Which dog doesn’t love a crunchy and yummy treat? Especially when his human is sharing food with him. But dog owners often have a hard time finding suitable human food which is both delicious and also not harmful for dogs. Edamame might be your solution to this problem. We might have an idea about your next question. ‘Can dogs eat edamame?’- the answer to this question would be, yes!
Edamame is mostly safe for dogs, as far as studies say, obviously with some caution. Edamame contains calcium and vitamin C along with omega-3 fatty acids. Edamame helps dogs with their healthy coat and skin and also reduces the chances of your dog getting obese and diabetic.
Edamame for dogs
Edamame is a type of immature soybeans served in their pods which is a daily popular dish in Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea. The pods are either boiled or steamed, typically found inside salads and other meals. Since edamame is very delicate, dogs can have it even as a frozen vegetable with other vegetable mixes Edamame for dogs is very safe and healthy when given in little to moderate amounts.
Serving procedures
There are different ways to serve edamame for dogs. You can serve them as a raw veggie, or a frozen veggie without much effort. You can even give them cooked or mashed edamame as well.
- Raw Edamame: The easiest way to serve edamame for dogs is by feeding them raw edamame. You only need to pop the beans out of pods and sprinkle them on other veggies. Raw edamame is very healthy for dogs because it holds high-quality nutrients and directly helps dogs with their skin and overall growth.
- Frozen edamame: Dogs generally love frozen treats since it gives them a vigorous crunch. Edamame can also be given to dogs as a frozen treat. But be sure to remove the beans from the pod before serving it to your dog. Frozen pods can be very dangerous if it gets stuck in a dog’s throat. Overall, frozen edamame is a very good crunchy treat for dogs.
- Cooked or steamed: As always, take out the beans from the pod before cooking edamame for dogs to avoid any choking or indigestion. You can cook edamame for dogs in the same process as you do for yourself. But refrain from putting any oil, spices, or any additional flavours in the edamame for dogs. You can also steam edamame with normal water and serve it to your dog.
- Mashed edamame: One other way of serving edamame for dogs is mashing the raw or previously cooked edamame. The mashing process is simple, just do it in the way you mash potatoes or bananas. But do not mix salt, sugar, oil, or any spice for that matter. Make sure to serve mashed edamame in small amounts.
Benefits of Edamame
Edamame is a delicious treat that holds many potential health benefits in the case of dogs that you may not know about. Some major benefits that edamame for dogs provide are –
- Edamame is a very rich source of protein that can provide energy to lethargic and older dogs. ½ cup of edamame contains almost 9 gms of protein which is very healthy for a dog’s overall muscle building, mobility, and growth and helps to strengthen the bone structure of dogs.
- Edamame for dogs is also a good source of vitamin C which helps to increase the immunity of dogs. Along with that, Edamame helps dogs with issues of the nervous system and keeps their heart healthy.
- Edamame contains high-quality fibre contents that regulate the digestive system and reduce constipation and indigestion.
- Edamame contains some amount of healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids which are polyunsaturated fats in nature that reduce the chances of heart disease while improving their fur and skin as well as regulating proper metabolism.
- Edamame also contains large amounts of vitamin K which decreases the chances of osteoporosis by increasing bone density.
- Edamame holds other essential minerals such as copper, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, etc. which helps to reduce chronic diseases and keeps the dog energetic and healthy.
Risk factors of Edamame
Edamame is usually safe for dogs but that does not mean that edamame is 100% risk-free. Edamame has some concerning risk factors associated with them in the case of dogs. If you have some common questions regarding your dog’s health such as ‘Is edamame good for dogs?’, before feeding them edamame, it is justified, and you should decide what is best for your dog. Some of the risk factors of edamame are –
- Although edamame is not an allergen in nature, all soybeans have some allergenic properties. It is not very common to get allergies from edamame but occasionally dogs can get allergic reactions towards Edamame.
- If edamame is served with any seasonings or spices or any additional flavours, there is a good enough chance that your dog would get severe dehydration due to spice poisoning. Store-bought Edamame preparations can also cause dehydration in dogs after consumption.
- If you serve a big portion of edamame to your dog, it can cause indigestion and bloat due to the undigested portions of edamame in the stomach. If these symptoms are not treated properly and if you continue to give large portions of edamame to your dog, it might cause a life-long condition and severe digestive tract illnesses.
- Though Edamame is rich in protein content, it is not a complete protein source on its own, meaning that if edamame is used as a primary meal instead of a side dish or a treat, the balance in the dog’s diet will be disrupted and it can cause severe illnesses later on.
If any of the adverse reactions are shown, after consumption of edamame for dogs, immediately contact your vet or take your dog to the animal hospital.
Final Words
Generally, if Edamame is given in the right amount and cooked in the right processes it would be pretty safe for dogs and it helps the dogs with multiple health issues in the long run. As edamame is very healthy for us humans and also for our pets, your beloved pooch would love to take a bite from your food as he doesn’t get this opportunity very often. Make sure to give lots of love along with delicious edamame treats.
