You may want to offer your dog a natural and homemade diet, or you may want to supplement the nutrients it already receives from the feed with another type of food, which is an excellent idea, since more and more veterinarians who are experts in nutrition say that a dog cannot be fed only dry food.
Although it is appropriate to propose a homemade and natural diet for dogs, it is a fairly common mistake to extrapolate the same diet that we follow to our pet, since although it is true that both anatomically and physiologically we keep some similarities, the digestive systems of both species also have very important differences.
If you are considering changes in your friend's diet, you may have asked yourself, Can dogs eat legumes? In this article on our site we offer you the answer to your questions.
Legumes in dog food
Legumes are actually the seeds that contain plants belonging to the legume family, such as chickpeas, lentils, soy or peas.
This is an exceptional food as it provides proteins together with carbohydrates complex absorption, that is, rich in fiber, But can our dog benefit from these same properties? The answer is yes.
Let's see below how legumes help keep dogs he althy:
- Optimal maintenance for structures of great importance: by providing a good amount of protein, legumes help your dog to maintain strong structures as important as muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin and fur. These nutrients are also necessary for the immune system and cell repair.
- A regulated intestinal transit: the inclusion of legumes in the dog's diet will help increase the volume of feces, maintaining the regulated intestinal transit and preventing the obstruction of the anal glands. The fiber provided by legumes also acts as food for the beneficial bacteria that are naturally found in the dog's intestine.
- Lots of energy with few calories: legumes provide energy in the form of protein and also complex carbohydrates, but their caloric value It is very moderate, being especially useful for treating overweight dogs without noticing a drastic change in their diet.
How to include legumes in the dog's diet?
It is preferable to use soybeans and chickpeas and obviously these must undergo optimal cooking , finally acquiring the consistency that makes legumes suitable for human consumption.
If your dog has not tried these foods before, it is essential that you gradually include them in his diet, as a sudden change could cause rejection or gastrointestinal discomfort.
Legumes can be mixed in the same feeding with meat, but we must not mix them with conventional feed, since natural foods and feed have different digestion speeds and this can interfere with the proper functioning of the dog's digestive system.
Ideally, opt for occasional homemade recipes or follow a daily homemade diet, which should be supervised by the veterinarian.
Legumes are not the most important food for your dog
Legumes are an excellent food for your dog, but you should be careful when interpreting this information as a dog's diet should be based primarily on animal protein, in fact, these should account for more than 50% of the caloric intake received through food.
If the digestive system of the dog is prepared for the assimilation of carbohydrates, it is due to its long process of domestication, since for example the wolf or the foxes that live in the wild do not digest well this type of food. For this reason, it is important that if we decide to use legumes to feed our friend, we do so in the proper proportion
