Green Pet Supplies
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Green Pet Supplies |
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 It's
time to go green with your pet supplies. Your dogs and cats won't know the
difference. In fact, they will probably benefit from the natural ingredients,
and you'll be doing the environment a big favor. Green products for your pet can
sometimes be more expensive than the other products you're used to buying. But a
few more cents are worth it for the pet owner who wants every family member,
including their pets, to do their part in protecting the environment. Americans are crazy about their pets. Statistics show that at least 63% of all US households include at least one pet. That breaks down to about 69 million homes. Since a significant portion of those households want environmentally responsible pet products, manufacturers are delivering them. Because the demand is so great, eco-friendly pet merchandise is becoming big business. In fact, it is expected one billion dollars will be spent in the United States on these products this year. There are a number of factors that determine whether a pet product is truly green. Green pet supplies made from natural organic ingredients are a great way to look out for your pets health while doing what's best for the environment. Green pet supplies include natural food, supplements, vitamins, toys, collars, and much more. Look for pet products made from recycled materials. Using new materials to make green products doesn't make sense. Look for pet products that are made from materials that have already served a purpose. This way, you're truly not wasting anything, and you'll save material from going into landfills. When it's play time with your pet, make sure you both have fun without causing harm to the environment. There's lots of eco-friendly toy choices today. If you have a dog who loves to play Frisbee, he'll love Ziscs, recyclable discs which are not only made from recycled materials, but are nearly indestructible as well. Even power chewers won't be able to shred this disc very quickly. It floats, too, for water loving canines. Always Purchase or make your own natural pet foods and treats. In this case, natural means they avoid pesticides, artificial colors, flavor enhancers, chemical fertilizers and chemical preservatives. That's what natural and organic is all about. Most conventional pet-food brands you find at the supermarket consist of reconstituted animal by-products, otherwise known as low-grade wastes from the beef and poultry industries. Green pet foods are those that are produced from free-range, lean meat and poultry, and don't contain meat byproducts such as chicken fat. They're generally made of whole grains and flour. Think of it this way: If you wouldn't eat a product yourself, don't give it to your pet. Choose pet products that minimize your impact on the environment. This means selecting sustainable materials that don't deplete the planet's resources so rapidly. One example is cat litter. When it comes to pet products, cat litter potentially is one of the worst offenders to the environment. For one, the clay-based kind is non-biodegradable, and landfills are overflowing with this stuff. Furthermore, these kinds of cat litters are produced through strip mining, which is very destructive to the earth. Instead of buying clay-based cat litter, which is made from 1.5 million tons of strip-mined clay, annually, purchase cat litter that is made of alternative ingredients such as wheat, corn, pine, cedar, and even recycled newspapers. The good news about this kind of litter is that instead of ending up in a landfill, the waste can be composted or flushed right down the toilet. Adopt from a shelter Some pet breeders have only one goal--to raise large quantities of purebred animals for profit. They've also been pilloried for misdeeds such as over breeding, inbreeding, poor veterinary oversight, lousy food and living conditions, overcrowding, and culling of unwanted animals. Why buy when you can adopt one of the 70,000 puppies and kittens born every day in the United States? Love knows no pedigree.Spay or neuter your pet. We don't need any more homeless animals than we already have. As a bonus, spaying and neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by eliminating the possibility of uterine, ovarian, and testicular cancer, and decreasing the incidence of prostate disease. Always keep your dog on a leash when outside, and confine your mangy feline indoors. Topped only perhaps by habitat destruction, cats are the biggest, bird killers of all time. Unlike wild predators, house cats are always well fed, well rested, and in tip-top fighting shape. They're also present in more concentrated and rapidly increasing numbers. |
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