In a new book about the science behind what we feed our pets and the impact it has on the environment, three experts in veterinary science, biotechnology, and animal welfare put to bed industry claims about what a "natural" diet for pets actually encompasses while exposing the damage unsustainable, animal-based pet foods have on the environment.
Authored by veterinary scientist Dr. Ernie Ward, biotechnology expert Ryan Bethencourt, and animal welfare and ethics expert, Alice Oven, The Clean Pet Food Revolution: How Better Pet Food Will Change the World, takes on conventional myths around "grain-free" and raw meat diets, protein intake, and what our pets "want" in their diets. The book sheds light on the advances and health benefits of alternative proteins from plants, fungi, insects, and cell-based meat products, which are created sustainably and with a fraction of the environmental impact that factory-farmed livestock produces.
"The fact is, the marketing line that 'dogs crave meat' is completely unsupported by science, and frankly, has potentially ruinous effects on the health of our pets," said Dr. Ward. "The public has been fed a steady diet of misinformation for years, leading to the false belief that a pet's diet must be based in animal proteins. We've shown that to be utterly false."
The book is an account of an unsustainable present and a glimpse of future possibilities.
"The scientific developments in both human and animal nutrition have made it clear that alternative protein sources have all but eliminated the conventional belief that the only healthy protein is a meat protein," said Ryan Bethencourt, a biotechnology expert and CEO of Wild Earth, a vegan pet food company. "Sustainable, non-meat-based proteins are as healthy for our animals — and ourselves — as meat-based proteins, without the devastating effects on the environment. The time is now for a revolution in the pet food industry, we can't afford to wait any longer."
Published by Lantern Books, The Clean Pet Food Revolution will officially launch on December 2, 2019 and can be purchased for $27.95.
