Pet Footprint Calculator
Discover your dog’s or cat’s true ‘paw-print’—from CO₂ (in cows or pigs-worth) to water-guzzling bathtubs and mountains of weekly poop-bags—see the hidden impact of every bowl you pour
My Pet's Details
Your Pet vs. Average
| Metric | Your Pet(s) | Typical Pet |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Food (kg) | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Weekly CO₂ (kg) | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Water (Bathtubs/wk) | 49.7 | 49.7 |
CO₂ Footprint
120.7 kg
per year
= 2.2 Cow-Years
Water Usage
2,591.8 Bathtubs
per year
= 440,607.5 Litres
Poop Bags Used
1,000 Bags
per year (for dogs)
= 20 Garbage Cans
Annual CO₂ Equivalents
5.7 Trees Needed
0 Cows (Meat)
0.1 Pigs (Meat)
How It's Calculated
- 1. Your inputs: 1 medium dog(s) on a Dry Food diet.
- 2. Weekly Food Intake: This is based on standard values for your pet's size (1.69 kg/wk) or your custom input. Your total is 1.69 kg/wk.
- 3. CO₂ Footprint: We multiply your total weekly food by a CO₂ factor (1.37 kg CO₂ per kg of dry food). Wet food has a 7.9x higher impact due to its processing and ingredients.
- 4. Water Footprint: This is calculated as (Total Weekly Food kg) × (Water per kg). Dog food requires more water (5,000 L/kg) than cat food (2,000 L/kg) to produce.
- 5. Poop Bags: This is only for dogs and assumes an average of 1,000 bags per dog per year, distributed weekly.
- 6. Comparisons: Your total impact is divided by standard values to get equivalents, like bathtubs (170 L) or 'cow-years' of CO₂ (2,800 kg/yr).
- 7. CO₂ Equivalents: We compare your pet's annual CO₂ footprint to the amount of CO₂ absorbed by a mature tree in a year (~21 kg), and the CO₂ produced to create the meat from an average cow (~21,400 kg) or pig (~2,100 kg).
The Science Behind It
Our pets bring us joy, but they also have an environmental footprint. This calculator helps visualize the climate and water impact of your pet's diet, translating food consumption into tangible, science-backed equivalents.
1. CO₂ Footprint: Dry vs. Wet Food
The production of pet food is energy-intensive. Wet food has a significantly higher carbon footprint—nearly 8 times that of dry kibble per calorie—due to higher meat content, processing, and packaging. Our calculation uses an average of 1.37 kg of CO₂ equivalent per kg of dry food, a figure derived from life-cycle assessments in the pet food industry.
2. Water Footprint
The "water footprint" includes all the freshwater used to produce your pet's food, from growing crops for ingredients to the manufacturing process. Dog food requires a substantial 5,000 liters of water per kilogram, while cat food requires about 2,000 liters/kg, primarily due to differences in typical protein sources and ingredient processing.
3. Waste Generation (Poop Bags)
Waste management is another aspect of a pet's environmental impact. Based on municipal waste studies, an average dog is estimated to use around 1,000 plastic poop bags per year. This calculator helps visualize that cumulative plastic use.
4. Comparison to a Cow
To put the CO₂ emissions into perspective, we compare it to the annual emissions of a dairy cow. A cow produces a significant amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. We use an estimate of 2,800 kg of CO₂-equivalent per year for a single cow, based on data from UC Davis research on livestock methane production.