Can Dogs Eat Edamame?

Can dogs eat edamame? To get to the ins and outs of dogs eating edamame, let’s first briefly list some of the health benefits of edamame.

According to Healthline.com, edamame is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, lowers cholesterol levels, doesn’t raise blood sugar, and may reduce the risk of prostate cancer and bone loss. But these benefits are probably reaped only by humans. What about dogs? Does edamame have anything to offer to dogs?

In this article, we explore similar questions and discuss the science behind dogs consuming edamame—if they can consume it, that is.

a. Can Dogs Eat Edamame?

Yes, dogs can eat edamame.

Copious in omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and vitamin, not only do these yummy beans give your dog a healthy coat and skin, but it also reduces the risk of obesity and diabetes.

In the market, we have a variety of edamame, such as raw, frozen, steamed, canned, cooked, and so on.

Let’s have a closer look at the difference in the nutrient content of raw, frozen, and canned edamame (per 100g each) to find what’s best for your dog and how much.

The above table clearly indicates that dogs shouldn’t be fed with cooked edamame because of their high sodium content. Instead, raw edamame is filled with nutrients in a moderate amount, making them the best choice for dogs.

Calcium

According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials, an adult dog should consume 2.0 to 4.5 g calcium per 1000 calories. Calcium is vital for healthy bone growth, teeth, bones, nails, and coats.

A medium-sized dog requires 400 calories daily, from calculations, a daily requirement of calcium is 0.8g to 0.18g. According to these calculations, eating edamame beans won’t increase their calcium levels, rather, they’d help meet their intake requirements.

Iron

Iron is an essential nutrient necessary for the body’s vital functions to work normally. Per the research, dogs require 80 mg/kg of iron in dry matter, and it is especially important for puppies—as they are in their developmental stages. In addition, the research shows that fish, cereals, green vegetables, and fowl have moderate amounts of iron. Frozen and raw edamame contains a good amount of iron, making them a healthy bite for dogs.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Studies have shown that small dogs require 125 to 500 mg, medium dogs 250 to 1,500 mg, and large dogs 500 to 1,500mg dosage of vitamin C per day, split into two doses.

Otherwise known as Ascorbic Acid, vitamin C benefits dogs by reducing inflammation and urinary tract infections, ensuring slow aging, enhancing energy levels, and strengthening the immune system.

Sugars

Sugars are not healthy for dogs if consumed in large portions—even if the sugars are natural, such as sucrose or fructose—as they can cause diabetes, obesity, heart disorders, and blood pressure issues in dogs.

However, there is nothing to worry about when you are feeding edamame to the dog; the sugar content in it is quite small, making it a healthy pastime snack.

But still, as raw edamame contains relatively less amount of sugar, they are a better option than frozen or cooked edamame.

Sodium

Greg Aldrich, Ph.D., research associate professor and pet food program coordinator at Kansas State University says, “salt is a nutritional requirement for dogs. It maintains their cellular environment, preventing cells from dehydrating and swelling. It also maintains nerve and muscle cell function.”

He further adds, “too much can result in kidney failure, high blood pressure, and cardiac disease. The amount of sodium needed to have this impact varies from dog to dog, it’s hard to say just how much will be detrimental to a dog’s health.”

Keeping that in view, raw and frozen edamame are not dangerous for dogs. However, the cooked edamame is usually preserved using salts, and giving salty treats means putting your dog’s health at risk.

In addition to these micronutrients, edamame contains a fair amount of macronutrients, such as proteins and carbohydrates, Vitamin E, A, and K, and selenium, that are indispensable for dogs’ health.

b. Do Dogs Like Edamame?

Yes, most dogs love to munch on crunchy and tasty edamame. And especially, when they see their master eating it, they will beg you with their tails wagging and tongue wiggling out of their mouth, to have some of it.

And the good thing is, unlike most human foods, edamame strengthens their bones, nourishes their fur, and keeps their body functioning normalized.

c. Can Edamame Make My Dog Sick?

