Can Dogs Eat Green Beans? The Benefits of Green Beans for Dogs

Green beans are healthy legumes that are not only good for humans but can also be good for canines.

These high-fiber, low-calorie legumes are an excellent choice as an addition to your dog’s daily menu, especially if it has weight issues and needs to lose some weight.

They are rich in nutrients, delicious, and can have many health benefits for your pup.

Read on to find out can dogs eat green beans, what the health benefits are, and how to prepare them before feeding them to your dog.

More about the green beans

These legumes grow in pods and are harvested when they are still immature. This is why the beans in the pod are small and tender.

If left to mature, the beans become much tougher and larger. Some of the varieties lack beans at all.

Despite their name, green beans come in different color varieties, including white, striped, purple, and green. Each of these types has the same nutritional content as the traditional green beans.

Usually, other types and colors of this legume are called snap or string beans.

How can green beans help benefit the health of your dog?

Green beans are very low in calories and are rich in fiber and in, antioxidants and vitamins.

The insoluble fiber helps normalize and improve the digestive system of the dog. Due to their high fiber content, green beans can help weight loss in overweight and obese dogs. They will keep the pups satiated and satisfied for longer between meals.

The vitamins A, C, and E, as well as the beta carotene, quercetin, kaempferol, and flavanols in those beans, are powerful antioxidants that help fight the free radicals in the cells.

This can help improve the dog’s immune system, help fight inflammations, and even prevent some types of cancer.

Vitamin B6 in green beans is essential for the dog’s healthy metabolism and nervous system.

Vitamin K helps boost bone strength and growth and ensures healthy and normal blood clotting.

The minerals in green beans include iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. They are crucial for the healthy growth and development of the red blood cells, as well as for the proper formation of the dog’s teeth and bones and the overall function of its bodily systems.

Vitamin K: This vitamin helps your dog’s blood clot and aids their bone metabolism.

Green beans also have high water content, keeping the dog hydrated and can help overweight dogs lose weight.

Still, even though they are rich in nutrients and fiber and low in calories, green beans can be a potential choking hazard for some dogs. But they can cause digestive problems such as vomiting and diarrhea, especially in sensitive pups and when eaten in large quantities.

Further Reading: How much should I feed my dog? Factors to consider

How can green beans facilitate weight loss in dogs?

The worrisome statistics from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention show that more than 55% of all dogs in the USA are overweight. This can cause various health problems for the canines, including added stress to the bones and joints, as well as diabetes, and heart problems, and can shorten their life expectancy significantly.

This is why it is important to keep your dog in shape, and if it is already overweight, to ensure that it loses the excess weight in a healthy manner. The way to do so is to increase its daily exercise and, if necessary, reduce the caloric intake.

Always speak to your vet before making dietary or lifestyle changes to your dog’s regimen. In some cases, the weight gain can be due to health issues such as Cushing’s disease or hypothyroidism.

If your veterinarian rules out any health issues, you can discuss applying the green bean diet to help with weight loss. Many dog parents and vets recommend this diet as an easy way to help a dog lose weight. The reason is that green peas have a high insoluble fiber and water content and are low in calories.

The fiber will help keep the dog full for longer so that it is not hungry between meals. The water helps keep the pup hydrated and also helps keep it sate for longer.

At the same time, green beans are low in calories.

To put your pup on the green bean diet, you should start by replacing about 10% of its regular dog food with green beans. Do this for the first three days.

After that, increase the green beans to 20% of the dog food. After several more days, you can replace 50% of your dog’s regular food with green beans. This should be done until the dog reaches the desired weight.

After reaching the weight goal, you can start reintroducing their regular dog food back in the same manner and timeline as you did when introducing the green beans. So, start reducing the green beans back to 20% for a few days, then to 10% for another 2-3 days until you are back to its usual balanced dog food.

Even though this diet is known to be very successful for weight loss in canines, always speak to your veterinarian before applying it to your dog. The reason is that some dogs may have health issues that do not allow for such dietary changes. Plus, this regimen can lower some of the essential nutrients the dog receives from its regular dog food.

The eventual nutritional deficiencies are the main downside of this green bean diet.

Even though green beans have a lot of nutrients, dogs need other vitamins, minerals, fats, and amino acids to stay healthy and well.

So, make sure that your vet approves of this diet and that you ensure that your pup has a well-balanced diet.

Related: Best Weight Loss Dog Food 2022

How to prepare the green beans before feeding them to your dog?

Green beans are healthiest when served raw. You can also give them to your pup frozen, steamed, grilled, or boiled. Just keep in mind that all kinds of thermal processing and cooking will take out a lot of the healthy nutrients from them.

Since most dogs gulp down all kinds of treats and snacks, it is recommended that you cut the green beans into pieces. This will prevent them from becoming a choking hazard. This is especially crucial if you have a small dog.

Another important thing to know is that when you are preparing the green beans, you should avoid adding any other potentially bad or even toxic ingredients for dogs, such as onions, garlic, seasonings, oils, and more.

As a whole, green beans are low in calories and in sugar and high in fiber, so they are an excellent alternative to many high-calorie dog treats.

And best of all, they are portable, so you can take them in a box with you to treat your pup during your walks. Thanks to the high water content in them, the green beans will also keep the pooch hydrated too.

It is recommended that you feed your dog fresh green beans and avoid canned ones. The reason is that the latter usually contains a lot of sugar, salt, and other ingredients which are not good for canines.

How to prepare green bean dog snacks

As mentioned previously, the healthiest way to feed green beans to your pup is fresh or frozen. But always cut the beans before that to prevent eventual choking.

Usually, dogs will love eating green beans, so you can feed them directly with the legumes.

You can cut the raw or steamed green beans and add them as toppers to the regular dog food of your pup as well.

If you prefer, you can make your pup some warming and healthy soup with green beans, sweet potatoes, spinach, and sodium-free chicken broth.

Some dog snack recipes with green beans you can try include apple and green bean biscuits, green bean crunchies, dehydrated green beans, green bean and cheese treats, and more.

Final verdict – can dog eat green beans?

Yes, in fact, they are very healthy for canines and can help obese dogs lose weight quickly and easily.

They can be given to dogs as healthy and low-calorie treats and snacks too. Only remember to cut them into manageable pieces. And to serve them raw or prepare them without any potentially hazardous ingredients for canines such as garlic, onions, and more.