Are you wondering whether your furry friend can have peas or not or could you Feeding Your Dogs with Peas? Chances are that you are wondering about this, while the dog shows affinity towards it.
You might even wonder if peas can be a part of a healthy dinner. Most dog owners often think if humans are able to eat peas, is it applicable for dogs as well or not.
The truth is dogs can consume peas as there are few crucial health advantages. It is one of the reasons because of which you will find this ingredient in commercial dog foods.
Feeding Your Dogs with Peas
However, there are a few safety issues that you need to consider when you are feeding your dog with peas. You need to get in touch with an expert vet if you wish to know can dogs eat peas or not. In this article, we will delve into some of the crucial aspects about feeding peas to your dog,
How can peas benefit dogs?
Peas don’t prove to be toxic or poisonous to dogs. That aside, it comprises of several advantages. Peas contain vitamins K, A, and B, and it also comprises of specific amounts of potassium, iron and zinc.
The peas prove to be a fibre source for dogs. Peas can help in better digestion in dogs. It also benefits their immune system and digestion. You should choose from sugar snap peas, snow peas and garden peas to feed your dog.
At times, feeding your dog with frozen peas is also a good idea. It can act as a frosty treat.
Basic guidelines for feeding your dogs with peas
The green peas, which comprises of the snow peas, garden peas and the snap peas, are a massive source of addition to a dog’s diet.
Usually, dogs don’t need legumes and vegetables much for balanced nutrition like humans. It is more so when they consume commercial dog food.
You can use peas as a tasty and fast treat, including anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. The small size also acts beneficial as a training treat.
Even though you don’t need to fret much about feeding peas to a dog, it is essential to adhere to certain guidelines.
- It would help if you didn’t feed your dog with canned peas. The canned peas usually have increased preservatives and sodium, which your dog shouldn’t consume. Hence, you can choose steamed, frozen and fresh peas.
- Make sure to feed them with plain peas. You can make the peas taste better with a touch of butter and basic seasoning. However, whenever you need to feed your dog, you should avoid the extra flavouring, more so butter, that can upset its belly.
- Dogs can eat the shell. It would help if you shelled the English peas before consuming them. The same principle applies to dogs as well. Also, the snap and snow pea shells are perfect for the dogs to consume.
- Make sure that your pet consumes peas in moderation. Like most human foods, you need to feed your dog a moderate amount of peas. When they eat it in excess, it can make your dog witness gas and even diarrhea. Hence, you need to feed them with peas sparingly and not make it have an excessive amount.
What should you know about peas that is found in grain-free dog food?
The FDA in 2019 had issued a warning against the link between canine heart disease and grain-free dog food.
There is a chance to this health hazard when you feed your dog with huge amounts of lentils, peas, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Often that makes dog owners feel that peas might be dangerous for dogs. That is not the truth.
The only reason that it can result in some harm to the body is that it can cause taurine deficiency. Simply put, taurine is a crucial amino acid that plays a vital role in your body, such as the normal heart function.
A few dogs that consumed such diets suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy along with taurine deficiency. All the precise connections between this health hazard and diets are being studied upon.
A few dogs that suffer from this have a very reduced taurine level. Presently, the medical community thinks that dogs develop this condition for multiple factors linked to huge chunks of legumes in food.
So, what is the takeaway here? Things that are good for the health can sometimes create difficulties when consumed in excess.
For instance, if your dog is consuming the required amount of peas, you have nothing to worry about as it doesn’t adversely impact the nutritional profile and taurine levels.
Make your dog a green pea dog treat
You can feed your dog with green peas that is available in a pure state as a treat or meal topper. Additionally, you can also add a little bit of creativity here. You can make your furry friend a green pea dog cookie. You will need shelled garden peas, banana, whole grain oats, honey, salt and cinnamon.
First, you need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, pulse all the ingredients inside a food processor.
Make cookie dough balls from this mixture and place them atop a baking sheet lined with the silicon baking mat. You have to bake it for 15 to 20 minutes until the bottom turns brown.
Take it out from the oven and then leave the baking sheet for close to 15 minutes for cooling. You can store all your cookies in the refrigerator for about three days.
These are a few essential facts you need to know when you want to feed your dog with peas. The peas cookies are an interesting way to provide your dog with healthy nutrients.
To start with, you need to get a health check-up done by the vet so that they can let you know the amount of green peas that your dog can safely consume.
Ensure to stick to the guidelines so that there isn’t any health hazard later. That way, you can feed your dog with peas and ensure that it’s healthy.