Yes. Edamame can make your dog sick if it’s either consumed in large amounts or if he is allergic to soy.

In either case, if your dog consumes edamame, you may witness the following happening.

Excessive Scratching and Licking

The most common symptom of dogs having a food allergy is excessive scratching and licking.

Hives and itchy skin may appear 6 to 24 hours after your dog eats the soy. If your dog has short hair, its itchy red bumps are visible, which are further reddened and chafed when dogs scratch and lick their skin repeatedly. 

Ear Infections

Henry Cerny, DVM, MS, says, “dogs that suffer from allergies, either environmental, such as pollens (grasses, trees, and weeds), dust mites, molds or food (beef, chicken, fish, soy, etc.) are predisposed to ear infections. This is due to the microscopic inflammation that allergies cause in the skin allowing overgrowth of bacterial and yeast organisms that normally inhabit the skin.”

According to Dr. Louisa Fenny from Holistic Vet at Home, “if your dog has chronic (recurrent) ear infections, there is an approximately 80% chance that they have a food intolerance. There are several published studies showing a significant association between adverse food reaction and otitis externa (OE).”

Inflammation of the Eyelids

Eyelid swelling is generally the outcome of allergies, either by direct contact with the allergen or from a systemic allergic reaction (such as a food allergy or hay fever).

Hair Loss

Constant scratching because of food allergies weakens the hair cells, causing the hair to fall from roots.

If everything seems fine, but your dog had soy, and now his hair is falling and skin is bruised, it’s a red signal of the dog’s underlying allergy.

Diarrhea

If you change the dog’s diet or feed him something in excessive amounts that his stomach is not used to, diarrhea will be the first stomach issue to come up, followed by vomiting.

In short, chowing down an abundance of edamame potentially leads to some nasty diarrhea.

Vomiting

As mentioned earlier, if you fill your dog’s tummy with a new snack, his stomach is most likely to react negatively and push everything out. However, when you make a routine of feeding your dog a moderate amount of these green beans, the vomiting problem will vanish.

Constipation

Though constipation is not the expected outcome of eating edamame, if your dog ate edamame with a shell, his stomach won’t be able to digest the hard skin, causing constipation.

Salt Poisoning

One of the outcomes of eating plenty of edamame is salt poisoning. As explained earlier, dogs need salt to stay fit. But excessive salt consumption can cause severe problems for dogs, such as nausea, diarrhea, lethargy, high temperature, tremors, and even seizures.

These are too many consequences of eating edamame, you may think. Can dogs still eat edamame? Yes, but with two caveats attached. First, feed them in low amounts; second, avoid feeding salty, fried, canned, or seasoned edamame.

d. How to Feed Edamame to Dogs?

Generally, edamame comes in two forms, pods or beans. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, feed them with beans only.

Can Dogs Eat Raw (Without Pod Shells) Edamame Too?

Yes, they can. Edamame beans are soft, tender, and easy to digest.

The best way to reap the benefits of edamame is by feeding it in raw form. No salts, no sugar, no oils, thus no chances of health hazards.

Can Dogs Eat Frozen Edamame?

Again, yes, but with pods removed. Freezing will harden the pod skin, which can get stuck in the dog’s throat and cause choking.

Else, there is no issue with feeding frozen edamame.

Can Dogs Eat Steamed Edamame?

Yes, you can feed dogs with steamed edamame, but make sure not to add any toppings on it.

The best way to prepare steamed edamame is by properly washing the pods first, popping out the beans, and then boiling them in water until their color turns light-green. Take the beans out, put them in plates, and there you go.

Can Dogs Eat Cooked Edamame?

No. No. No.

Dogs can’t eat cooked edamame. They are extremely unhealthy and can make your dog sick to the stomach.

Summing up, can dogs eat edamame? Yes! They can eat certain forms of edamame, and those too, in moderation.