Are peas or green beans better for dogs
Can Dogs Have Green Beans?
Lets face it. Most of our dogs could stand to cut back on the treats just a little bit, but for many of us, treats are an important part of our daily interaction with our canines. This leaves us looking for healthier alternatives to reward our dogs for their good behavior. Green beans may just be the perfect low-calorie treat substitute weve been waiting for.
Are Green Beans Safe for Dogs?
Chopped, steamed, raw, or cannedall types of green beans are safe for dogs to eat, as long as they are plain. Green beans themselves are not only safe for dogs, but veterinarians also recommend them as a healthy treat. Best of all, dogs seem to love them.
Sometimes, green beans are prepared with other ingredients. This can make them not only less healthy and even dangerous. Here are some green bean hazards to avoid:
- Canned beans with added salt
- Green beans cooked with oils and spices
- Green beans cooked with harmful vegetables, such as garlic and onions
- Feeding large, whole green beans to dogs, which can be a choking hazard
Are Green Beans Healthy for Dogs?
Green beans are full of important vitamins and minerals, such as protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins B6, A, C, and K. Green beans are also full of fiber and are low in calories, which can help dogs and humans feel full when they are dieting.
Your dog does not necessarily need these extra nutrients if they are already eating a complete and balanced commercial diet. But green beans offer a nutritional alternative to dog biscuitsand can make us feel less guilty about cutting out unhealthy treats and scraps from our dogs diets.
Can Green Beans Help Dogs Lose Weight?
More than one-half of American dogs are overweight. Many owners dont even realize that their pups are on the heavy side, but this oversight comes at a cost to our canines. Obesity leads to a long list of health problems, including Type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, orthopedic problems, heart disease, kidney disease, and some cancers. To make things worse, carrying those extra pounds around can decrease your dogs life expectancy by up to two years.
Giving green beans as a treat in place of conventional biscuits can help your dog lose weight, as long as you are also taking action to increase their exercise and moderate their regular diet. Feeding green beans will not help your dog lose weight if they are not getting enough exercise and is consuming inappropriate calories for their age, breed, and lifestyle.
What Is the Green Bean Diet?
You may have heard someone mention the green bean diet as a way to help a dog lose weight. This diet plan gradually substitutes green beans in place of a percentage of a dogs food. For example, an owner starts out by supplementing 10 percent of the volume of a dogs regular meal with green beans, increasing the percentage over time up to 50 percent, until the dog reaches its target weight. Then the owner gradually reintroduces the regular food back into the dogs diet.
While the green bean diet sounds like a good idea in theory, veterinarian Ken Tudor, writing for PetMD, explains the risks of attempting the green bean diet without veterinary guidance. To begin with, dogs that gain weight suddenly or have difficulty losing weight, despite exercise and diet restrictions, could have a serious health condition, such as hypothyroidism or Cushings disease.
Even if your dogs extra weight stems from a few too many kibbles and scraps, according to Dr. Tudor, Regular food is inappropriate for weight-loss patients. Although weight-loss patients are fed the calories appropriate for their ideal target weight, they still need amino acids, fats, vitamins, and minerals for their present weight. This can lead to nutritional imbalances and deficiencies, and dogs on the green bean diet may regain the weight they lost as a result of metabolic changes.
Tudor concludes by saying that green beans can be an effective part of a weight-loss diet, as long as you consult with your veterinarian about the best dog food and overall wellness plan to help your dog lose weight.
The Perfect Healthy Treat
If, however, you are just looking for a healthy, low-calorie treat to feed Fido, green beans are an excellent option. As with any treat, try not to exceed 10 percent of your dogs daily diet, and watch for any signs of stomach upset or allergic reactions.
Check out this list of which fruits and vegetables are safe and unsafe for dogs to eat.
Can Dogs Eat Peas?
NOTE: Always check with your veterinarian first before giving your dog any new foods, especially people foods. What might be OK for one dog might not be good for your dog, depending on multiple factors, such as their age, health history, health conditions, and diet. Dogs on prescription diets should not be fed any food or treats outside the diet.
