7 Pet Tips for Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

Pet ownership, while wonderful, (and a great way to get outside and connect with nature) does also tend to come with increased waste production. This Earth Day, we thought we would share some tips that our staff members use to help reduce their pet's footprint!

• Heather (RVT): "Depending on the municipality and litter type, litterbox scoopings and dog poop may be able to go in the green bin! Wrap in newspaper or use compostable bags to make it cleaner. But check with your local waste disposal program first!" Alicia (CSR) added: "Using a litter locker can reduce the amount of bags used when scooping litter daily."
• Esther (RVT): "Old drinking water in your pet's bowl can be used to water your plants inside or outside instead of dumping it in the sink!"
• Esther (RVT): "Gumball's winter outfits are mostly second hand. This decreases the amount of textiles sent to landfill which take pretty much thousands of years or never to break down i.e. Plastics, Nylon, polyester."
• Dr. Rebecca: "Homemade broth from leftover meat products can be used to flavour your pet's water if they do not drink enough on their own. Often broth purchased from the store comes in packaging and must be shipped several times before it reaches your kitchen. It may also contain garlic and onions which can be unsafe for your pet. Homemade also saves you some money and stretches the use of your meat products!"
• Heather (RVT): "Repurpose old blankets/sheets/towels into dog blankets/sheets/towels, or donate to a local rescue or humane society."
• Esther (RVT): "Look for items that are built to last and excellent quality: the kind that are "buy it for life" deal. Expensive but you'll save money in the long run, keep it out of landfill, and in certain cases can keep your pet safe. I.e. Collars, leashes, toys, clothes, booties, carriers"
• Dr. Rebecca: "Unfortunately many pet food bags are not recyclable. Consider contacting your pet food company of choice and asking them what they are doing to reduce the waste associated with pet food bags. On the note about pet food, while "by-products" have become a controversial term, not all by-products are equal. When higher quality by-products are used (such as the liver, heart, intestinal lining) they are not only an excellent source of nutrition but also makes the diet more sustainable for the planet by using more of an animal. Vegetarian diets, when carefully formulated, can be fed to dogs but is not generally recommended for cats as it can be extremely difficult to ensure it is balanced for their nutritional needs."

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO HELP REDUCE WASTE ASSOCIATED WITH PET OWNERSHIP. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT TIPS YOU HAVE!