2 Pragmatic Wet Dog Food Environmental Impacts & Solutions
The environmental impact of wet dog food is not negligible, as it causes 8% more CO2 emissions. Let’s reveal the true facts behind this.
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Table of Contents
Written By: Ethan Anderson
Team My Dog Cravings
Disclaimer By The Author:
I am not a veterinarian doctor; I am just a pet parent responsible for more serious issues regarding your dog's health. It would help to visit a doctor and thoroughly research before choosing any food product.
As we switch from a dry diet to a wet diet for the canine’s better mental and physical health, it is also essential to know about the environmental impact of wet dog food. We often hear that a “wet diet of pets is not eco-friendly and causes climate issues.” Is this statement true?
According to the most recent NIH Report, wet food is about eight times more damaging than dry pet food. Let us know about the impact of the research on the effects of a meat-based wet diet on climate change.
Environmental Interaction of Wet Dog Food
Furry partners are considered part of the family, and their population is growing day by day(43 million by 2026), so along with the population, demand for highly nutritional food is also increasing.
The wet diet is made from meat-based ingredients, causing more intense environmental footprints like global warming (6541kg of CO₂ emissions each year), land consumption, and eutrophication compared to plant-based diets. Let’s unload some research-based facts about CO2 and a wet diet.
1- Increase in greenhouse gasses:
Here, I have summarized a few studies by researchers on the environmental footprint of a wet diet.
The research was conducted on 618 dogs and 320 cats by feeding them wet, dry, and homemade food. The study aimed to analyze greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use in pet diets.
Results:
- Due to meat-based ingredients ( 90% CAL FROM MEAT) in wet chunky gravy diets, there is 8% more CO2 production. That increase in GHGs CO2 causes Global warming and the temperature of the Earth to rise day by day.
Do you know
GHGs (Greenhouse gasses) include carbon dioxide, methane, and oxides of nitrogen that trap heat and cause the Earth’s temperature to rise.
- A dog weighing 10 kilos uses 534 calories per day, producing 6541 Kg CO2 per year, which is 689 percent more than a dry diet.
Said Sao Paulo In a Scientific report:
“A wet diet for a dog has a great environmental impact compared to dry.”
2- Land pollution:
The correlation between land pollution and a wet pet diet is significant. Moisture food is packed in cans and pouches that are non-biodegradable and contribute towards land pollution, which is about 75% in the present and rising day by day.
How to minimize the impact of wet dog food:
So, we can control wet dog food environmental interaction by using it.
- Plant-based proteins are better than meat-based ones.
- Prefer vegan diet for pets and lowering meat impact factor in diet.
- Avoiding Animal by-products and replacing them with plant-based products.
- You may prefer home-based diets for healthy canines.
Conclusions:
Finally, it is significant that we, as inhabitants of the Earth, should be concerned about the environmental impacts of wet food. Moisture-rich foods are best for canine growth and health but impact ecological sustainability.
We should try to search for plant-based food ingredients to improve our ecological stability. For more info on the wet dog diet, visit our other articles on the website.
We recently also covered a detailed article on ”misconceptions of wet dog food that 85% of dog owners don’t know” If you want to educate yourself against those myths you can read our article.
Research References
Research By: Brian Mitchell
Team My Dog Cravings
