When you care about the environment, you care about the footprint - and, for that matter, the pawprint.
You can minimize your pet's environmental impact: how it is fed, how it stays clean, and how it is housed. This book by journalist Darcy Matheson, a regular broadcaster and writer on animal care, examines the best practices to keep any pet environmentally friendly. She identifies ownership tips and ideas to reduce and deal with waste and to take care of your pet's well-being with the most sustainable approaches. This is a book for the modern owner that thinks not only of the joy of pets but their responsible care.
'Greening Your Pet Ownership' is a guide for safe and sustainable pet care, from nutrition to habitat to activities, to minimize your environmental footprint. It's the definitive guide for environmentally conscious pet owners.
Introduction ix1 Ten Simple Steps to Going Green 11. Step 1: Avoid beef 12. Step 2: Reduce Your Transportation Footprint 23. Step 3: Don't Let Your Pet Run Wild 34. Step 4: Remove Plastics and Chemicals 44.1 Use your nose to sniff out toxins 54.2 Plastic bags 54.3 Search for sustainable products 55. Step 5: Think before You Buy 66. Step 6: Recycle 77. Step 7: Shop Locally 88. Step 8: Buy Big 89. Step 9: Make Your Containers Count 910. Step 10: Get on the DIY Train 92 Adoption: A Lifetime Commitment 111. Adopt Don't Shop 121.1 The horror of animal mills 122. Breed-Specific Rescues 143. How to Find a Responsible Breeder 144. Short-Term Love: Fostering 155. Microchipping and City Licenses 163 Greening Your Home 191. Household Cleaners That Are Toxic to Pets 191.1 Corrosive products: Drain and toilet bowl cleaners 201.2 Detergents and laundry pods 211.3 Floor cleaners 211.4 Bleach, dishwasher detergents, oven cleaners 211.5 Deodorizer sprays 212. Eco-Friendly Retail Cleaners 223. Go Green When You Clean: Make Your Own Cleaners 234. Green Your Plants 244.1 Pretty but deadly: Lilies 244.2 Decorative danger: Sago palm 244.3 The dangerous green: Marijuana 244.4 Most common dangerous plants and flowers 254.5 Pet-safe plants 255. Your Lawn and Garden 265.1 Insecticides 265.2 Snail and slug killers 265.3 Gopher and mole bait 275.4 Blood and bone meals 275.5 Compost piles 275.6 Naturally green lawn solutions 27iv Greening Your Pet Care6. Pet-Proof Your Home 286.1 Garage 286.2 Bathroom 297. How to Treat a Poisoned Pet 304 Greening Your Vet Care 311. Don't Contribute to Pet Overpopulation 311.1 Health benefits of spaying and neutering 322. How to Find a Great Veterinarian 333. Alternative Medicine: Holistic Vet Care 344. Vaccinations 345. Hidden Dangers of Flea and Tick Medications 356. Preventative Medicine: Annual Checkups 367. How to Dispose of Unwanted Medications 378. Slim, Trim, and Happy: Avoiding Pet Obesity 389. Consider Pet Insurance 4010. The Greenest Goodbye: Humane Euthanasia 405 Dogs 411. The Stinky Truth: Dog Poop 421.1 How to dispose of dog waste 432. Dog Food Dilemma 452.1 Decoding mysterious labels 472.2 Rendering: The ultimate recycling? 482.3 Raw diets 492.4 Becoming a natural dog chef 502.5 Veggie dogs? 513. Green and Clean: Eco-Friendly Grooming 523.1 Decoding grooming product labels 523.2 Retail grooming supplies 544. Flea, Tick, and Insect Control: The Natural Way 545. Dental Care 555.1 Antlers: An eco-friendly tooth cleaner 566. Playtime, Exercise, and Enrichment 566.1 Toy time 576 Cats 591. Health and Wellness 591.1 Avoiding the fat cat 601.2 Flea and tick control 601.3 Natural solution to hairballs 612. The Problem with Poop 612.1 Eco-friendly litter 612.2 How to dispose of kitty litter 623. Indoor versus Outdoor Cats 623.1 Safe outdoor time: Leash walking and catios 634. Natural Alternatives to Declawing 634.1 The four Rs of appropriate scratching 645. Playtime: The Cat's Meow 646. Cat Food 656.1 Decoding labels 656.2 Ditch the beef and lamb 67Contents v6.3 Feeding to stay lean and trim 676.4 Age-appropriate food 686.5 Is raw food good for your kitty? 686.6 DIY pet chef 696.7 Can cats go vegetarian? 696.8 Garden of eating: A feline-friendly garden 697 Rabbits 711. Vet Care: Seek a Specialist 721.1 How to find a rabbit-friendly vet 721.2 Teeth that keep growing 722. Rabbit Food 732.1 Rabbit-approved veggies and fruits 742.2 Hop to it: Sourcing fruits and veggies 752.3 Farm-to-rabbit: Grow your own rabbit food 752.4 Become friends with a farmer 763. Compost Your Rabbit Poop 763.1 Litter box 101 774. Indoor Living Equals a Safe, Happy, and Long Life 775. DIY Rabbit Toys 788 Small Animals 811. Finding a Little Buddy 812. Vet Care for Small Animals 823. A Balanced Diet 823.1 Variety and veggies 833.2 Five ways to reduce food waste 833.3 Foraging: Natural health 844. Cage Bedding, Litter, and Cleaning 844.1 Cage cleaning 855. Composting Small Animal Poop 866. A Little Playtime 866.1 Branching out: Sourcing wood for chewing 879 Mini Pigs 891. Little Pigs, Big Problems: Will They Really Stay Small? 892. Zoning Considerations 903. Ethical adoption 914. Green Food Choices 914.1 Best veggies and fruit for piggies 924.2 Grazing and foraging 925. Waste Not: Pig Poop 935.1 Disposing pig poop 946. Bored Pig Equals Bad Pig 957. Specialized Vet Care 967.1 Spaying/neutering 9710 Birds 991. Eco-Friendly Bird Adoption 1002. Home Hazards and Environmental Toxins 1012.1 Teflon and nonstick cookware 1012.2 Aerosol sprays and air fresheners 102vi Greening Your Pet Care2.3 Ammonia and bleach 1022.4 Smoke 1022.5 Paint fumes 1023. A Green Diet 1034. Cage Care 1044.1 Eco-friendly cage cleaning 1045. Exercise and Enrichment 1055.1 Safe-flight space 1055.2 Easy and eco-friendly enrichment 1066. Bird-friendly vets 10711 Reptiles and Amphibians 1091. Eco-Friendly Adoption 1092. Veterinary Care 1102.1 Seek a specialist 1102.2 Zoonotic concerns 1113. Enclosures 1113.1 All-natural vivariums 1123.2 Substrates and eco-friendly bedding 1133.3 Go green when you clean 1144. Heating and Lighting for Enclosures 1144.1 Timers and thermostats 1154.2 Lighting 1154.3 Heating 1165. Feeding 11712 Fish 1191. Choosing Your Fish 1191.1 Wild versus farmed 1191.2 Saltwater versus freshwater 1201.3 Ethical and local sourcing 1202. Environmentally Responsible Coral 1213. Tanks 1223.1 Size 1223.2 Lighting 1223.3 Heaters and chillers 1233.4 Water filters and air pumps 1233.5 Tank cleaning and water changes 1244. Benefits of Live Plants 1254.1 Battling algae naturally 1265. The Green Good-bye 126Permissions 129Download Kit 131Checklists1 Should I Buy It? 72 Should I Adopt a Pet? 13
