Just like you have your own ecological footprint, dogs also have an ecological pawprint. Their diet, in particular, is a big negative impact maker - hello meat. Fortunately, there are lots of options for sustainable dog food. Spoiler: a dog can follow a vegetarian and even vegan diet. How do you make sure your dog puts as little strain on our planet as possible? We looked into it for you!
Can a dog have a vegetarian diet?
Can you put your dog on a plant-based diet, they are carnivores, right? Opinions differ considerably on this. Several dog food manufacturers advise against a vegetarian or vegan diet for your dog, but of course they also have something to sell. Their point of view is that such a diet can cause your dog to be deficient in essential amino acids, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin A and some B vitamins. Dogs need animal protein, they say. On the other hand, more and more vegetarian or vegan dog food brands have entered the market in recent years, promising a balanced diet. We take you through the different sustainable dog food options: the vegetarian and vegan choices, as well as those with ‘better’ meat.
Your dog's paw print
Maastricht University sustainable development professor Pim Martens conducted research on the ecological footprint of Dutch dogs and cats. He confirmed that the large amount of meat dogs eat does indeed have a considerable impact on their footprint. The footprint of a Dutch dog - depending on the size of your dog and how much the animal eats - is somewhere between 0.9 and 3.66 hectares per year. To put that into perspective, the footprint of the average Dutch person is 4.9 hectares. So an adjustment in your four-legged friend's diet can have a big effect!
Together with your four-legged friend, you can reduce your egological footprint.
Sustainable dog food: plant-based options
As a climate-conscious animal lover, chances are you consider what you eat yourself. Lots of greens from the season and perhaps less meat or fish. And your dog? He probably eats meat - at every meal. Indeed, the large amount of meat dogs eat has a considerable impact on their paw print. But can you put your pet on a plant-based diet? Dogs are carnivores, but they are also adaptive carnivores. That means they can adapt according to what is on offer. Think of their ancestors, the wolf, who could feed on purely plant-based food as a survival strategy when no prey was caught. Nowadays, there are more and more vegetarian or vegan dog food brands on the market that promise a balanced diet such as Vegdog, Ossobello, Soopa, Ami Pet Food, PAWR, Yarrah (includes vega), Imby Pet Food, Omni and Just Russel. Also interesting to check out is Bugs for Pets, insect-based dog food.
Better dog food with meat
Do you think a vegetarian or vegan diet for your dog is going a bit too far? Then you can still make small green switches. Brands such as Edgard & Cooper, Goood and Yarrah offer animal-friendly and sustainably produced meat options. Another sustainable tip is to choose dry food more often. You can store dry food much longer than wet food from cans or bags and it is often mixed with grains or corn. You can also often buy dry kibble in bulk packaging. This also saves on packaging materials and transport kilometres.
Vegetarian or vegan dog food for your dog: it can be done and it is a more sustainable choice.
Green snack options
Does your dog get a lot of snacks? The regular pet shop has plenty of green snacks or snacks made partly of vegetables. Of course, you can also leave out snacks - especially after the puppy phase. You can also make conscious choices when giving your dog bones. There are bones made from animal products and thus produced versus bones that you get from the butcher or pet shop. Mind you, opinions differ on their safety. But did you know that there are also cheese bones exist? These bones are made from yak milk and therefore vega!
Sustainable dog food: your experiences?
Are you the proud owner of a vegetarian or vegan four-legged friend or does your dog feast on any of the other options and have a great tip! Let us know! You can get in touch with the editors via the contact buttons at the bottom of this page. And if you share something about it on Instagram, tag @thegreenlist.nl then. Then we can also share your cool tip with our community, because there are a lot of dog lovers among them too!
More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Read here: Other tips for reducing your four-legged friend's paw print.
- Give other animals a hand? This is how you help the hedgehog in the garden.
- Or: This is how you welcome more birds into your garden.
Photo credits: main image: Mahlee Plekker. Other photos: Julie Nijburg.
