At One Place

Can pets eat peas, green beans and sweetcorn kernels?

Peas, green beans and sweetcorn kernels
Risky — depends on amount or preparation
Dogs: Safe · Cats: Safe · Rabbits: Risky · Birds: Safe

By animal

Animal Verdict Why
Dogs Safe All three are common ingredients in commercial dog food.
Cats Safe Safe and of little interest.
Rabbits Risky Peas and corn are starchy; green beans in small amounts only.
Birds Safe Good, and popular.

What it actually does

These are unremarkable and safe for dogs and cats, and appear in commercial food precisely because they are. For rabbits the picture is different: legumes and cereal grains are starchy, and starch reaching the caecum feeds the wrong bacteria and can cause dysbiosis. Rabbits are the animal where "safe for pets" most often fails.

No reliable dose threshold has been published for this. Anything presenting a specific safe amount is extrapolating.

Body weight decides almost everything here, so what is trivial for a 40 kg dog can matter for a 4 kg one, and a bird is smaller again. Where a real published threshold exists this page gives it; where none does, it says so rather than inventing one.

Vegetables

Food Worst verdict Dogs Cats
Onion, garlic, leek and chives Toxic Toxic Toxic
Carrot In moderation Safe Safe
Corn on the cob Not safe Not safe Risky
Mushrooms Risky Risky Risky
Tomato Risky Risky Risky
Pumpkin In moderation Safe Safe
Potato Not safe Risky Risky
Lettuce and leafy greens Risky Safe Safe
Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower Risky In moderation In moderation
Rhubarb Toxic Not safe Not safe

Common questions

Can dogs eat peas, green beans and sweetcorn kernels?
Safe. All three are common ingredients in commercial dog food.
Can cats eat peas, green beans and sweetcorn kernels?
Safe. Safe and of little interest.
What does peas, green beans and sweetcorn kernels actually do?
These are unremarkable and safe for dogs and cats, and appear in commercial food precisely because they are. For rabbits the picture is different: legumes and cereal grains are starchy, and starch reaching the caecum feeds the wrong bacteria and can cause dysbiosis. Rabbits are the animal where "safe for pets" most often fails.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Animal Poison Control Center — toxic and non-toxic lists — ASPCA

How these figures are compiled and checked