Most people eat insects every day. That was the big secret Anne Carlson, founder of insect-based pet supplies company Jiminy’s, had to share with her audience in a talk. pet food forum April 30, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. Although largely invisible, arthropods find their way into people’s diets, from peanut butter to spinach, in the form of chopped millipedes and grasshoppers.
While some people may be disgusted by the idea of insects in their food, dogs and cats have no such reservations. Carlson talked about his research on stray dogs and cats. Scientists have observed that mammals not only incidentally eat insects while feeding on carrion, but also specifically hunt insects.
The pack of wild dogs may be caught by something. Insects provide more than essential nutrients through protein and oil. Species such as black soldier fly larvae, crickets, and mealworms benefit your pet’s health in a variety of ways.
1. Gut microbiome
“Insect proteins include chitin, which provides fiber,” she says. “Fiber feeds the good bacteria in your dog’s gut…it’s a prebiotic, but there’s a little more here. It inhibits the growth of Clostridium perfringens, which is commonly caused by dogs with very loose stools. To do.”
2. Allergy relief
Insect proteins qualify as novel proteins because they remain rare in dog and cat foods. For dogs with food allergies, insect proteins may provide nutrition without triggering an immune response, since the pet has not previously been exposed to insect-derived ingredients.
3. Immune response
“If you look at insects in the wild, they live in really inhospitable places,” she said. “You see them on top of manure piles and rotting carcasses and so on. So they’ve developed incredible immune systems. They’re one of the richest sources of antimicrobial peptides. These microbial peptides play an important role in immunity.When a dog eats food containing black soldier fly larvae, the larvae become infected…The peptides are heat resistant. It can be cooked into food and retains its properties.
4. Arthritis and joint health
Carlson says black soldier fly larvae may benefit joint health in several ways.
“This is a natural source of glucosamine,” she said. “It also helps donate hydrogen atoms to unstable molecules, which helps red blood cells.
5. Breathing, Teeth, and Gums
Black soldier fly larvae contain medium-chain fatty acids, which may inhibit oral bacteria that cause plaque formation and periodontal disease. Larvae are also rich in calcium, which helps build strong teeth.
“Insect protein inhibits the growth of bad bacteria in your dog’s mouth, increases the number of good bacteria in your dog’s mouth, and improves bad breath,” she said.
6. Weight management
“There seems to be a very exciting opportunity here for insect proteins,” she said. “The structure of chitin appears to attach to lipids and transport them out of the body.”
Insect-derived ingredients contain medium-chain triglycerides, which may improve metabolic status in obese pets by improving gut health and directly influencing lipid metabolism.
7. Brain Health
Among the medium-chain fatty acids found in black soldier fly larvae, lauric acid may be particularly important for the brains of older dogs.
“Lauric acid has been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs,” she said. “Provides brain energy in the form of ketone bodies.”
Created by Tim Wall using DALL-E 3
