Written by Dr. Sarah Wilson, BScH, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition)
Introduction
Many details are considered when we choose ingredients to make up The Pets Table dog food recipes. Nutritional profile, taste, digestibility, appearance, and cost all play a role in helping determine what gets to make it onto our various menu options. Chickpeas can be found in some of our recipes and can offer some nutritional benefits to your pup, but it is important to remember that no single ingredient used in a recipe represents the final complete product. Understanding the nuances of all the ingredients used, the methods of processing and preparing the recipe and how that impacts nutrients, and the intricacies of dogs’ digestive physiology is critical to ensuring that the final product is a complete and balanced diet offering benefits to your beloved pup.
What Are Chickpeas and Why Are They Used in Dog Food?
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are considered a pulse crop (derived from legumes), which includes beans, peas, and lentils and have been used as an ingredient in human and animal diets for many years. Chickpeas provide many different nutritional benefits, and when used appropriately can be included in a healthy pet food. Understanding the nutritional impact of using chickpeas requires knowing the nutritional profile.
When used in a recipe, chickpeas provide many different nutrients including protein and some essential amino acids, some healthy fats such as linoleic acid, as well as some minerals, vitamins, and some healthy fiber. Chickpeas compared to barley or rice provide more protein and provide some essential amino acids in higher amounts than even other pulses (such as black beans or lentils). However, they do not provide an adequate amino acid profile to solely depend on chickpeas for all the essential nutrients and understanding that pulses in general are lower in the essential sulfur amino acids (i.e. methionine and cystine) is important when making a complete and balanced diet. Similarly, chickpeas are an excellent source of some minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, and zinc, but it is important to understand that some of those minerals may be bound in fiber and not as bioavailable – such as with phosphorus and plant phytates. In fact, using ingredients in a complementary manner, we can take advantage of the nutrients they provide, while keeping some potential issues at bay – like the fiber content of chickpeas. Using too much, may hurt nutrient absorption and even lead to excessive stool formation or flatulence, but an appropriate amount provides some fiber for a healthy microbiome. As with all the ingredients in our recipes, we consider the benefits and drawbacks and use chickpeas as an energy dense, nutritious plant-based source of essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that can support additional ingredients in forming a healthy balanced diet.
Are Chickpeas Good for Dogs?
As with any food, we should always ask, “Is this ok to feed my dog?”. Certainly, we don’t recommend feeding foods that are known to be unsafe, such as chocolate or onions, but are chickpeas good for dogs? As a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist®, when I look at chickpeas as an ingredient, I consider all the nutrients it has, and how the ingredient contributes as a whole to the recipe. Chickpeas can certainly be excellent for dogs, when used in appropriate amounts. Chickpeas contain fiber which can help support a healthy microbiome, but if used excessively may impair some essential nutrient absorption. Digestibility of chickpeas has been evaluated and at a reasonable inclusion can provide benefits without leading to potential health problems. Additionally, considering how a food is processed will impact how healthy it is. Cooking ingredients can ensure they are more digestible, consider chickpeas, their digestibility significantly improves with appropriate cooking. In fact, some foods fed raw, such as the garbanzo bean, have anti-nutritional factors that can reduce digestibility or even cause digestive upset. Chickpeas are also a plant-based source of protein, which is important as they provide some essential amino acids. However, knowing that chickpeas are lower in some of the essential amino acids, means appropriate healthy recipes, will complement this aspect of chickpeas. At The Pets Table, we consider all the ingredients that we use in a recipe, how they are processed, and what can ensure the tastiest, but also complete and balanced nutrition we want for our dogs. So, yes, chickpeas can be healthy for dogs, when cooked appropriately and used in proper amounts in a complementary nutrition fashion.
Nutritional Benefits of Chickpeas for Dogs
Digging into the nutritional benefits of chickpeas can help to clarify how they can be used in a healthy diet for dogs and what concerns should be considered when feeding them.
