Manchester said it is possible for dogs to be healthy on a vegan diet.

“Dogs can get enough protein and the right balance of protein without actually consuming any meat,” Professor Manchester says.

Cats are highly dependent on animal foods. Manchester said she wasn’t aware of any balanced commercial vegan cat food. This means you should choose the least contaminated meat option possible to minimize your impact. Beef is the most polluting protein. Chicken and fish have the lowest impact, and plant-based options are the least contaminated.

The City of Manchester also recommends purchasing pet food instead of making it at home or feeding your pet table scraps. There is “a lot of room for error” in the nutrient balance of homemade pet foods, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies, bone and heart problems, and other health problems, she said.

choose the right brand

People who want to avoid human-grade dog food should check labels and avoid ingredients that might be unappetizing to humans, such as high-quality chicken breast, Resel said. Ingredients such as organ meats and crickets indicate that the protein is a by-product or comes from a more sustainable source. These steps can be taken while shopping at a grocery store or large-format pet supply store.

But for those who want to go further, some of the most sustainable brands aren’t available in brick-and-mortar stores or on major websites, may be more expensive, or require more research. Some require a prescription from your veterinarian.

Brands that focus on sustainability label indicating They are certified climate neutral, certified regenerative organic, or certified B Corp.

Other considerations

Diet is not the only factor to consider. The type of pet, breed, and where it comes from all influence its impact.

For example, purchasing a dog from a breeder creates demand for that breeder to produce more dogs. Nichols said the carbon impact is already “baked in” for dogs in shelters.

“If there are already dogs in the world that need homes, it seems like a more responsible decision for the planet than going through a breeder,” Resel said.

Generally speaking, the smaller the pet, the smaller the carbon footprint, Nichols said.

Depending on your pet, the size may not vary much. Most cat breeds fall into narrow size ranges. However, dogs vary widely in size and are also influenced by climate. Small dogs not only eat less, they also produce less waste and use crates and other accessories that can be made with fewer materials.

“This is very important, for the somewhat obvious reason that larger dogs will consume more calories,” Nichols says.

Lessel said accessories made from renewable, durable or recyclable materials often have a lower impact and need to be replaced less often.

Or, if you have a cat like Resel who gets bored easily with toys, try something completely different.

“Honestly, I make toys out of trash,” she said. “She loves them, just like newspapers and receipts.”

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