Owning a pet means that you have someone to give you company and entertainment. Pets are a constant source of joy for their owners and can easily be considered as important as humans to most owners.
However, being a pet owner is not all fun and games. When you take in a pet, you have assumed the responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interest of your pet. Pets cannot tell right from wrong, and it is up to their human caretakers to take care of their every need to the best of their abilities.
This responsibility lies with all pet owners, including those of dogs. Dog owners are usually very attached to their pets and see to it that they receive the best care. One of their major concerns is the diet of their dogs. What should their dog eat and what should it not? These are the questions they need answers to.
One major question about the dog’s diet that comes up a lot is, can dogs eat beans? It is this question that we will try to answer. We will also highlight the reasons which determine its status of edibility.
Can they or can they not eat beans? The short answer
To answer your question, dogs can eat beans, but they can eat only certain types of them and these beans need to be cooked thoroughly before they can be fed to your dog. Beans are considered a good source of protein and they contain nutrients like vitamins C and K as well as magnesium.
Beans also contain anti-oxidants, which help cleanse your immune system, and they help lower cholesterol levels, which help your dog avoid fatal conditions like heart diseases. It should be made note of, however, that despite their high protein content, beans are not a replacement for meat.
Types of beans that are okay
Like we mentioned earlier, your dog cannot be fed all sorts of beans. There are only certain types that can be fed to it without their ingestion resulting in health issues. Legumes are the ones that your dog can eat.
They contain a lot of protein, which serves to bolster your dog’s health by strengthening its muscles. Here are some of the ones that are okay.
Green beans
Of the legume family, green beans have the highest concentration of nutrients which help add value to your dog’s diet. Additionally, green beans help your dogs lose weight, so they are ideal as food if your pet has become a bit too chubby for your liking.
Kidney beans
Kidney beans, like green beans, are also beneficial for your dog’s health. Kidney beans contain a large concentration of antioxidants, which consequently help prevent the affliction of fatal diseases like cancer or even normal ailments such as arthritis.
Either of the two diseases would cause a lot of pain to your dog, so make sure that you feed them an adequate amount of kidney beans.
Chickpeas and lima beans
Chickpeas and lima beans are extremely effective in controlling the blood sugar levels, so if your dog is diabetic, these beans can help maintain its sugar levels. In addition to these two beans, garbanzo and black-eyed beans are also good for diabetic dogs.
Types of beans that are not okay
Now that we have ascertained which beans can be fed to dogs, we can turn our attention to the ones that are harmful to their health.
Baked beans
Vets advise against feeding your dog baked beans since they are not only high in cholesterol but also contain a lot of sugar, which can cause heart complications in your dog if given to them in excess. It is best, then, to keep your dog far away from baked beans.
Canned beans
Canned beans, too, should be avoided if you can help it. These beans contain a lot of preservatives which are harmful to your dog. They also contain high amounts of salt and other harmful chemicals that can send your dog’s blood pressure skyrocketing.
Chili beans
Dogs should not ingest chili beans since the spices in these beans are bad for their digestive system. Too much chili can cause your dog to experience stomach problems, such as loose stool and gases. Having an upset stomach is definitely an uncomfortable position to be in, so don’t make your dog suffer through that by keeping it away from chili beans.
Small helpings
As with every other sort of food, you need to keep in mind that anything is excess is bad for your dog’s health. Even if you feed the good beans in excess to your dogs, they will have to face health problems because of the high fiber content. Aside from stomach problems such as gases and loose stool caused by this fiber content, excessive intake of beans can result in gum and teeth problems too.
Thoroughly cooked
It is imperative that you make sure the beans you are giving to your dog to eat have been cooked thoroughly. Otherwise, they can cause stomach pains in your dog due to digestion problems. It is necessary that you check if the beans are raw or not to avoid any health issues that may arise as a result of their being undercooked.
Img Source: candogseatbananas.com
Verdict
With the help of this lengthy discourse, we can safely conclude that a large number of beans are good for your dog’s health, especially due to their high protein content. They should, however, be cooked for an adequate amount of time and should be fed to your dog in moderation. If you keep in mind the precautions mentioned earlier, you will be able to feed your dog beans without worrying that its health might worsen as a result of this intake.
However, we should make note that beans should not be the only source of protein. It is necessary that you include meat as a part of your dog’s diet too. With this, we hope we have answered your query, can dogs eat beans?
