Peas in dog and cat food

Is it OK for dogs and cats?

Dogs

FDA says pulses such as peas have been used in pet food for many years with no evidence they are inherently dangerous, but most diets in reports to FDA of non-hereditary heart disease (DCM) in dogs had pulses high on the ingredient list, and FDA's Q&A (current as of August 2024) says the specific connection is still unknown. Studies disagree, so talk to your veterinarian if your dog's food is high in peas or other pulses.

Cats

Cats must get taurine from their diet, and peas contain none, so a complete cat food has to supply it from animal ingredients or added taurine. FDA's DCM work on pulses concerns dogs, and the sources here do not link peas to heart disease in cats.

How settled this is: Under investigation — not settled

What peas is

The EU Catalogue of feed materials defines peas as the seeds of Pisum species. Peas are pulses, the dried seeds of legumes, like lentils and chickpeas. The catalogue has its own entry for dehulled peas, which are the same seeds with the hulls removed. It lists products made from peas, such as pea flour, pea protein, pea fibre and pea hulls, as separate feed materials.

Why it is in pet food

Grain-free pet foods leave out traditional grains such as wheat, corn and rice and use pulses such as peas, chickpeas and lentils, potatoes and other ingredients as their carbohydrate source. Pulses have been used in many dog foods over the past two decades. In a 2025 study, researchers chose pulse levels of up to 45% of the diet to represent commercially available dry (extruded) dog foods.

What it does in the food

Pulses contain protein, fibre, oligosaccharides, vitamins and minerals. They are digested slowly because of their relatively high fibre and amylose content. They contain limited amounts of the sulphur amino acids methionine and cysteine, which dogs use to make taurine. Peas contain no taurine; in pet food, taurine comes from animal ingredients or is added.

Safety and limits

Dogs and DCM: In 2018, FDA began investigating a possible link between certain diets and non-hereditary dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. FDA's Q&A page (content current as of August 2024) says most diets in the reports had pulses such as peas and lentils high in their ingredient lists. These included both grain-free and grain-containing foods. FDA also says pulses have been used in pet foods for many years with no evidence that they are inherently dangerous. It says it does not know the specific connection between these diets and DCM, and that it has no definitive information showing the diets are unsafe and need to be removed from the market. FDA counted 1,382 reports of DCM in dogs from January 2014 to November 1, 2022. The reports are voluntary, and FDA has not been able to verify every one. FDA says it will update the public if substantive new scientific information comes to light. The Merck Veterinary Manual (reviewed August 2025) calls the association loose and says current findings are not clear enough to prove cause and effect. It also notes that some sources suggest it may be prudent to avoid diets with pulses in the top ten ingredients or with several pulses. Research is mixed. In a 2023 study of 8 Beagles, a diet made with 58% wrinkled pea flour and fed for 28 days reduced heart output and raised the heart marker NT-proBNP. The changes were sub-clinical, and a lentil diet did not cause them. The authors noted their small sample size. A 2025 paper pointed out that this pea diet did not meet AAFCO minimums for sulphur amino acids. The 2025 paper comes from a study that fed 28 Siberian Huskies diets with up to 45% mixed pulses for 20 weeks. The pulses were green and yellow peas, pinto beans, chickpeas and lentils, and all diets exceeded AAFCO minimums. The authors report that earlier results from the same study showed no negative effects on taurine or sulphur amino acid status. This paper found that the pulse diets did not increase bile acid loss in the faeces. The authors also cite several studies finding that pulse-containing diets meeting AAFCO minimums did not lead to taurine deficiency or DCM. Cats: Cats need dietary taurine. Plant protein sources contain none, so cat foods need animal protein or added taurine. Merck notes that non-hereditary DCM has also been reported in cats, but the sources reviewed here do not show peas causing heart disease in cats.

What depends on the amount and the recipe

The research and veterinary discussion focus on how much of the food is pulses, whether several pulses are used together, and whether the whole diet meets nutrient minimums, including sulphur amino acids. FDA describes non-hereditary DCM as a complex condition that may involve several factors, including genetics, underlying medical conditions and diet. FDA advises talking to your veterinarian before changing your dog's diet. For cats, what matters is that the complete food supplies taurine.

