So long as they are cooked and served plain, chickpeas, or as they are also called, Garbanzo beans, are very safe for your dog and even provides him good amounts of minerals and other nutrients. A few cautions to feeding your dog chickpeas, health benefits of chickpeas for your dog and a lot more are discussed in this article. Come along!
Can Dogs Eat Chickpeas
Garbanzo beans, just like other dog-friendly beans like soybeans and black beans, are excellent sources of fiber and protein, commonly used in Indian and Moroccan cuisines. These legumes are safe for your dog’s consumption if eaten in its pure form, without any additives.
Avoid feeding hummus or canned chickpeas to your dog, though you can give him as an occasional treat. Hummus form chickpeas contain toxic ingredients such as excess salt, garlic, lemon juice and onion, all of which are very dangerous to your dog’s health.
However, you can make some healthy hummus chickpeas for your dog at home and make sure not to use any of those toxic ingredients.
Canned chickpeas, on the other hand, are packed with preservatives to keep extend their shelf life. Unfortunately, these preservatives are toxic for your dog and can harm his digestive tracts. Some of the health issues associated with canned chickpeas are vomiting and diarrhea.
If your dog keeps feeding on canned chickpeas, it could result in more severe and fatal health issues for him. Chickpeas can trigger and worsen gassiness and bloating in dogs with previous record of gas issues.
Nutritional Value Of Chickpeas
Chickpeas provide your dog with several different vitamins and minerals, and a good amount of protein and fiber. One 164g cup of cooked Chickpeas offers the following nutritional value:
- Calories – 269cal
- Protein – 14.5g
- Fat – 4g
- Carbohydrate – 45g
- Fiber – 12.5g
It also contains other nutrients such as copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, vitamins B6 and B9, thiamine, potassium and selenium, all in good quantities, especially folate (vitamin B9) and manganese.
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Health Benefits Of Chickpeas For Dogs
Chickpeas are tiny legumes that are rich in vitamins, proteins and other nutrients that are essential for your dog. Here are a few health benefits of chickpeas for your dog:
Regulates Blood Sugar Level: Chickpeas contain complex carbohydrates which provides enough energy to last your dog a while and prevents issues related with simple carbs.
Fights Against Obesity: Chickpeas have high levels of fiber present in them which make your dog feel full after eating just a few and keep him full for a while. This would help your dog lose the unwanted weight he has gained over time. The presence of fiber also aids digestion and bowel movement.
The presence of choline in Chickpeas makes it effective in combating and reducing severe inflammation caused by arthritis in dogs. For a more effective inflammation-fighting treat for your dog, you can give him a combination of Turmeric and chickpeas.
Chickpeas fights high blood pressure by enlarging your dog’s blood vessels due to the low level of sodium content and high level of potassium content in it. As a result of this enlargement, blood pressure is reduced and the health of your dog’s heart is improved.
Vitamin A contained in Chickpeas also helps give your dog good sight and generally improves his eye health. Vitamins B and C aids immunity boost.
Cautions For Feeding Dogs Chickpeas
Processed hummus chickpeas are not recommended for your dog as they mostly toxic ingredients like onion and garlic. Never feed your dog chickpeas that contains onion or garlic. This is a definite no and your dog should not be allowed any food containing these toxic ingredients.
Canned chickpeas contain way more sodium content than your dog is in need of, hence you must avoid feeding him any canned chickpeas to prevent sodium poisoning.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Much Chickpeas Can A Dog Eat?
Chickpeas contains dietary fiber, which is a healthy nutrient for your dog but like all other human food, chickpeas must be eaten in small amounts as consuming it in excess would mean excess fiber in your dog’s system, which could result in diarrhea.
The recommended quantity is an occasional one tablespoon of chickpeas for your small sized dog or two tablespoons of chickpeas for your larger dog. Depending on how your dog reacts to chickpeas, you can either reduce or increase the quantity subsequently.
Can Dogs Eat Roasted Chickpeas?
Roasted chickpeas are not advisable nor recommended for dogs as they contain high amount of salt and oil. Your dog does not need these amounts of calories, fats and sodium.
If your dog accidentally eats one or two beans of roasted chickpeas, he should be fine. You must however make sure that this does not become a regular occurrence as it could put your dog at a risk of suffering from for health issues like heart disease.
Do You Need To Boil Chickpeas Before Roasting?
No, you do not need to boil chickpeas before roasting it. Before roasting chickpeas, rinse it well to reduce the salt contents and then dry well. If your chickpeas do not dry well, they are not likely to come out as crunchy as you would like.
After roasting, you can enjoy your roasted chickpeas but never share any of it with your dog, no matter how much he begs for it.
Conclusion
As we earlier mentioned, Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, dietary fiber and are rich in many other nutrients that are essential for your dog.
Remember to avoid feeding any chickpeas to dogs that have previous history of gas issues, as the chickpeas can worsen the condition. Make sure not to feed processed hummus chickpeas to your dog; only homemade hummus chickpeas are recommended.
You can either serve chickpeas whole after it is cooked or blend your cooked chickpeas and add it to your dog’s regular meal or any other vegetables.
When making dog-friendly treats, you can also replace the regular flour in the recipe to chickpea flour and be mindful of the ingredients you are using to make the treats so that they are safe for your dog.
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