Protein Content
Chickpeas are an excellent source of plant-based protein which can be used in a complementary way with other proteins. Chickpeas, along with other pulses, are lower in the essential sulfur amino acids (methionine and cystine), thus it is important for them to be used in a complementary way with other protein sources that are higher in those essential amino acids.
Fiber for Digestive Health
Chickpeas can provide a healthy source of fiber which can influence and support a healthy microbiome as well as help form healthy stool and promote appropriate intestinal motility. But, too much fiber, and that can impair nutrient digestibility and cause other problems like excessive stool volume or flatulence
Micronutrients
Chickpeas are a good source of some essential minerals and vitamins as well. Chickpeas can be a healthy source of minerals such as calcium, potassium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus, as well as some vitamins such as folate, choline and pyridoxine. Knowing that some of the mineral bioavailability is impaired due to the fiber content, such as with phosphorus in plant bound phytate form is critical to being able to use chickpeas in a healthy way.
Are Chickpeas Better Than Grains in Dog Food?
As a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist®, I always explain, it is important to know that no one ingredient is better than another. A recipe with chickpeas made appropriately with complementary nutrition and evaluated for all the essential nutrients (in the right amounts) can be just as good as a similarly complete and balanced recipe that includes grains. So – put simply, no – chickpeas aren’t better than grains in dog food. However, some dogs may not tolerate specific grains, or may not find them tasty, and in those cases, our recipes with chickpeas can be an excellent alternative.
The Role of Chickpeas in The Pets Table Recipes
As already discussed above, considering all the ingredients that make up a recipe is most important to us at The Pets Table. Using nutritious chickpeas as part of a wholesome recipe which includes many different ingredients ensures complete and balanced diets. Chickpeas can provide healthy fiber, which can also help a dog feel full and maintain an appropriate appetite and waistline. They are tasty and provide energy while also contributing many essential nutrients to a dog’s overall health.
Are There Any Dogs Who Should Avoid Chickpeas?
As with all ingredients, there are some dogs that may not tolerate some foods. Chickpeas do contain protein, and some dogs may have a food allergy or sensitivity to their protein. Other dogs may need a different fiber profile, so may have altered stool quality, and need different ingredients to improve their digestion. While The Pets Table recipes are complete and balanced, that doesn’t mean every single dog will love every single ingredient in all the recipes. Some may find chickpeas don’t work for them, which is why we provide multiple different recipes to allow for lots of different taste preferences and needs.
Other Healthy Ingredients in The Pets Table Recipes
Hopefully it is clear that no recipe uses only one ingredient, and that all the ingredients used in recipes are complementary and they come together to make a healthy, complete and balanced diet. Our recipes include high quality animal proteins, which provide an excellent source of essential amino acids. Recipes also include different fruits and vegetables such as sweet potato, broccoli, green beans, carrots, apples, blueberries, and cranberries, which all provide various vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients, as well as varying amounts of fiber to support a healthy microbiome. Some recipes include other healthy foods such grains like barley and oats which provide energy, vitamins and minerals, and are healthy fiber sources. Lastly, all of our recipes ensure that essential fatty acids are in each recipe with the inclusion of good sources of linoleic acid (the essential omega-6 fatty acid) such as sunflower oil, and an appropriate inclusion of salmon oil to provide the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA. At The Pets Table it is important to us to provide a complete and balanced diet that is tasty and something you can feel good about feeding your dog, because nutrition is foundational to good health!
Conclusion
All in all, chickpeas can be a great addition to a dog’s healthy diet. When included in appropriate amounts, cooked properly, and when combined with complementary ingredients chickpeas can be a part of a nutritious and delicious meal for your dog. It is important to evaluate your dog’s response to any new foods, and if you have questions or concerns, always include your veterinary health care team as soon as possible. At The Pets Table, we strive to provide complete and balanced diets that are tasty and can help support a long and happy dog life. That means we use high quality ingredients, appropriate preparation methods, and we test our recipes to ensure they are complete and balanced to meet your beloved pup’s essential nutrient needs. Providing a meal to our pets is an opportunity for us to give them the nutritional foundation they need to grow, play, heal, and love, as much as it is a chance for us to connect and bond with them.