Care to crunch on a cricket? The newest dog treat craze involves a delicacy you can find hopping around in your backyard!
For those of us who allow our furry friends to run around in the back yard, you know their thrill at being able to return to us something they have dug, found or caught. I had a cat that would bring me freshly dug worms – I once woke to five worms laid carefully around the bed in a somewhat sacrificial manner – but I digress.
Yes, our pets are natural carnivores and in days gone-bye, if it moved it was fair game. Today, we’ve learned to assemble a diet for them that is wholesome, tasty, and meets their nutritional needs whether they be a pup, a senior, small, medium, large or just plagued by hair-balls!
Related:Politicians Turned Into Delicious Bonehead Biscuits
So it was with this mindset that some crafty entrepreneurs out of California named EntoBento came up with a natural protein supplement that was both healthy for our pooch and the environment. Cricket powder!
Apparently these little jumping Jiminys are quite nutritious and not unfamiliar to the palates of our pooches who incorporated them into their diets once upon a time. The insects are already commercially farmed in the U.S. and cricket powder is one of the most sustainable forms of protein on the planet. Think of the amount of land and water required to care for beef cattle – approximately 2,000 gallons of water for each pound of beef produced – versus the one gallon required to raise one pound of crickets.
Related:Dogs Love Kale? They Do Now, Thanks To These Tasty Treats
Well, this math was a no-brainer for these dog lovers out of drought-plagued San Diego and they set out to produce a grain-free, protein-rich, human-grade dog treat, made with cricket powder.
Along the way, they tested over 100 recipes, worked with entomologists, environmentalists, veterinarians, dog nutritionists, and pet industry experts in order to find the right mix of nutrition, environmental sustainability and of course, taste!
Some deets on EntoBento’s final product?:
Ready to get your little guy fired up on cricket powder? EntoBento is looking for backers through Kickstarter. They’ve done the research, completed 12 months of product testing, secured suppliers and a fulfillment center. They have also sourced an amazing manufacturer/ baker in the US but in order to produce these natural treats at a price-point the average pet parent can afford, they will require a sizeable minimum order. That’s where you come in.
You can show your support for EntoBento’s venture with a simple $5 pledge to Kickstarter, or you can take it up a notch with a $21 pledge that will earn you two 4-oz bags of treats, or a $39 pledge that will see your little guy jumping for joy when he sees the four 4-oz bags of treats you’ve just purchased for him.