Love em or hate em, peas are a nutrient-packed vegetable that make their way into our soups, salads, and side dishes. Theyre super healthy for humans, but what about our canine companions? If your pooch is hoping for a bite of this tasty little legume, you may be wondering if dogs can eat peas.
Good news: peas are safe for dogs to eat. In fact, peas are considered a healthy treat for dogs and offer lots of nutritional value for them. Just be careful not to feed your dog too many (especially if theyve never had peas before), and avoid any extra ingredients that can make them sick.
Are Peas Good for Dogs?
Peas are a nutritious and healthy source of vitamins and minerals, making them an excellent addition to your dog's diet. Despite their small size, peas pack a ton of protein and fiber into their little casings. Theyre also rich in iron and other vitamins and minerals that can help support your dog's immune system, digestion, and overall health. Peas also contain antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation and help keep your dog healthy as they age.
Peas offer so many nutritional benefits that theyre becoming a common ingredient in commercial dog food. Just be sure to check with your veterinarian before making any major changes to your dog's diet, especially if your pup has any health conditions or sensitivities.
What Kinds of Peas Can Dogs Eat?
While peas can be good for your dog, not all types of peas are safe or nutritious for them to eatespecially if theyre prepared with extra ingredients like butter, salt, or spices.
Here's a breakdown of different types of peas and whether theyre safe for your furry friend:
Frozen Peas
As long as theyre not seasoned with salt or other harmful ingredients, frozen peas are fine for dogs to eat in small quantities. You can even give your pooch frozen peas right from the freezer as a treat, though cooking them will make it easier for them to chew.
Canned Peas
Unfortunately, canned peas are not recommended for dogs because they contain high levels of sodium. Foods high in sodium can lead to dehydration and other health issues. An occasional bite or two of canned peas will probably be fine, but regular helpings from the can may cause long-term problems for your pup.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are a great source of protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients for dogs. Just make sure theyre thoroughly cooked before feeding them to your furry friend.
Black-Eyed Peas
Black-eyed peas are safe for dogs to eat, but they should be cooked and served plain without any seasoning or spices.
Snap Peas
Snap peas are an excellent source of vitamins A and C for dogs. But because the outer pods may be tough for some dogs to digest, it's best to serve snap peas cooked or chopped into small pieces.
How Many Peas Can Dogs Eat?
While peas offer dogs plenty of nutritional benefits, it's essential that these veggies are only fed in moderation. Too many peas can lead to digestive issues such as gas and diarrhea.
As with any other treats, keep the 10% rule in mind: All treats (including vegetables like peas) should only make up 10% of your dogs overall calories. The other 90% should be from a diet of well-balanced dog food.
Here are some general guidelines for how many peas are safe for dogs to eat, based on their weight:
- Extra-small dog (220 pounds) = 1 teaspoon (or less) of cooked, plain peas per day
- Small dog (2130 pounds) = 2 teaspoons (or less) of cooked, plain peas per day
- Medium dogs (3150 pounds): 3 teaspoons (or less) of cooked, plain peas per day
- Large dogs (5190 pounds): 12 tablespoons (or less) cooked, plain peas per day
- Extralarge dogs (over 90 pounds): 3 tablespoons (or less) cooked, plain peas per day
Note that these are just general guidelines. Its always best to check with your vet before making major changes to your dogs food bowl.
How to Feed Peas to Your Dog
If you decide to add peas to your dogs diet, prepare them without any other ingredients that can be harmful to your dog's health. It's best to serve peas plain and cook or steam them until tender. You may even want to mash them if your dog has trouble chewing or swallowing.
Try mixing a few peas in with your dog's regular food as a healthy food topper. You can also serve peas as a healthy snack instead of processed treats. Just make sure you dont overfeed your dog, and always introduce peas slowly to their diet to avoid any digestive issues.
Featured Image: iStock/Mutovin
WRITTEN BY
April Saylor
Freelance Writer
Can Dogs Eat Green Beans?
NOTE: Always check with your veterinarian before giving your dog any new foods, especially people foods. What might be okay for one dog might not be good for your dog, depending on multiple factors, such as their age, health history, health conditions, and diet. Dogs on prescription diets should not be fed any food or treats outside the diet.
