Can dogs eat Mantis SHRIMP? YES THEY CAN.

Can dogs eat Mantis SHRIMP? YES THEY CAN.

Mantis shrimp (or Erugosquilla massavensis)  are caught in Australian waters, and is a new dog treat for us (late 2022), so I thought it would be worth explaining it a little more to our loyal customers.

The mantis shrimp isn’t  big item on the human dining table, because it is not easily found in the supermarket.

But at around 25% protein (WET) – its dry weight proportion of protein is fairly adequate (ie much higher % when water is removed).  Especially since this is one of the driest treats you will find – and hence the reason why they are so light and relatively large per shrimp.

In the appendix we include some of the stats that some sites report on this humble shrimp.

Why should your dog eat the mantis shrimp

Because it is an animal product – that provides variety to your dog’s diet.

It is an organic meat source (not farmed) so likely to have less environmental additives than farmed animals.

But more that all that, it’s a great TEXTURE, and because of its relative rarity, a novel nutritious item, that is easy enough for ALL dogs to eat. 

If you have a puppy or an older dog that are not huge chewers, but you don’t just want to present bland kibble all of the time, and are concerned that other treats will be too hard, or they will lose interest in trying to break other treats down, then the mantis shrimp is the ideal solution.

What about the mantis shrimps shell ?

The mantis shrimp’s carapace OR SHELL is the hard thick shell that many crustaceans have and reaches from the head and first four segments of the thorax.

The shell (carpace) and the club (famous for smashing things) are made from chitin, a tough glucose derivative.   This is a modified polysaccharide that contains nitrogen; it is made from :  N-acetyl-D-glucosamine.

So to be more precise, Chitin is made up of amino sugars  and  is NOT a protein (made up of amino acids).  That is why the total protein in the shrimp is relatively low (the meat of its body is protein, but the shell is mostly Chitin (a sugar polymer).

Again, the shrimp isn’t meant to be a whole meal, but a supplement, a different nutrtion addition.  Something both fun and good to eat for dogs !

APPENDIX

ONE 10g mantis shrimp – ie a big one in the pack (WET)

• 12 calories
• PROTEIN 3 g
• 2g
• Cholesterol 21 mg
• Sodium 95 mg
• Potassium 17 mg
• Total carbs 0.2 g

Macro nutrients (ELEMENTS)  E. massavensis   (Overseas study per 100g samples RAW)

• Calcium (Ca) 90mg.
• Magnesium (Mg) 431mg
• Potassium (K) 272. mg
• Sodium (Na) 90. mg
• Zinc (Zn) 3. mg
• Iron (Fe) 0.24 mg