![\"Jerry](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/8ap1enj3nksshfwl97oxuqw7dlj3mkfez2mbhdh4gpxywzuv.png.jpg?w=1140&v=2\" "\\"Jerry")
<\/p>I'm on this voyage of discovery to better understand and reduce Jerry's carbon paw print. I'm documenting my findings as I go.<\/p>
Everything I've read so far tells me the main contributing factor to a dog's carbon impact is their diet.<\/p>
One source says that pet food uses up to one-fifth of the world's meat and fish. Now that seems bonkers, doesn't it?! So on average, for every 5kg of meat produced, 4kg is going on the plates of humans, but the other 1kg is going in pet bowls? We all know the impacts of farming include deforestation, methane production and pesticides. But how many of us have stopped and considered that it's not only humans that all that agriculture is feeding? I hadn't.<\/p>
As listed on our About Us page<\/a>, we've been feeding Jerry with Tails.com<\/a> dog food since the day we got him. He loves it, and that's why we added the link to them. But where do Tails stack up when it comes to sustainability and Jerry's carbon pawprint? I must admit, I'd never given it much thought beyond our immediate needs of:<\/p> food that Jerry likes and gives him all the nutrition he needs<\/p><\/li> it's delivered in bulk every month, and<\/p><\/li> having someone tell us exactly what to feed him. That gave us, as new Dog Dads, one less thing to worry about. This is extra important as the last thing we want is to make Jerry unhealthy. The PFMA reported that 51% of dogs are overweight<\/a> or obese.<\/p><\/li><\/ul> So I headed off to the website to find out more...<\/p> That they have a sustainability section<\/a> on their website impressed me. But what does it say?<\/p> It's broken into 4 main sections with a little list of aims under each. The sections are:<\/p> Packaging - things like using recyclable packing and as little of it as possible<\/p><\/li> Food Waste - using by-products of human food production and reducing overfeeding<\/p><\/li> Sourcing - local materials where possible and holding suppliers to high standards<\/p><\/li> Climate - reduce energy use whilst increasing the amount that is renewable<\/p><\/li><\/ul> Now that all sounds like they're barking up the right trees for what they want. But it's a list of everything they say they want to do and achieve, with none of it quantified. I'd like to judge Tails.com on their actions rather than what they say they want to do, so I needed to dig a bit deeper.<\/p> Next, I went looking for a Tails.com annual report to see if they give more about sustainability in there. But I found out Purina PetCare (a division of Nestl\u00e9) acquired them in 2018. So I don't think they have their own annual report. But I did see on the Nestl\u00e9 group website a 'Creating Shared Value and Sustainability Report 2021<\/a>'. At almost 60 pages, it's a lot of heavy reading. Tails.com is a miniscule piece of the Nestl\u00e9 global pie so as suspected, they don't get a specific mention as far as I could see. But there are some key points in there. Such as commitments to:<\/p> 100% deforestation-free primary supply chains by the end of 2022 for meat production<\/p><\/li> 100% recyclable packaging for all products and planting 200 million trees by 2025<\/p><\/li> net zero by 2050.<\/p><\/li><\/ul> So they're making the right noises at a global level. But without more info from Tails.com<\/a>, I can't try and give them a casual observer\u2019s score as such. And of course, as meat-based food, it's bound to always score terribly. But that said, by law in the UK all meat used in pet food must be fit for human consumption. So it's typically the bits of meat that we tend to avoid like pig's trotters, chicken feet etc that get used. It's making use of what would otherwise become waste.<\/p> So what about a vegan diet for dogs - could that be the way to go? Anything that risks Jerry's health or well-being is a non-starter. So would a vet support Jerry going vegan? The BVA<\/a> say they don't recommend a vegan diet because \"it's easier to get the balance of essential nutrients wrong than to get it right.\" But because it's difficult doesn't mean you shouldn't. They also point out that there are no results from long-term studies yet to say what effects a dog's vegan diet has. As they highlight themselves, the jury is still out on this point. They recommend a chat with Jerry's own vet before making any significant dietary changes.<\/p> So for the time being at least, we'll stick with Tails.com for Jerry's main meals. It's going to be high on the list of contributing factors to his carbon paw print. But what about his treats? A rummage in Jerry's treat box will no doubt show potential carbon-causing surprises!<\/p> I'll be back to report my findings soon on the Dog Dad Blog<\/a>.<\/p> Ste @ Jerry's General<\/p> Next post: Do Jerry's snacks make me hungry for change?<\/a><\/p>