Green beans are a tasty and healthy treat for your dogs. Most dogs love them, and they are great all-natural treats. There are numerous health benefits to giving your pup green beans.
But as with all foods, moderation is key. Here are some things to keep in mind when safely feeding green beans to your dog.
Are Green Beans Good for Dogs?
Green beans are just as nutritious and safe for our dogs as they are for us! They offer a great low-calorie treat choicein moderationfor adult dogs and puppies. Just remember that puppies have more sensitive stomachs, and too many green beans could upset their stomachs due to the high fiber.
Green beans have tons of great nutrients:
Protein
Fiber
Iron
Folate
Calcium
Potassium
Magnesium
Vitamin B6
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin K
Antioxidants
Is the Green Bean Diet Safe for Dogs?
If youve heard people talking about the green bean diet for dogs online, be aware that this is not a valid diet for weight loss in dogs.
They would be losing out on essential nutrientscreating the additional problem of malnutrition. They also wouldnt be getting enough animal protein to balance out the muscle mass lost.
And as your dog loses weight, their metabolism changes and adjusts. This means that your dog could easily regain their extra weight when their food is switched back to normal.
Instead, keep green beans as an occasional treat for your dog that doesnt make up more than 10% of their diet. Talk with your veterinarian about proper food portions, exercise regimens, and weight-loss diets that are safe to help your pup lose the extra weight.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Green Beans?
Yes, dogs can eat raw or cooked green beans. Both are safe and nutritious. And although cooking the green beans may reduce some of their vitamin levels when it comes to folate and vitamin C, cooked green beans are more easily digestible.
Can Dogs Eat Canned Green Beans?
Although the nutritional values of fresh green beans and canned green beans are very similar, there is one major difference between the twothe salt!
With green beans, there is typically a large amount of sodium added. They taste great, but they are very unhealthy for your dogespecially over time. Too much sodium can lead to issues like obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
You can avoid this by only using fresh green beans or no-salt-added canned green beans.
Can Dogs Eat Frozen Green Beans?
Frozen green beans are also a nutritious snack for your pup, and theyll probably love the crunch. However, if theyre served frozen, green beans can easily become a choking hazard and potentially cause an intestinal blockage.If you cook frozen green beans, make sure there are no added ingredients.
Can Dogs Have Green Bean Casserole?
Even though we love green bean casserole during the holidays, this is not a healthyor safetable scrap for your dog. Not only are there tons of unhealthy ingredients, like sugars, salts, and fats, but green bean casserole often has onion and garlicboth of which are poisonous to dogs.
How Many Green Beans Can Dogs Have?
Any treat for a dogeven the healthy ones like green beansshould only make up 10% of their daily diet, while the other 90% should come from a well-balanced dog food diet. Here are some general guidelines on the safe amount of green beans to feed your dogbased on their size and breed. Each piece should be about 1 inch in length.
If your dog ate too many green beans, the high fiber content will likely give them an upset stomach. Watch for the following symptoms:
If symptoms persist or become severe, contact your veterinarian immediately.
How to Safely Feed Your Dog Green Beans
Use the portion sizes listed above. Always wash fresh green beans, remove any stems or strings, and cut them into small, bite-size pieces.
Raw
Give your pup some pieces of chopped, washed green beans as a treat or food topper.
Cooked
Boil, steam, or microwave green beans for your dog. Make sure they are completely plain, cooled-off, and chopped into small pieces. Use as treats or a food topper.
Dehydrated
If you have a dehydrator at home, you can dehydrate some green beans for your dog as a treat or food topper.
Frozen
Frozen green beans can be a fun treat, but make sure they are chopped into small pieces. Always supervise your dog while they eat frozen treats.If youre cooking them from frozen, check that the only ingredient is green beans.
Blended
If youre feeling creative, you can blend some dog-safe fruits and vegetables to make your pup a little smoothie. You can also add completely plain, sugar-free, xylitol-free yogurt. Use it as a food topper or put it in your dogs KONG toy to freeze for later.
Featured image: iStock.com/Mariha-kitchen
