Raise Your Paw If You Love Peas!
If you look at the ingredients on the back of your dog’s dry food bag or are looking for homemade dog food recipes to make your dog, you might notice a popular ingredient is peas. We have to be careful what ingredients we give our dogs, so you are probably wondering, can dogs eat peas?
The short answer is yes. They typically are good for humans and pups! We’ll walk you through why peas are generally healthy for dogs but why they might not be perfect for your pet.
Varieties.
Peas come in many varieties. Luckily the nutritional benefits remain fairly consistent throughout them. If your dog’s bag of dry food does not specify what type of pea, that is ok. If you have a specific type of peas in your home that you want to throw into your dog’s food you are safe to do so. All types of peas have high levels of fiber, protein and vitamins. If your pup is on the chunkier side, you’ll be happy to know that peas have few calories so are good for any diet. Shelled peas are higher in calories but do have a lot of nutrients. Be sure that if you are adding a can of peas to your dog’s diet that there is no sodium listed in the ingredients on the back of the can.
Avoid peas if your pet has kidney problems.
Peas are not good for dog’s that have kidney problems. Peas contain a compound called purine, which can cause an upset stomach for dogs. If your dog has never had peas before, start with adding a low amount to their food.
Peas are a superfood.
Peas help strengthen the immune system, boost energy, and because of the anti-inflammatory symptoms, they help reduce arthritic symptoms. Peas have the antioxidants alpha and beta-carotene, as well as nutrients like flavonoids, phosphorous, vitamin B1 and potassium. In short, peas can slow aging, prevent constipation, help ward off cancer and promote strong bones making osteoporosis less likely.
Watch the pods.
Some pea pods are not edible. If you can’t chew them, you shouldn’t let your dog try.
Fresh is best.
Generally, everything fresh is best. Peas contain natural sugars and by eating fresh peas you ensure that the natural sugars turn into a starch. Sugar snap peas are probably the easiest for dogs to digest and they can eat the pod! Raw peas are fine, but will be harder for your dog to break down and so they may miss out on some of the above benefits. Canned and frozen are good as long as there is no extra sodium added. Too much salt can dehydrate dogs, spike their blood pressure and give them an upset stomach. If you are offering your dog peas from your meal at the dinner table (we are not judging!) make sure there is no onion or garlic on the peas as this can be toxic.
Train Healthy.
Peas can be a great snack and treat alternative. Are you training your pup to sit, stay or roll over? Use peas as an incentive!
So can dogs eat peas? Overall, yes, peas are a great addition to incorporate into your pup’s diet. Just be mindful of how much you are giving when you first start to add peas in, and what type of peas. Fresh is best, but other types are great too! Watch the pods and watch your dog’s stomach and you should be good to go! Below we have 5 homemade dog food recipes that incorporate peas from our 56 Homemade Dog Food Recipes post.
5 Pea Recipes
Beef Stew
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of beef- any kind
1 sweet potato
½ cup of carrots
½ cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Water
Directions:
- Pan fry the beef until thoroughly cooked & drain the grease
- Pierce sweet potato with fork and microwave for 10 minutes or until soft
- Steam the carrots and peas until soft
- Add all the ingredients into a pot and add enough water to just cover the ingredients then simmer for about 20 minutes
- Cool and serve!
Fish Fry
Ingredients
2 pounds white fish (Cod or Swai)
2 cans pink salmon (or 1 fillet)
2 eggs
1 cup zucchini
½ cup green beans
½ cup peas
Directions:
- Cook fish as the packages suggests
- Boil zucchini, green beans and peas until soft
- Mix the canned salmon and eggs in with the veggies
- Drain the water
- Mix all ingredients together
Salmon Medley
Ingredients
2 pounds salmon
1 cup rice
1 cup peas
½ cup cauliflower
Directions:
- Bake salmon (unless using canned)
- Cook rice until soft
- Steam veggies
- Mix everything together
Turkey Scramble
Ingredients
4 pounds ground turkey
6 eggs
½ pound spinach
¼ cup carrots
¼ cup peas
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Olive oil for cooking the turkey
Directions:
- Cook ground turkey until thoroughly cooked
- Add eggs into turkey and heat until cooked
- Steam veggies
- Combine all ingredients
Chicken & Peas
Ingredients
4 pounds chicken
2 cups peas
1 cup carrots
1 cup white plain rice
¼ cup spinach
Directions:
- Boil chicken until cooked
- Cook rice until soft
- Steam peas, carrots and spinach and chop up
- Add all ingredients together and serve
Want more dog recipes? Check out these blogs.