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For humans, peas are wholesome, nutritious vegetables packed with vitamins and minerals, rich in fiber and protein. But are they healthy options to include in dog food?
Used as a snack or a small part of your dog’s regular diet, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and garden (or English) peas are not harmful in tiny amounts. In fact, they may even be of value; for example, peas contain antioxidants that are good for skin, heart, and eye health.
But dogs, unlike humans, may not benefit from a diet primarily comprised of vegetables like peas. Peas in their pods are part of the legume family, and the edible seed from a legume plant is called a pulse. When removed from the pod, a pea is a pulse, just like beans and lentils. Commercial pet foods have included legumes and pulses like peas in their ingredients for many years with no evidence of dangerous side effects. In recent years, however, researchers have been examining whether or not peas as a main ingredient in dog food can be linked to heart disease.
The second most common heart disease in dogs is called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). A disease of the heart muscle, DCM also occurs in humans. Veterinarians find that DCM occurs more frequently in certain large and giant breeds, for example Doberman Pinschers, Boxers, and Great Danes. However, new research appears to indicate that non-hereditary forms of DCM can occur in dogs as the result of a combination of factors like genetics, underlying medical conditions, and possibly diet.
Recent research has centered on the possible connection between diet and DCM in dogs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received more than 1,100 cases of diagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs from all 50 U.S. states between January 2014 and July 2020.
One of the FDA’s jobs is to ensure that the ingredients used in pet food are safe and serve an appropriate function. Most of the diets of the dogs diagnosed with non-hereditary DCM had legume seed ingredients (or “pulses”) high in their ingredient lists, and 90 percent of the diets were labeled grain-free. Many grain-free diets use pulse ingredients in a greater proportion.
Researchers at Tufts University Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory analyzed nine diets associated with canine DCM that contained pulses and/or potatoes or sweet potatoes as main ingredients. A report published in 2021 stated, “While we cannot establish with certainty if any of these compounds and ingredients are causal for disease, the findings support peas as a leading possible ingredient with diet-associated DCM in dogs.”
Drawing a direct cause-effect relationship between peas as a major ingredient in grain-free diets and DCM is complicated for several reasons. For example:
When are peas bad for dogs?
It’s best to avoid giving too many peas to dogs that suffer from kidney problems as they contain a naturally occurring group of compounds called purines which are converted into uric acid within the body. In a healthy pet, this is filtered through the kidneys. However, when levels of uric acid are too high, it can cause kidney stones and other kidney issues.
HOW MANY PEAS CAN I GIVE MY DOG?
A handful of peas is way too many to give even a big dog. Peas should always be fed in moderation to prevent flatulence and bloat. Stick to a teaspoon of peas for small breeds and a tablespoon for larger breeds. If your dog has never eaten peas before, feed them only one or two to see how they take to them. If they enjoy the taste and don’t suffer from any illness, you can slowly introduce more.
As always, exercise the 10% rule when feeding your dog any treats. 90% of your dog’s calories each day must come from complete dog food, like theirPure dinners. They can then eat up to 10% of their recommended calorie allowance in treats and extras, like peas.
So, if your dog is allowed 800 calories a day, they should not eat more than 80 calories worth of treats. That’s regardless of whether they are veggies like peas, carrots, or celery, or theirdog treats.
On the contrary, peas are good for dogs when fed in moderation. But as with almost anything, there are exceptions.
If your dog suffers from kidney problems, they should not eat peas. This can be a minefield for owners as many dog foods contain peas as an ingredient.
Dogs with kidney problems shouldn’t eat peas as they contain a chemical called purine. Purine is naturally occurring and can be found in most foods and drinks at varying levels. The problem with purine is that it is converted into uric acid by the liver. The uric acid is then filtered by the kidneys to be excreted in your dog’s urine. Some uric acid is vital in your dog’s diet as it is a powerful antioxidant. However, too much can cause issues like kidney stones. This means that if your dog has any existing kidney problems they will need to eat a low purine diet, which usually means avoiding purine-rich foods like liver, peas, or cauliflower.
Some breeds, like dalmatians, are predisposed to have issues metabolising purine which results in excess uric acid being produced. For dogs with problems metabolising purine, they would benefit from eating a low-fat diet containing highly digestible meat like chicken. This will lower the risks of issues with urate formation.
The other problem with peas is they can cause bloat if eaten in excess. Like many vegetables, they can be difficult for dogs to digest and create a lot of gas as they ferment and break down. If your dog eats too many peas, you may notice they have excess flatulence. More worryingly, your dog may become bloated which will require urgent veterinary assistance.
Can Dogs Eat Peas? [ANSWERED]
At this time, the FDA is not advocating that pet owners discontinue using any specific brand. But studying legumes may lead scientists to the root cause
Is your choice of dog food putting Fido at risk of deadly heart disease? A new study is one step closer to determining which ingredients are linked to canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which a serious and often fatal condition that eventually causes congestive heart failure, especially in medium to large breeds.
More specifically, the research sponsored by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests a common vegetable—peas—could lead to the potential problem. The legume was identified as a likely factor in the new study by Tufts University, reports Linda Carroll of NBC News.
Researchers examined dog foods previously associated with DCM to other foods for a comparative analysis. The study looked at more than 800 different compounds, including peas and lentils, also known as pulses, which are added to various dog foods. According to the study, “peas showed the greatest association” with compounds linked to DCM.
“I see this as a piece of the puzzle,” study author Lisa Freeman, a veterinary nutritionist at Tufts, tells NBC News. “This research helps us narrow down the targets to look at so we can focus on the most likely causes and get to an answer more quickly and prevent other dogs from being affected.”
According to the research, DCM is “the second most common heart disease affecting pet dogs, with prevalence over 50 percent in some breeds.” It can cause congestive heart failure or “sudden death” in certain breeds with a genetic predisposition to the disease, including boxers, Great Danes, Doberman pinschers and cocker spaniels. Other research shows that nonhereditary forms can result from other factors, including existing medical conditions and diet, reports Maya Yang of the Guardian.
According to the research, peas and lentils are often used as filler in various dog foods, including grain-free products. While the Tufts study indicates the vegetables may be a contributing factor to DCM, the FDA is not planning to ban them from dog food at this time.
In a prepared statement, the agency says while “legumes and pulses have been used in pet foods for many years, [there is] no evidence to indicate they are inherently dangerous.”
Neither the FDA nor the researchers would identify the brands tested for the study. They also are not advocating that pet owners discontinue using dog foods containing peas.
“Until we know the exact cause, we want to be cautious of all the ingredients the FDA is investigating,” Freeman tells NBC News. “Peas might be a good clue as to where we can be looking. As one more piece of the puzzle, this doesn’t give us the final answer, unfortunately. But it gives us things to follow up on.”
So, what should pet owners do? Select major brands that are more likely to have a nutritionist on staff, Brian Bourquin of Boston Veterinary Clinic tells Meghan Ottolini of the Boston Herald.
“We want to see foods that have been studied, and that tends to lead to the bigger food companies,” he says. “Those are the ones we trust the most.” Recommended Videos Most Popular