If you’re a health fanatic and you own a dog, you might wonder if your pet can eat some of the healthy foods you eat yourself. If you’re specifically interested in feeding your dog bean sprouts, you should know that it is perfectly acceptable for dogs to eat this food.

In fact, bean sprouts are chock full of vitamins and are actually a very healthy food for your dog to eat. If you’re curious about the do’s and don’ts, keep on reading because you can make this food even healthier than it already is.

Can Dogs Eat Bean Sprouts? Things to Know

Yes, dogs can eat bean sprouts and in fact, you can sprinkle a few of them on top of their existing meal to provide them with a few additional vitamins and minerals.

One of the first things you need to know is that bean sprouts contain vitamins A, C, E, and the B vitamins and can even strengthen the dog’s immune system, as well as help with some allergies.

Bean sprouts are also known to prevent certain illnesses, including liver and kidney diseases. Bean sprouts are an incredibly healthy food that you can give to your dog either raw or cooked.

The only tip to remember is not to give them too much on a daily basis because giving them too many bean sprouts can make your furry family member very gassy.

Tips to Feeding Your Dog Bean Sprouts Correctly

The first thing you need to know is that bean sprouts should be given to your dog in moderation, which means only a small handful a day.

In addition, there are several types of bean sprouts – namely, mung bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts – and the former is healthier than the latter. Alfalfa sprouts can be harmful to some dogs, so it’s best to avoid them altogether.

In short, alfalfa sprouts contain a lot of phytoestrogens, and these aren’t good for dogs that have problems with their endocrine system. Since you don’t always know if your dog fits into this category, it’s best not to give them alfalfa sprouts at all.

Also, you should start with very small doses then watch how they react. If they have tummy problems or get diarrhea, stop giving them the sprouts.

What Is the Best Way to Feed Sprouts to Your Dog?

Sprouts can be served in numerous ways, but below are some tips that can help ensure your dog is getting the healthiest sprouts in the end.

1. Make Sure You Don’t Give Them Too Much

Again, just a sprinkle of sprouts is all you should give your dog on any given day. In fact, many pet parents will only give their dogs sprouts as an occasional treat.

You can give them sprouts more often than that, of course, but you’ll need to give them only a handful and no more. Otherwise, your pet can experience a host of digestive issues, not just gassiness.

2. You Can Serve Them Both Raw and Cooked

When it comes to serving your dog sprouts, it doesn’t matter much if they are cooked or raw. You can dice them up and add them to their regular meal or include them as an ingredient in your homemade dog food.

An important tip is not to add any seasonings that might upset their stomachs, including onions, garlic, and similar seasonings.

3. Make Sure Your Dog Has a Balanced Diet

While sprouts are healthy, you’ll want to make sure you rely on more than this food to help your dog stay healthy.

Always make sure your pet’s diet is balanced and includes lots of protein, veggies, and other foods with lots of vitamins and minerals. Even too much protein – which dogs need to thrive – can be bad for your pets. If you aren’t sure how to do this, check with your vet.

Other Things You Need to Know

If you’re wondering how much is too much when it comes to bean sprouts or other “human” food, there is no hard-and-fast rule or answer to this question.

That being said, many veterinarians recommend feeding your dog no more than 10% of its diet in any type of human food, and this includes bean sprouts.

Also, when you’re preparing the sprouts, look them over as you’re rinsing them off and remove any sprouts that are slimy or simply don’t look right.

Keep in mind that sprouts are crunchy and tasty, so your dog will probably love them. Sprouts are merely the crisp root that grows out of the beans themselves, and they usually come from either mung beans or soybeans.

Of course, bean sprouts can come from other beans as well, but the mung and soy type are the most common. There really isn’t a negative when feeding sprouts to your dog, unless you feed them too much. In this case, they can have digestive problems, but it isn’t fatal – just uncomfortable.

Conclusion

Dogs can indeed eat bean sprouts, but the sprouts made from the mung beans are better than the alfalfa sprouts because the latter can be harmful to dogs with endocrine issues.

You can feed sprouts to your dog either raw or cooked, but never give them more than a handful of sprouts per day because it can give them digestive problems, particularly gassiness.

Our furry family members deserve the very best diets, so make sure your dog’s diet is always healthy and balanced, and that no more than 10% of that diet consists of human foods such as sprouts.