Chickpeas are safe and nutritious for dogs to eat in moderation. That being said, pet owners should avoid feeding canned chickpeas that have been submerged in salt, dried chickpeas, and hummus.
The rest of this article will explain the benefits of chickpeas for dogs, what they should stay away from, and why!
What Are Chickpeas?
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern legume. Now seen all over the world, these little guys are small with enormous nutritional value.
Chickpeas offer a ton of fiber and protein, as well as folate, vitamin K, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, copper, choline, manganese, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
Although you shouldn’t feed your dog a lot of “table food,” your dog will have so many benefits from eating even a small amount of chickpeas.
Can Dogs Eat Chickpeas?
Chickpeas make a nutritious, safe snack for your pet, as long as it is in moderation.
What Benefits Do Chickpeas Give Dogs?
As stated, chickpeas have so many health benefits that will do so much good for your furry friend. So let’s go over some of the ways that chickpeas can help!
Diabetes
Falling under the complex carbohydrate category, chickpeas have been known to release energy slowly, which will help avoid dips and spikes in blood glucose levels. This is different than simple carbs, like bread!
Feeding your dog chickpeas instead of other simple carbs will help them from getting diabetes.
High Blood Pressure and Heart Issues
Low in sodium, yet high in potassium, known for helping to dilate blood vessels, chickpeas will help lower your dog’s blood pressure while also aiding in heart health. In addition, these fiber-rich legumes reduce the amount of cholesterol in their blood.
Inflammatory Conditions
If your dog is older and suffers from osteoarthritis pain, it may be hard on you if you don’t know how to help them. Thankfully, chickpeas are known to contain choline, which has been known to reduce chronic inflammation.
It has also been known to assist in nerve impulse transmission, maintain cell membrane structure, and also aid in fat absorption. All of these things will significantly help your pet live a happy, more comfortable life.
Cancer
Chickpeas contain numerous substances that aid in cancer prevention and growth. Selenium, for example, aids the liver in detoxifying cancer-causing agents and will decrease tumor growth, while saponins and folate prevent cancer cells from forming and multiplying.
In addition to these things, chickpeas are also full of vitamin c, which has been known to protect cells from free-radical damage.
Constipation and Anal Gland Expression
Chickpeas may be the solution if you find that your dog has been having some loose stools. Chickpeas are full of fiber and will regulate your dog’s bowel movements, feeding the good bacteria in their digestive tract and therefore preventing constipation. Properly formed stools will aid in this.
The fiber also helps in the regulation of blood sugar. Feeding too many chickpeas can cause your dog to have too much fiber in their system, however, and there will be excess gas, which will be uncomfortable for your dog and you!
Obesity
Because of how high fiber chickpeas are, dogs will have an increased feeling of being full for a more extended time. This will cause them to stop begging for food in such short periods of time!
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Negative Health Effects
There are a couple of reasons that make chickpeas bad for dogs in large quantities. Although chickpeas offer so many excellent benefits to your dog’s diet, there can absolutely be some negatives, as well.
Feeding chickpeas to your dog can make your pet become gassy due to the dietary fiber it contains. Although you may be okay with this, it can lead to your dog suffering from abdominal cramps and bloating.
If you want to incorporate chickpeas into your dog’s diet, you should start slowly.
In addition to that, you should also avoid certain chickpeas, such as processed chickpeas, hummus, and the like. Instead, try to stick to cooked chickpeas, and you should make sure that they are cooked plainly.
This also means to be careful if you are trying to feed your furry friend the canned variety of chickpeas since they tend to have too much salt for your canine companions to process, leading to possible sodium poisoning.
Can Dogs Eat Canned Chickpeas?
Yes, dogs can eat canned chickpeas. That being said, it really depends on how much salt the canned chickpeas contain.
Many of the canned variety will be soaked in water and salt. Although one or two will not hurt your dog, an excess of salt will lead to high blood pressure, dehydration, and sodium poisoning in the long run.
If your dog is on a low salt diet, you should make sure that the canned chickpeas you are buying are washed off with fresh water and that the variety you are purchasing is low-sodium.
Chickpeas are also usually soaked in preservatives that help extend their shelf life. When choosing a canned chickpea to feed your dog, you should check the label to see what ingredients they contain.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Chickpeas?
Dogs should not eat raw chickpeas, as they can become a choking hazard for your dog. In addition, dogs tend not to chew their foods before swallowing, and they may find this new food to become challenging to get down.
