Pet dog (per day, medium-sized, including food)
Koira (per päivä, keskikokoinen, sis. ruoka)
Carbon from peer-reviewed research but varies 3x by dog size and diet. Water and land from global aggregate data.
A medium-sized dog produces ~2.1 kg CO₂e per day, primarily through food. Annual footprint (~770 kg) exceeds the food carbon footprint of many humans.
How was this number determined?
The Truecost score is calculated from absolute physical values. Each row below shows the measured value, how it was normalized, and where it comes from.
| Dimension | Absolute value | Score 100 = | Normalized | Weight | Weighted | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Emissions | 2.1 kg CO₂e | 9.5 kg CO₂e | 22.11 | ×0.35 | 7.74 | MEDIUM |
| Water Consumption | 50.0 liters | 3840 liters | 1.3 | ×0.2 | 0.26 | MEDIUM |
| Land Use | 1.4 m²·year | 51 m²·year | 2.75 | ×0.2 | 0.55 | MEDIUM |
| Waste | 0.4 kg | 5 kg | 8.0 | ×0.15 | 1.20 | MEDIUM |
| Toxicity | 0.3 µDALY | 162 µDALY | 0.19 | ×0.1 | 0.02 | LOW |
| Truecost score (weighted sum) | 9.8 | |||||
Share of your annual planetary budget
Where do the absolute values come from?
- Okin (2017): Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats — PLOS ONE
- Martens et al. (2022): The global environmental paw print of pet food — Global Environmental Change
Range 1.5–7 kg/day depending on dog size, diet type (dry vs. wet), and meat content. Large dogs can exceed 2,500 kg CO₂e/year.
- Martens et al. (2022): Global environmental paw print of pet food
Meat-based diets use much more water than plant-supplemented diets.
- Martens et al. (2022): Global environmental paw print of pet food
Land use driven by animal protein in pet food. Plant-based/insect diets dramatically reduce this.
- Okin (2017): Environmental impacts — feces production estimates
Dog feces contain nitrogen and phosphorus that can pollute waterways if not properly disposed.
- Perkins et al. (2021): Potential role of veterinary flea products in river contamination — Science of the Total Environment
Emerging concern. Fipronil from pet treatments detected in rivers across Europe.
Comparisons
- 2.1 kg CO₂e/day = three 10-minute hot showers
- A dog's annual emissions (770 kg) > Helsinki–Stockholm return flight
- Land use: equivalent to two square meters of farmland every day
Methodology
Based on Okin (2017) and Martens et al. (2022) lifecycle analyses of pet food environmental impacts. Medium dog (~20 kg body weight) on standard dry food diet.
Sources
- Okin (2017): Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats — PLOS ONE
- Martens et al. (2022): Global environmental paw print of pet food — Global Environmental Change
- Perkins et al. (2021): Veterinary flea products in rivers — STOTEN