Hey,
Happy Wednesday!
You’ll have noticed that films and TV
shows often come with a trigger warning. The warning might be for such things as violence, strong language or “scenes of an upsetting nature”.
Well, I’ll issue a trigger warning for this email and today’s featured article; they include sentences that some readers may find “icky”. Especially if you’re not a fan of bugs.
That’s because we’re discussing insect-based dog food.
There is no avoiding the rise in the popularity of insect protein-based dog food. Many mainstream producers, including excellent American brands such as Open Farm, make insect-based recipes. This growth is global, too.
It’s understandable why it’s increasingly
popular. The reasons are ecological and economical. Insect farming produces far fewer harmful emissions than mammal and fish farming, particularly beef farming. It’s also cheaper and you need less land.
There’s also the question of sustainability; pet food accounts for 20% of all meat and fish consumption globally, and both farmed and farmable land is shrinking. More efficient methods therefore appeal.
It’s also understandable that many pet parents are hesitant to feed their dogs insect-based food. It’s novel, and people are always skeptical of new things — they like to know that something is both effective and safe. Dogs haven’t traditionally eaten insects as the main part of their diet, after all.
There’s also, as mentioned, an “ick” factor.
So, what to do? I know some of you will be adamant in your refusal to even consider insect-based dog food, whereas others might be open to the idea and perhaps already feed it to their dogs.
If you’re curious about the subject — and I encourage you to be curious, even if you won’t ever buy into it — there’s a lot of information, misinformation and disinformation out there. That’s why we’ve written this fact-packed article: Should I Feed My Dog Insect-Based Pet Food?
It will hopefully answer any questions you have and some you didn’t even think of.
Like I say, I encourage you to be curious.