Not the same as

• Pea protein — A concentrated protein fraction separated from peas during starch production or by grinding and air separation, not the whole seed.
• Pea fiber — A fibre fraction extracted from ground and sieved dehulled peas, not the whole seed.
• Lentils — A different pulse, the seeds of Lens culinaris.
• Chickpeas — A different pulse, the seeds of Cicer arietinum.

Sources

1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1104 amending Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials (entries 3.3.1, 3.8.1, 3.11.1 to 3.11.12) — European Commission, EUR-Lex, 2022. Peas defined as seeds of Pisum spp.; separate entries for dehulled peas, pea flour, pea hulls, pea protein and pea fibre; lentils (Lens culinaris) and chick peas (Cicer arietinum) as distinct materials.
2. Questions & Answers: FDA's Work on Potential Causes of Non-Hereditary DCM in Dogs (content current as of 08/19/2024) — US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine, 2024. Most reported diets had pulses (peas, lentils) high in ingredient lists, in grain-free and grain-containing foods; pulses used for years with no evidence they are inherently dangerous; FDA does not know the specific connection; no definitive information that diets are unsafe; 1,382 canine DCM reports Jan 2014 to Nov 1, 2022, voluntary and not all verified; updates if substantive information emerges; multiple factors including genetics, medical conditions and diet; consult a veterinarian before changing diet.
3. Cutaneous Food Allergy in Animals (Adverse Food Reactions), section on Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Merck Veterinary Manual (full review Aug 2025) — Merck & Co. (Merck Veterinary Manual), 2025. FDA investigation began in 2018; many suspect diets high in pulses (peas, chickpeas, lentils, dried beans); association described as loose and not clear enough to prove cause and effect; NH-DCM also reported in cats; some sources suggest avoiding diets with pulses in the top 10 ingredients or multiple pulses.
4. Quilliam C et al. Effects of a 28-day feeding trial of grain-containing versus pulse-based diets on cardiac function, taurine levels and digestibility in domestic dogs. PLoS One 2023;18:e0285381 — PLOS One, 2023. Grain-free diets omit wheat, corn and rice and use pulses, potatoes and other ingredients as carbohydrate source; pulses used in many dog foods over the past two decades; pulses contain protein, fibre, oligosaccharides, vitamins and minerals, are slowly digested, have limited cysteine and methionine and lack taurine; 8 Beagles fed a 58% wrinkled pea flour diet for 28 days showed sub-clinical reductions in cardiac output and raised NT-proBNP, while the lentil diet did not; small sample size noted.
5. Singh P et al. Whole pulse ingredient inclusion in macronutrient-balanced diets increased fecal concentrations of propionic acid but not total bile acids in healthy adult large-breed dogs after 20 weeks. J Anim Sci 2025;103. doi:10.1093/jas/skaf075 (full text via Europe PMC) — Journal of Animal Science, full text via Europe PMC, 2025. Pulses are the dried seeds of legumes, used as carbohydrate replacement in grain-free diets; 28 Siberian Huskies fed diets exceeding AAFCO minimums with up to 45% pulses (green and yellow peas, pinto beans, chickpeas, lentils) for 20 weeks; pulse diets did not increase fecal bile acid excretion; authors report earlier publications from the same study found no negative effects on taurine or sulphur amino acid status; pulse levels chosen to represent commercial extruded diets; taurine found only in animal-based ingredients; the Quilliam pea diet did not meet AAFCO sulphur amino acid minimums; cited evidence that AAFCO-compliant pulse diets did not lead to taurine deficiency or DCM.
6. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals, Merck Veterinary Manual, professional version (full review Nov 2023, updated Sept 2024) — Merck & Co. (Merck Veterinary Manual), 2024. Taurine is an essential dietary amino acid for cats; plant-based protein sources are devoid of taurine, so cats need animal protein or added synthetic taurine.

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.