Pea Protein in dog and cat food

Is it OK for dogs and cats?

Dogs

Pea protein is a recognised feed material, and the FDA says pulses such as peas have been used in pet food for many years with no evidence that they are inherently dangerous. It is still part of an unresolved scientific question about pulse-rich diets and heart disease (DCM) in dogs. No cause has been found, and researchers disagree about how to read the results of a long-term study that included pea protein.

Cats

Plant proteins such as pea protein contain no taurine, so a cat food that uses it must still provide taurine from animal ingredients or a supplement. The FDA's DCM questions and answers are about dogs, not cats.

How settled this is: Under investigation — not settled

What pea protein is

Pea protein is a protein-rich fraction of peas (Pisum species). The EU Catalogue of feed materials describes it as a product obtained from the liquid separated from peas when pea starch is made, or by grinding peas and separating the particles with air (air fractionation). The catalogue notes that it may be partly hydrolysed, and crude protein must be declared for it. The same catalogue lists peas, pea flour, pea hulls and pea fibre as separate feed materials.

Why it is in pet food

It adds protein from a plant source. A 2019 review reported that pulses have been used in dog food for their protein and fiber for more than two decades. The same review said pulses are a common replacement for cereals in grain-free recipes.

What it does in the food

Pea protein's main role is to supply protein. Pulse proteins are relatively rich in the amino acid lysine but low in the sulfur amino acids methionine and cysteine, which is the reverse of cereal proteins. Plant proteins contain no taurine. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that organ and skeletal meats have a higher biologic value than plant proteins, and that many commercial dog foods combine plant and animal proteins. A single ingredient does not set the nutrient levels of the finished food. The whole recipe does.

Safety and limits

We found no regulatory limit for pea protein in pet food in the sources listed, and the EU catalogue lists it as a feed material. The FDA has been looking into reports of non-hereditary dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. Its question-and-answer page (content current as of August 2024) says most diets in those reports had pulses such as peas or lentils high in the ingredient list. The same page says pulses have been used in pet foods for many years with no evidence that they are inherently dangerous. The FDA also says it does not know the specific connection between these diets and DCM, and that it has no definitive information that the diets are inherently unsafe and need to be removed from the market. A 2025 study followed 60 dogs for 18 months. Its authors are current or past employees of a pet food company (Hill's Pet Nutrition). Two of its four foods contained about 17% pea protein: a grain-free food that also had peas and potatoes, and a grain-inclusive food that also had peas and pea fiber. All four foods had added taurine. All dogs were judged clinically normal for DCM, and blood taurine stayed in the normal range. However, fractional shortening and ejection fraction, two measures of the heart's pumping function, were lower in the grain-inclusive pea group than in the two groups fed foods without peas. The grain-free food with pea protein did not differ significantly from the other foods on these measures. The authors suggested the changes might be explained by mild heart-valve disease, which more dogs in the grain-inclusive pea group developed. A 2026 letter to the journal, co-signed by more than 100 veterinary cardiologists, argues that the authors misread these measurements. The letter says the dogs on the grain-inclusive pea food showed reduced heart-muscle function, although none developed overt DCM. A 2019 review funded by a pulse industry group said the relationship between pulses and DCM remained undefined. In cats, taurine deficiency can cause DCM and retinal degeneration. Because plant proteins contain no taurine, cats need animal protein in their diet or added taurine.

What depends on the amount and the recipe

Several things matter: how much of the recipe comes from pea protein and other pulses, the food's overall supply of sulfur amino acids and taurine, the animal protein it contains, and the individual animal. The FDA says non-hereditary DCM appears to involve several factors working together, such as genetics, underlying illness and diet. On the diet side, it names how well dogs digest the ingredients, ingredient sourcing, processing, formulation and feeding practices. The authors of the 18-month study said their results may apply only to the specific foods and processing methods they tested. For cats, the key point is that the complete food provides enough taurine.

Not the same as

• Peas — the whole pea seed, which contains starch and fiber as well as protein; it has its own entry in the EU catalogue
• Pea fiber — the fiber-rich fraction of peas, not the protein fraction
• Pea flour — the product of grinding peas; the EU catalogue lists it as a separate entry from pea protein
• Soybean meal — a soybean product; soy is also a legume, but the FDA said it did not see a DCM signal for soy

Sources

1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1104 amending Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials (replaces the Annex; entries 3.11.1 Peas, 3.11.4 Pea flour, 3.11.5 Pea hulls, 3.11.9 Pea protein, 3.11.12 Pea fibre) — Official Journal of the European Union (Publications Office of the EU), 2022. Current EU description of pea protein (from the separated pea fruit water when producing starch, or after grinding and air fractionation; may be partly hydrolysed; crude protein must be declared) and separate entries for peas, pea flour, pea hulls and pea fibre.
2. Questions & Answers: FDA's Work on Potential Causes of Non-Hereditary DCM in Dogs — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine, 2024. Most reported diets had pulses high in the ingredient list; pulses have been used for many years with no evidence they are inherently dangerous; no DCM signal seen for soy; FDA does not know the specific connection; no definitive information that the diets must be removed from the market; DCM is likely multifactorial (genetics, underlying conditions, digestibility, sourcing, processing, formulation, feeding practices); content current as of 19 August 2024.
3. Mansilla WD et al. Special topic: The association between pulse ingredients and canine dilated cardiomyopathy: addressing the knowledge gaps before establishing causation. J Anim Sci 97(3):983-997 — Journal of Animal Science (via PubMed Central), 2019. Pulses have been used in dog food for protein and fiber for over two decades; they are often used to replace cereals in grain-free foods; they are high in lysine and low in sulfur amino acids, the reverse of cereals; individual ingredients do not represent the nutrient levels of the complete diet; the pulse-DCM relationship remained undefined. Funded by Pulse Canada.
4. Morris EM, Stiers CA, Hancock LB, Gross KL. Different carbohydrate sources in dog foods supported overall health and cardiac function: an 18-mo prospective study in healthy adult dogs. J Anim Sci 103:skaf225 — Journal of Animal Science (via PubMed Central), 2025. 60 dogs over 18 months on four foods; pea protein was about 17% of both the grain-free peas-and-potatoes food and the grain-inclusive peas-and-pea-fiber food; all foods had added taurine. All dogs were judged clinically normal for DCM and taurine stayed normal. FS and EF were lower in the grain-inclusive pea food group than in the two foods without peas, and the grain-free pea food did not differ significantly (Table 5). The authors offered progression of valve disease (diagnosed in 10 dogs in that group vs 5, 5 and 4) as a possible explanation. They note the sample may be too small to detect preclinical DCM and that results may apply only to the foods and processing tested. All authors are current or past Hill's employees.
5. Pion PD. Letter to editor regarding different carbohydrate sources in dog foods supported overall health and cardiac function: an 18-month prospective study in healthy adult dogs. J Anim Sci 104:skag028 — Journal of Animal Science (Oxford Academic), 2026. Letter co-signed by 102 veterinary cardiologists. It argues the authors misinterpreted the echocardiographic measures and that dogs fed the grain-inclusive food with pea protein and pea fiber showed reduced systolic heart-muscle function, although no dog was diagnosed with overt DCM.
6. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals (Sanderson SL) — Merck Veterinary Manual, 2024. Cats need dietary taurine; plant-based proteins contain no taurine, so cats need some animal protein or added taurine; taurine deficiency causes DCM and retinal degeneration in cats; organ and skeletal meats have a higher biologic value than plant proteins; many dog foods combine plant and animal proteins.

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-15. Definitions are in our own words. This is a reading aid, not veterinary advice: a vet who knows your animal comes first.