Can Dogs Eat Raw Green Beans?

In this research you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Raw Green Beans?“.

When it comes to dogs there was a bit of a craze around green beans about a decade ago.

Dogs on this diet swapped out 10% of their food for the same amount of green beans every day.

Since green beans are low in calories and contain a lot of fiber a dog will feel full even though he consumes fewer calories. 

As with all diets I’m guessing this one was just a fad which is just as well since it sounds far too simplistic.

This was a canned bean not a raw bean. 

It is not about dog diets because I am writing about raw green beans today.

For our dogs I just want to know how nutritious green beans are. 

Before I go any further let me list all the names of green beans. 

The same bean many names

Green beans can also be called French beans string beans snap beans snaps or even haricot vert- which is French isnot it?

Thats a pretty impressive list I think. 

What is the nutrition in raw green beans?

Green beans are disappointing to me.

When compared to other vegetables such as celery broccoli or pumpkin I think that they are lacking in nutrition.

Heres how it works.

I usually notice that raw vegetables have a few “headline acts” when it comes to vitamins and minerals.

I wrote yesterday about broccoli and how it has very high levels of vitamin A vitamin C and vitamin K. 

Vitamin A is present in pumpkins.

How about green beans? I can not seem to figure it out.

Their fiber content is 2.7% which is quite high for vegetables but not astounding. 

There are hardly any calories or cholesterol in vegetables but that is not news when it comes to them. 

The most important vitamin your dog will receive from a green bean is vitamin K which is an intriguing vitamin for dogs.

As you know dogs produce vitamin K on their own.

A few extra servings of green beans will not harm your dog at all. 

Comparatively it contains less than half the amount of broccoli. 

The amount of vitamin A in a green bean is a fraction of what you will find in broccoli and the same is true of vitamin C. 

The good news is that green beans contain more copper per 100g than broccoli.

However green beans seem to lag behind in other minerals such as potassium phosphorus and manganese.

Is there any way to “puff” up green beans or give them a much-needed “facelift” by cooking them?

How does that differ from cooked green beans?

The truth is that it does not make much difference at all. 

For the most part there are only minor changes. When green beans are cooked their carbohydrate protein and fiber content all go up slightly.

Cooking beans reduces the number of vitamins and minerals present to a very small extent. 

Vitamin C seems to be the biggest risk. Raw beans contain 12.2 mg and cooked beans contain 10.8 mg.

Keep in mind that a gram is composed of a thousand micrograms (mg). 

In the process of cooking green beans will lose some of their crunches and become softer and sweeter.

It takes a lot of effort and time to cook the beans- is it really worth it for such a small amount of effort?

Can dogs eat canned raw green beans?

In the first place it is interesting to ask if green beans in cans can be considered raw.

According to what I have read about them they are ready to eat out of the can although they are not fully cooked.

As soon as you get over that mental hurdle you will discover that nutritionally speaking they are very similar to fresh raw or cooked varieties.

There is however a caveat to this.

Be sure to buy canned green beans with “no salt added” otherwise the beans will contain a lot of sodium (salt). 

My eye has just been drawn to the cans of green beans at Kroger and Whole Foods. 

These canned beans have a sodium content around forty times higher than fresh green beans.

The fact that they are all hungry is no surprise.

A can of green beans with no added salt however has about twice the salt of raw green beans or cooked green beans. 

How to prepare raw green beans for my dog?

Can you give your dog whole beans or should you chop them up into bite-sized chunks?

How about the ends?

We do not eat them so why should our dog? 

Some people suggest chopping the green beans into chunks.

You reduce your dogs risk of choking on a green bean if you do that.

Your dogs temperament will determine whether its a good idea or not.

You might want to chop up your dogs food if it is more of an “inhaler” than a “chewer.”

If you have one of these dogs you might want to consider buying canned chopped green beans (with no added salt) because imagine how much easier that would be for your dog!

It is less likely that your dog will choke on a whole raw bean however if your dog eats slowly and savors each mouthful.

Be it chunks or whole canned or fresh just rinse the beans thoroughly to remove any dirt chemicals or brine that might be on top of them. 

How many green beans should I feed my dog?

Its ironic that I should begin this research by discussing a dog diet that uses 10% green beans.

Funny thing is 10% is also a recommended amount when it comes to adding vegetables to a dogs diet.

It can be vegetables or any food (or treat) that is not part of a dogs complete diet.

Many vegetables contain a bit of sugar so they are included on the list.

However I think that the number of green beans you feed your dogs should be less.

In the case of quite large dogs I would not add more than a few tablespoons if they are being fed regularly.

It is also important not just to think green beans because that is too restrictive. 

In the next section I discuss this in more detail. 

What is the best raw vegetable to feed my dog?

This question cannot be answered in a single way as you might expect.

You need to figure out why you want to feed your dog raw vegetables in the first place.

Would you like them to have more of a certain vitamin or mineral?

If you want more iron for instance you might want to add kale or spinach to your diet.

Its difficult to go wrong with carrots (or even frozen ones) if you want them to have more vitamin A.

Of course your own refrigerator is often the best place to start.

Are you a regular grower of vegetables?

As far as dogs are concerned onions garlic asparagus and tomatoes are all good. Onions garlic asparagus and tomatoes have been blacklisted.

What is the best bean to feed your dog?

After discussing the best raw vegetable I’d like to discuss what may be the best bean to feed your dog.

You may be surprised to learn there will be none that are green.

Legumes are probably the best type of beans for dogs.

This is the type of beanstalk Jack grew.

Beans such as soybeans pinto beans white beans borlotti beans and lentils are examples.

Because they are packed full of fiber and iron these are the best beans to add to your dogs diet.

Buying them dried is dirt cheap- especially since they are dried.  

Although you can feed them to your dog (or yourself) raw they need to be soaked and cooked (unless they are canned.)

The side effect of eating beans is that your dogs farts will become much much more smelly.

Arenot swings and roundabouts called that?

Can dogs eat raw green beans?

Green beans can be eaten raw by your dog without harm.

Feeding your dog fresh vegetables from your allotment or kitchen garden makes a lot of sense if you have one. 

If you or your dog have difficulty eating the raw part cooking them gently will only destroy a few of the vitamins and minerals in the beans.

The texture and taste of your dogs food will change which may put them at risk 

My favorite aspect of green beans is their high fiber content.

Compared to other vegetables I think that they lack a bit of vitamin and minerals. 

Therefore if you are considering purchasing them in particular please do not!

If you want to read more about dog food tips read here: Dog Food Tips and Tricks.

Can Dogs Eat Raw Green Beans? (Watch Video)