Can Dogs Eat Split Peas?

As a dog parent, one of the biggest concerns is how to introduce healthy and nutritious components into the daily diet of your pet. Often, dogs can be picky eaters. All of this culminates in the need to diversify their palette and that too in a healthy way. While you attempt to do this, you need to be careful because dogs cannot eat everything. Additionally, when you are thinking of including a non-meat item in your dog’s diet, make sure they have nutrients that are important for the physical and mental growth of a dog.

Can dogs eat split peas?

The answer is a straight yes. Dogs can eat split peas. Protein, Vitamins, and Fibre are important and should be a part of your pet’s diet. Although they can consume split peas, one needs to be well aware of what they are and how they can be beneficial to the pet. Another important thing is to understand how split peas can be served to a dog. 

People often confuse split peas and lentils. Let us establish this once and for all, they are different. Although both of them fall under the legume family they are different. While lentils are seeds derived from pods, split peas are actual peas that have been dried and processed. So, even if your dog has a taste for lentils, they might not like split peas. So, even though it’s completely safe to feed split peas to your dog, remember to check if they like the new addition. In case they don’t, there is a possibility of rejection of the meal altogether.

Nutritional Benefits of Split Peas for your dog.

 Split Peas are rich in Vitamin B, Vitamin K, Phosphorus, and Fibre. They are also a good source of protein which is an essential nutrient for dogs across breeds. All of these components make split peas a wonderful item that can be included in a dog’s diet. Let us look into the benefits of the nutrients that split peas contain on your dog –

1. Vitamin B

Complex Vitamin B such as Thiamine helps in the regulation of energy and carbohydrates. Vitamin B6 generates glucose and helps in the functioning of the nervous system. Folic Acid is essential for mitochondrial protein synthesis.   

2. Vitamin K

This is extremely important, especially if you have an active dog who likes to be outdoors. Vitamin K is responsible for elevating blood clotting abilities which helps in the case of injuries in dogs. 

3. Phosphorus

This essential component is of utmost importance, especially during the growing phase. It helps in strengthening the bones.

4. Fibre

Fibre is important for the intestinal health of dogs. It is responsible for maintaining the pH configuration of the intestines. Additionally, it also helps in absorbing water which is important for proper digestion and smooth bowel movements. 

Easy way to feed split peas to your dog

If you are going to add split peas to your dog’s diet for the first time, it might be a dilemma to figure out how to do so. It’s not as easy as serving meat-based products. 

So here is a basic and simple recipe that you can use to feed your dog to introduce split peas to their diet. Their reaction will show you if they like it and if you can include it in their diet regularly. 

Split Pea, Barley, and Veggies Soup for Dogs

Step 1 – Take a cup of Barley and a cup of either Yellow or Green Split Peas and soak them in water for some time. You can also add other high protein beans such as kidney beans.

Step 2 – Cut vegetables such as carrots, celery, and whatever your dog likes. You can also add vegetables that your dog refuses to eat otherwise such as broccoli and spinach. Fry them in a small quantity of vegetable oil. 

Step 3 – Boil the split peas and the barley (separately).

Step 4 – In a food processor, add the boiled split peas, the beans, and the cooked vegetables. Add some water to it and grind at high speed. Make sure to process it for a considerable amount of time to make a smooth paste. 

Step 5 – Once that’s done, serve the boiled barley on a plate and top it with the paste that you just made. 

To this recipe, you can add your dog’s favourite grains to make it even more appealing to their taste buds. It is a full-packed meal for your canine friends.

Things to keep in mind before feeding split peas to your dog

Although Split peas are a great source of protein and vitamins, they should be served to your pet very carefully. 

• The most important thing to remember is that dogs will not chew split peas if you add them to their food. So, you can’t simply boil some whole split peas and add them to the dish. You must give it to your dog in paste form. This is crucial because your dog will throw up if they cannot digest the plant protein and to be clear, they won’t be able to digest it properly if he doesn’t chew it. To avoid it, you can try blending the split peas with other ingredients and form a paste or a thick soup. 

• Apart from that, you must always steer clear of highly processed grains. Always choose organic when it comes to peas, split peas and lentils. The more a grain is processed, the less its nutritional content. This in turn reduces the protein and vitamin intake of your pet which can be dangerous in long-term scenarios.  

• You cannot replace meat protein with vegetable protein. In case you want your dog to follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, you need to take the opinion of an expert to make a gradual change. If you believe that you can replace meat with split peas due to its nutritional content, you are mistaken. 

Conclusion

Dogs are animals with strong personalities. They need protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, and fibre in a balanced composition to have optimal physical and mental growth. While meat is their favourite, plant-based protein should also be included in their diet. Split Pea is a good source of essential nutrients if served properly. 

However, it is important to discuss every potential change or alteration with your vet. Every dog is different with different needs. They have different medical histories as well. So before you decide on anything particular for your dog’s diet, it is always advisable to check in with your vet, disclose your dog’s medical history and learn if it is safe to feed them split peas. You should also learn more about the quantity and frequency with which you can feed split peas to your dog which will depend on his age, needs, and other dietary ingredients.