Bean Sprouts: Dog-Friendly or Dangerous?

Bean sprouts which are typically seen in Asian foods are mung beans that have been allowed to germinate.  They can be used as a substitute for rice or flour-based noodle or even used as a topping for other foods.  They add a distinct crunch to most foods when added raw.  

So as you can see humans can eat mung bean sprouts in many ways, but what about dogs? Can dogs eat bean sprouts?

Yes, dogs can eat bean sprouts.  They are perfectly safe for dogs to eat, and they can also be healthy for your dog as a treat.  Don’t panic if your dog helped itself to some of your sprouts.  Bean sprouts are not toxic to dogs.  They can cause a little GI distress in the form of gas if too much is eaten at once. 

So next time you have some extra bean sprouts feel free to sprinkle them on your dog’s meal.  Just be sure that they are not cooked with shallots, onions, garlic, or anything else in the allium genus.  If they were, do not feed them to your dog, they can have serious side effects.  

Can Dogs Eat Cooked Bean Sprouts?

So you might be wondering if you can make bean sprouts good for dogs.  You absolutely can make them good for dogs.  The easiest way to feed them to a dog is to just gently wash off any foreign materials, whether they be bugs or dirt, then sprinkle them on the dog’s meal.  It’s that simple.  

However, if you want your dog to get the full benefit of eating them, they should be gently steamed.  This aids the dog in the digestion process. Their bodies are not designed to digest plant material.  The gentle cooking will help break down the cell walls of the plant.

In the wild, a wolf consumes the partially digested plant material right from its prey’s stomach.  This is because the vegetables are already in the process of being broken down by the animal that ate them.  Most canines do not have the enzymes in the digestive tract to fully break down plants.   Lastly, it should be pointed out that a dog should not eat bean sprouts cooked with oils or any major spices.  Some of them can be downright toxic for dogs to consume.  Rather than take risks, be safe and just feed your dog plain bland bean sprouts.  

Do Bean Sprouts Provide Any Benefits To Dogs?

Bean sprouts, specifically mung bean sprouts,  are a very nutritional vegetable for dogs.  They are fairly high in both vitamin C and Vitamin K.  They provide a similar nutritional profile to both collard greens and cauliflower.   The main difference is that collard greens have a much higher amount of vitamin A the bean sprouts.  

Bean sprouts have trace amounts of other vitamins and minerals that are typically tracked for the human diet.  While they are low in calories, a large portion of the calories in this food come from naturally occurring sugars.   They have about 3.5g of sugar per 1 cup of sprouts.  The omega 3 & 6 fatty acids are not in the correct ratio to be the perfect veggie for dogs.  There is a bit too much omega-3 in the sprouts.    The ideal ratio is 1 omega 3 for every 4 omega 6.  Mung bean sprouts are at about a 15:1 ratio of omega 3 to 6.  

FAQ: Can Dogs Eat Bean Sprouts?

Summary: Can Dogs Eat Bean Sprouts

• Bean Sprouts are safe for dogs to eat.  They are not toxic to dogs
• Bean Sprouts can be fed to dogs raw or cooked, cooked being the preferred method
• Only feed unseasoned bean sprouts to dogs, discard any that have mold on them
• Do not overfeed them to your dog, it may cause some GI distress. 

 Please comment below if you feed your dog bean sprouts.  How much and how often do you give your dog bean sprouts?