However, I’m not super convinced that so much pet food is issued from human grade meat, instead of byproducts.
Lewis Bollard looked into the topic and a large part of pet food is from byproducts. He estimates that probably around 1-2.5% of the environmental impact of meat can be tied to pet food, which is I think less than you estimate?
However, I second that plant-based diets are probably better overall. As for health effects, the following studies conclude that there is little evidence of adverse effects arising in dogs and cats on vegan diets, and they have been shown to be healthier and safer for dogs, as evidenced by the largest study in this field. See studies 1, 2, and 3.
Thank you, I had not seen this Vox piece, Lewis Bollard’s thread, or pieces you link to.
My attention is now mostly on expanding a different piece but if time permits, I’ll return to this one and incorporate the above evidence. A few quick thoughts
To convince me that a vegan diet is safe for cats would require nigh overwhelming evidence, and at first glance, none of these studies is a slam dunk.
I also think that Lewis’s estimate is smaller than mine, but a few notes about that
the question of what would happen to the ‘meal’ that goes into pet food is hard to answer, but I bet that more of it would go into food for people than we want to think about
Bollard’s estimate is for ‘dry pet food’—what percent of all pet food is that? IDK
Thanks for touching on this topic.
However, I’m not super convinced that so much pet food is issued from human grade meat, instead of byproducts.
Lewis Bollard looked into the topic and a large part of pet food is from byproducts. He estimates that probably around 1-2.5% of the environmental impact of meat can be tied to pet food, which is I think less than you estimate?
https://twitter.com/Lewis_Bollard/status/1385692459171082240
He quotes this.
However, I second that plant-based diets are probably better overall. As for health effects, the following studies conclude that there is little evidence of adverse effects arising in dogs and cats on vegan diets, and they have been shown to be healthier and safer for dogs, as evidenced by the largest study in this field. See studies 1, 2, and 3.
Thank you, I had not seen this Vox piece, Lewis Bollard’s thread, or pieces you link to.
My attention is now mostly on expanding a different piece but if time permits, I’ll return to this one and incorporate the above evidence. A few quick thoughts
To convince me that a vegan diet is safe for cats would require nigh overwhelming evidence, and at first glance, none of these studies is a slam dunk.
I also think that Lewis’s estimate is smaller than mine, but a few notes about that
the question of what would happen to the ‘meal’ that goes into pet food is hard to answer, but I bet that more of it would go into food for people than we want to think about
Bollard’s estimate is for ‘dry pet food’—what percent of all pet food is that? IDK
anyway, much to read!
Not sure I have the answer to your points, beyond what I shared, but they seem relevant.
Btw, I read your piece on environmental and health appeal, it’s pretty good, so a good project to focus on :)