Summary
Objective: Edible insects (like mealworms, locusts and crickets) contain energy, protein, fatty
acids, minerals and trace elements and have been found to be high quality food sources.
They could provide a new food source for patients with adverse food reactions, as
well as being of ecological and ethical interest. The aim of this study was to evaluate
the effect of a new commercially available, insect protein-based diet on the clinical
signs in those dogs via Canine Atopic Dermatitis Lesion Index (CADLI), Pruritus Visual
Analogue Scale (PVAS) and coat quality score. Materials and methods: A total of 20 dogs with atopic dermatitis due to previously diagnosed adverse food
reaction were included in this study. This food was the only food fed to the patients
for 2 weeks. Results: The lesion score improved in 12 out of 20 dogs in. Only two dogs out of 15, which
completed the study, showed mild deterioration of their lesions (on average by 1.5
CADLI points). One dog’s skin lesions were unchanged. Pruritus could be reduced in
eight patients but remained unchanged in four dogs. Two further patients deteriorated
minimally (on average by 1.5 pruritus score points) and one dramatically (8 pruritus
score points). The coat quality was only evaluated in 14 dogs. Six of 14 dogs showed
an improvement in coat quality. The improvement of the lesion scores (Wilcoxon test,
p = 0.007) and coat quality (Wilcoxon test, p = 0.01) was significant, there was no
significant change in pruritus scores (p = 0.53). The palatability was very good the
compatibility was except for one patient very good. Conclusion and clinical relevance: Based on these results, the investigated insect protein-based diet is an interesting
alternative for dogs with food intolerance.
Keywords
Entomophagy - alternative protein sources - nutritive value - food hypersensitivity
- allergy