Canned chickpeas have already been soaked and cooked, so you would not need to cook them again before giving them to your furry friend. Instead, you can just drain, rinse, and toss a few to them!
Can Dogs Eat Chickpea Flour?
Chickpea flour is safe for dogs to consume as long as it is cooked into something. It has been used to make treats when dogs have a wheat allergy. If you are looking for recipes that do not contain wheat flour, it is worth looking into chickpea flour as a replacement.
Can Dogs Eat Hummus?
Dogs cannot eat hummus. The ingredients will be far more than just chickpeas when buying hummus from the grocery store! These will also usually contain concentrated lemon juice, onion, garlic, and other ingredients like spices, salt, olive oil, and more that can be toxic to your dog or can, at the very least, irritate their stomach.
When comparing hummus to other kinds of chickpeas your dog may eat, hummus has a lot more salt, sugar, and fat in it, which are never good for your dog’s health in large quantities.
How To Feed Your Dog Chickpeas
If you are looking to start feeding your dog chickpeas, you can begin a couple of different ways.
- Incorporate the chickpeas in other dog-friendly beans, such as soybeans or black beans.
- Mixed with animal protein and vegetables, either blended or whole.
- Replacing wheat flour with chickpea flour when baking homemade dog food or treats.
- Whole chickpeas as a treat
Are Chickpeas Good For Dogs?
There are a plethora of things that make chickpeas suitable for dogs, and they are often praised for the benefits that they even give us humans.
The critical keyword when giving your dog garbanzo beans is simply moderation. If you toss a few chickpeas into their bowl from time to time, it will be great for your dog’s health. They will be a welcomed, nutritious alternative to the processed treats many dogs usually get.
Fiber
Chickpeas are full of fiber, which will reduce inflammation in your dog and also support their heart health. In addition, they have also been known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and have been linked to reducing the risk of cancer.
Any dog will significantly benefit from chickpeas, as just the fiber content will help their bowel movements become regular, which will cause their stools to become more firm, naturally expressing their anal glands.
Plant-Based Protein
Chickpeas are considered a plant-based protein, which will help build and maintain muscles in your dog’s body. That being said, plant-based protein should never replace animal protein in your dog’s diet since dogs need the essential amino acids in meat to stay healthy.
Vitamins and Minerals
As stated previously, chickpeas are packed with vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and phosphorus.
What does this mean for your dog? Well, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium are electrolytes that maintain the electrical impulses in your dog’s body, which allows their muscles to move, their heart to beat, and their nerves to send signals throughout their body.
Phosphorus and calcium are also super important for your dog to build strong bones, while magnesium will help the body absorb those minerals.
Iron has been known to keep your pup’s blood cells healthy and carry oxygen throughout, while zinc has been known to play a part in metabolic functions. It’s required for their body to make hormones and DNA and keep their brains healthy and grow their hair!
Vitamin A helps support eye health, while vitamins B and C help support the immune system.
Although these make chickpeas safe for dogs to consume, it’s crucial that pet owners avoid feeding their dogs too much since all of these nutritional benefits should also be found in their complete pet food that they are provided from day to day.
Are Chickpeas Bad For Dogs?
Dog owners should know that chickpeas are not suitable for dogs to eat large amounts of. Although chickpeas are good in moderation and have been found to have many health benefits, dog owners should not change their dog’s diet based solely on these, as their dog foods should already be complete.
Although fiber is excellent for dogs, ingesting too many garbanzo beans can lead to an upset stomach, excess flatulence, diarrhea, and loose stools.
As stated, dogs can eat chickpeas in moderation. Still, it is vital to watch the consumption and to also make sure that they are not eating processed chickpeas, like hummus, that can contain lemon juice, onion, garlic, and other ingredients that are not good for your dog.
Final Thought-Can Dogs Eat Chickpeas?
Although chickpeas are perfectly safe to add to your dog’s dog food and even nutritionally beneficial, your dog should not need all the benefits, as their commercial dog food should be complete and offer the same benefits.
That being said, chickpeas may be a fantastic alternative to dog treats that don’t offer any benefits at all.
On top of that, certain dog owners may be fans of making their own dog food. There are many dog food recipes out there that contain chickpeas and recipes for homemade dog treats that may contain chickpea flour. All in all, chickpeas are an excellent addition to their pet food and safe for dogs as long as it is in moderation.
References
https://blog.healthypawspetinsurance.com/can-dogs-eat-chickpeas