Pet owners are being encouraged to think about the environmental impact of their animals for Earth Day this week.
Factors to take into account include their choice of pet – rabbits and guinea pigs have much less impact than dogs or cats; diet and obesity; their impact on wildlife; and their poo.
Paragon Veterinary Group in Carlisle, which has been marking Earth Day this Wednesday, 22 April, for nearly seven years as part of its wider sustainability work, is offering advice on how small changes can make a difference.
Laura Binnie, small animal vet and sustainability lead, says: “There are so many benefits to having pets but we also want to encourage owners to be conscious and mindful of the impact that they have. Simple steps can reduce their impact.”
One of the biggest issues is pet obesity.
“A bit of a taboo subject is an overweight pet,” she says. “The animal’s welfare is compromised and it’s more likely to need veterinary intervention which has a massive carbon footprint in itself. Over consumption of food leads to obesity, which has welfare, cost and waste considerations. It’s better for the pet to be an ideal weight, better for the owner’s pocket and better for the planet.”
Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce environmental impact, improve welfare and cut costs for owners. Paragon is encouraging people to take advantage of free in-practice weighing and monitoring.
“They don’t have to have an appointment, they just come in, weigh their pet, and we’ve got a nice graph of the weight change over the years on their record,” says Laura.
The type of food we feed our pets also plays a role. “We would always recommend a dry kibble over a wet food. The lower the meat content, the more environmentally friendly it is.”
Preventative care is another key area, says Laura.
“If we prevent issues happening that reduces the carbon pawprint of the pet because they’re not having to come in to the vet as often” she explains, highlighting vaccinations, dental care and appropriate parasite treatments.
Owners are also urged to consider wildlife, with Laura recommending curfews for cats and playing with them to reduce their ‘prey drive’. Dogs should be kept on leads when ground nesting birds are present.
If you apply flea and tick products to your dog you shouldn’t let it go into water as the chemicals can harm ecosystems. And then there’s the perennial problem of dog poo.
Says Laura: “If your dog poos outside, you should be picking it up and putting it in a dog poop bin or a regular bin. There’s so many reasons why we need to be picking up dog poo, apart from the fact that it’s anti-social not to – because we can get lots of parasites or bacteria in the environment.”
