The Pet Nutrition Show: Are Dogs & Cats Bad for the Environment?

In the first episode of The Pet Nutrition Show, Dr. Anna Sutton and Amanda look at the impact of pets on the environment, the sustainability of pet food, and food hacks that pet owners can implement at home.

They talk with food security expert Dr Peter Alexander and the author of the first global assessment of the environmental impact of pet food, about whether pets and their diets have a negative impact on the environment.

They also discuss the potential environmental benefits of insect protein in pet food, the importance of transparency in pet food manufacturing and the impact of trends like pet food premiumisation and humanisation.

The episode concludes with Dr. Anna demonstrating how to utilise leftover watermelon and yogurt to create a nutritious treat for dogs.

00:03 Introduction to the Pet Nutrition Show

00:20 Are Dogs and Cats Bad for the Environment?

01:02 Pet Q&A: Insect Protein in Dog Food

02:01 Interview with Peter Alexander: Environmental Impact of Pet Food

05:38 The Environmental Impact of Dry Pet Food

06:22 The Impact of Pet Food on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

12:58 The Role of Insect Protein in Pet Food

15:30 Policy Interventions and Carbon Tax on Pet Food

18:38 The Poo Problem: Dealing with Pet Waste

19:41 Dr. Anna's Food Hacks: Watermelon for Dogs

20:58 Conclusion: The Pet Nutrition Show

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References:

Peter Alexander, Aiden Berri, Dominic Moran, David Reay, Mark D.A. Rounsevell,

The global environmental paw print of pet food, Global Environmental Change, Volume 65, 2020

Pedrinelli, V., Teixeira, F.A., Queiroz, M.R. et al. Environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats. Sci Rep 12, 18510 (2022).

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