Insect-based dog food – sustainable, high-quality, protein-rich

Dog food made from insects? This can sound a bit strange to most dog owners at first. But what seems new to us in the Western world is self-evident in other continents: Worldwide, 2 billion people regularly consume insects. In some countries, they are even a sought-after delicacy. At a time when resources are becoming scarce, we need to think about innovative nutritional solutions in all areas. For our dogs, insect protein in their food is indeed an ideal supply of protein: easily digestible and from sustainable production.

Insect protein in dog food – a real superstar

Our furry friends need a balanced, protein-rich diet. Protein consists of many different amino acids. Eight of these amino acids are essential for our pets. This means that your dog must get them through their food, as they cannot be produced by the body itself. What's special about insect protein is that it has a complete amino acid profile. This meansit contains all the amino acids essential for dogs.

The main insects used in this kind of dog food are crickets, mealworms and black soldier flies. At DOG’S LOVE, we have chosen the black soldier fly for our insect protein. It provides all the essential amino acids in our Dogs for Future line , plus unsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals for an optimal nutritional supply.

Particularly well tolerated: Insect monoprotein dog food

Another advantage of insect food is that the ingredients are entirely natural. Insect protein is free from hormones and antibiotics and therefore contains no contaminated substances that could cause problems for your dog. Since insects are still considered a rare source of protein for dogs, 'diseases of civilization' such as food allergies have not had time to develop yet. Therefore, edible insects are very well tolerated by most dogs with an allergy, intolerance or sensitive stomach. This is also because pure insect food is considered a monoprotein food source, which is particularly suitable for sensitive dogs' diets. Insects also have a positive effect on digestion. A study by the Institute of Animal Nutrition at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover found that the digestibility of edible insects is similar to that of chicken meat,with the raw fats from insect feed being processed even better. Many studies and tests also show that most dogs accept the food well and like to eat it.

Dogs for future – dog food for climate protection

Dog food made from insects is not only a blessing for our pups, but also for the environment. As we know, meat production contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and thus to changes in our climate. The production and processing of edible insects, on the other hand, is extremely efficient and sustainable. As insects require less land, less feed and less water compared to traditional livestock, the production of edible insects for dogs consumes a fraction of the resources of conventional dog food. There is also no soil pollution caused by ammonia. CO₂ emissions are reduced to an absolute minimum during the production of insect-based dog food.

All these criteria come into play in the production of our Dogs for Future products. They are produced in Austria in a resource-efficient and sustainable way. We not only set an example for sustainability, but together with you, we make a real contribution to supporting climate protection through innovation. Our monoprotein insect food line gives you as a consumer an alternative and enables sustainable decisions when feeding dogs.

Insects for dogs: Advantages and disadvantages

Are you considering providing your dog with insect food? These are the advantages and disadvantages of feeding your dog insect food:

Advantages of insect dog food

Dog food made from insects is healthy: Insects can be considered a 'superfood', as they are not only a high quality protein source with a complete amino acid profile, but they are also rich in minerals, trace elements, vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids.
Dog food made from insects is easy to digest: Feeding tests show that raw protein and raw fat from insect food from dogs can be digested optimally. The quality of faeces also improved during long-term insect-based diets.
Dog food from insects is suitable for sensitive dogs: There are hardly any allergies and intolerances to insect food.
Dog food made from insects is more sustainable: Low resource consumption, hardly any emissions and, in addition, the entire insect can be processed. This makes insect food a choice for the future of our planet.

Disadvantages of insect food

Little choice: Insect food for dogs is still relatively new and therefore there is only a small selection of food.
Unclear regulations for insect breeding: In many places, policy is still lagging behind innovation in feed production. There are still no consistent standards for the breeding of insects, and laws sometimes make production more difficult, which leads to higher costs for producers.
Insect imports worsen the CO₂ balance of the feed: If sustainable production is particularly important to you, you should pay attention to where the respective manufacturers source the insects from. Long transport routes from other continents cause unnecessarily high emissions.

A decision with a future: Insects dog food

If you decide to feed your dog a diet based on insect protein, you are making a forward-looking decision. Thanks to strict standards for feed production in Austria and the EU, you can be sure that your dog will be optimally cared for – even without meat. Monoprotein food from insects is not only sustainable, but also an optimal dietary food for dogs with intolerances or sensitive digestion. In addition, if the dog food is based on insects, it is safely free from antibiotics or hormones (which meat often contains).