Can dogs eat green beans? If you want to share a healthy snack with your dog, the answer is a resounding yes. The vegetable offers canines a myriad of vitamins and nutrients and can serve as an excellent complement to your dog’s regular food.
The beans can even serve as an alternative to dog biscuits. Just make sure to serve them to your dog plain. Here’s what else you should know about feeding green beans to your dog.
How Can Dogs Have Green Beans?
Green beans are “an excellent snack,” according to Denver-based Kaci Angelone, DVM—in part because you can serve them in several ways.
Fresh beans from a garden are a wonderful choice for your dog, but many of us are getting our green beans from the grocery store shelf, canned. Dogs can eat canned green beans, but check the labels and make sure they are the no-salt added variety. (Added salt and sodium can upset your dog’s digestive system.)
If you’re cooking with green beans and giving Fido a few as you work, make sure you’re not giving them beans cooked in oil or spices like garlic and onions, which are toxic to dogs.
“I would definitely avoid things like green bean casserole because that most of the time has cheese or cream in it, which is higher in salt, higher in fat, and can upset their stomach,” Angelone says.
Dogs can eat raw green beans whole, but make sure they aren’t large enough to be a choking hazard.
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Are Green Beans Good For Dogs?
Happily, the answer is an enthusiastic yes. Not only are green beans a yummu treat, but they’re also packed with nutrients, including vitamins B6, A, C, and K, as well as iron, calcium, and a dash of protein.
While these are all things your dog should already be getting plenty of with good quality dog food, it’s nice to know green beans can act as a tasty little vitamin you won’t have to force your dog to eat.
“They’re very low in calories and high in fiber,” Angelone says.
Additionally, green beans can be used as a treat in place of traditional dog biscuits, which can help cut down on calories for overweight dogs and help chunky bois stay trim. And if you’ve reduced your dog’s food amounts for weight loss, you can add green beans to your dog’s bowl to make up the difference.
“The fiber content in green beans can act as an appetite suppressant by making dogs feel fuller faster,” Angelone explains.
What Other Vegetables Can Dogs Eat?
Speaking in the broadest sense possible, it’s hard to find a vegetable that’s going to outright harm your dog. In addition to green beans, some other healthy, generally pet-safe vegetables include:
- Sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Tomatoes (watch out for tomatine in the green ones, though—they’re toxic)
- Cucumber
- Pumpkin
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Asparagus
Though these veggies are usually safe, there are some caveats, so make sure you do your research and talk to your veterinarian before feeding your dog any new foods—vegetables or otherwise. And always ensure you feed your dog any treats in moderation.
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If you’re a big fan of a vegetable medley, you’re in luck: for the most part, combinations like green beans and peas, green beans and corn, green beans and broccoli, or any combination therein is considered safe for your dog to eat.
Just remember to keep an eye on the packaging if you’re not cooking them fresh, and make sure you’re getting ones that aren’t packaged with extra sodium. Also, be sure to avoid any package that comes ready-mixed with any kind of cheese, sauce, or gravy.
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