With her sensitive gut and countless elimination diets under our belts, I eventually found the right dry kibble product for my dog, Coco. But, finding a nutritious wet food that she could (and would) eat proved to be more difficult.
However, following a consultation with a vegan vet I was very pleased when they offered to send me samples of Give a Dog a Bean. It was an instant hit and I was overjoyed to see her enjoying mealtimes once more. But perhaps more importantly, over just a few weeks I saw her health improve dramatically, with increased energy levels and no symptoms of tummy pain at all.
So, if you are searching for a nutritious, high quality vegan dog food, read my Give a Dog a Bean review below to find out why this naturally hypoallergenic dog food is now a regular feature in Coco’s diet.
Pros
- Palatable
- Nutritionally complete
- Vet formulated
- Hypoallergenic
- Competitively priced
- 2 flavours
Cons
- Only online
Who makes Give a Dog a Bean?
This plant-based product is made by a brand called Just be Kind dog food, founded by a vegan vet. It was developed to provide a nutritionally complete, hypoallergenic food that also avoids pea and soya – ingredients that are commonly found in other vegan dog foods but that can be a cause of gut issues in some dogs. That said, it can be enjoyed by any dog, not just those with sensitivities.
My experience with Give a Dog a Bean
It took a long time to find the right dry food for Coco, and finding a suitable wet food took even longer. But I realised I had finally hit the jackpot with Give a Dog a Bean. Nearly a year later she continues to look forward to her meal times, has had tremendous improvements to her gut and skin health, her poos are regular, firm and not stinky (always a sign of good health in my book!) and her energy levels are consistently high.
I’ll admit to having been a bit sceptical at first about feeding her beans and was fully expecting to accompany her on some ‘wind-powered’ walks. And for the first few days she kept looking at her bottom to see what the noise was! But it quickly abated and was clearly just a natural response to the introduction of new food.
And the great news is, they have now introduced a second flavour – Jumping Jack – which means even more variety for your doggo.
So, it’s great to have a wet food for her again because it was always her preference, and from a personal perspective I’m happy because it’s competitively priced, smells pleasant and I love the ingredients list. It looks as good as home-cooked food to me – it clearly isn’t ultra-processed and you can see all the different ingredients in the food.
Most important of all, everything points to this food having been instrumental in the massive improvements I’ve seen in her overall health and fitness levels, which really has been a tremendous relief. So let’s look at all the benefits in more detail below.
This food is tasty
As soon as I open a tin of Give a Dog a Bean, Coco is there sniffing the air. I think because we are so used to the stench of animal-based dog foods, it seems strange that dogs can be attracted to something that smells so…well, wholesome and mild! Perhaps it’s the vegetables, proteins and amino acids – Coco loves sniffing (and eating!) grated tofu and let’s face it, that doesn’t smell of much. Anyway, whatever it is, she likes it.
And it doesn’t stop at the smell, she enjoys eating it too and she can be pretty fussy, believe me. I’d always thought that dogs will eat anything, but not Coco (although she’s not beyond digging up and eating one of her long-buried chews if she remembers where she put it)!
I have also tried this food out on one of Coco’s fussy pals, Sundi – who has helped us out on other dog food taste tests – and even she eats it very happily. So I can only conclude that dogs find this food pretty palatable.
Use Just be Kind discount code VEGANMUM at checkout
It’s nutritious
Give a Dog a Bean dog food is nutritionally complete. In short, that means it provides Coco with all the nutrients she requires without the need for supplementation or additional foods. But it’s not just me that thinks it’s nutritionally complete! This product complies with all the FEDIAF guidelines – the European pet food industry organisation – and these determine which nutrients are required to ensure a dog food is compliant.
Not only that, but the British Veterinary Association has recently updated its policy to state that any nutritionally complete diet is appropriate to feed your dog, regardless of its basis i.e. it doesn’t matter if it’s vegan, fish or meat-based. Basically, it’s not what your dog eats, but whether they get the right nutrients. And this dog food gives them exactly that.
Coco certainly isn’t lacking in energy, her health is good, her coat is really soft and shiny, and her breath is the best it’s ever been! I just wish it could make her less stubborn, but I don’t suppose any food can do that…
Use Just be Kind discount code VEGANMUM at checkout
Give a Dog a Bean is vet-formulated
I find it enormously reassuring that this food is formulated by a vet – a vegan herself – working in collaboration with a team of dog nutrition experts. She is the founder of the Just be Kind brand that makes it and seems genuinely passionate about dog health, and about the environment.
Having had first-hand experience of seeing dogs in distress and suffering ailments that she knew could be alleviated by eating the right food, she has apparently helped many desperate pet parents to transition their dogs onto a plant-based diet. And in doing so, she was also able to see how vegan dog food could be further improved, hence her development of Give a Dog a Bean.
So even though Coco really doesn’t care a jot who makes her food, I do! And because this brand doesn’t have a huge multi-national company behind it, I imagine that this food is the lifeblood of the business, and quality will be really important to them.
Apart from the nutritional elements that I know are in there because of its compliance with FEDIAF guidelines, the fact that I can see the beans, quinoa, vegetables and seeds that go into this food makes me feel confident I’m feeding my dog a wholesome diet, not something that has been processed beyond recognition.
Use Just be Kind discount code VEGANMUM at checkout
100% hypoallergenic
Despite having followed a number of elimination diets recommended by previous vets, Coco’s gut issues just never went away and it was possible that she was still being exposed to ingredients that were causing her a problem – grains, soy etc, even though they were ‘hydrolysed’ (to my understanding this means processed to the point where the body doesn’t recognise and react to it).
But since moving over completely to Give a Dog a Bean (together with a combination of Solo Vegetal and Green Crunch dry foods), I have seen a significant reduction in her symptoms and they have now almost completely disappeared. She can still have the very occasional episode of sickness, air-licking, and obvious tummy pain, but what was a permanent feature of her life is now a rare occurrence and could be down to snaffling something off the floor, or ‘foraging’ on her walks.
And based on other reviews I’ve seen, Coco is not alone and this hypoallergenic food seems to have helped quite a number of dogs who now no longer suffer gut and skin issues as a result. I think it may be because this product doesn’t rely on proteins being ‘hydrolysed’ to make them suitable for sensitive tummies and skin, it quite simply avoids them altogether – even pea protein – which seems so much more sensible and I’m sure the rest of the dog nutrition world will catch up at some point!
I mentioned that Coco also eats a hypoallergenic dry food mixed in – read my Solo Vegetal review if you’d like to find out more about that.
Use Just be Kind discount code VEGANMUM at checkout
Only available online
I don’t find this is a problem personally and I happily order direct from the Just be Kind online store, so benefiting too from a subscription discount and access to more of their products like Shroom Paws and MarshMallow bites treats. You can read more about those in my Best Vegan Dog Treats guide. And I have never experienced any issues with my online orders from Just be Kind either, finding stock availability consistently good and with quick delivery.
But I know that some like to be able to pick everything up in their supermarket shop, although as it stands at the moment, there is very little vegan dog food available in those outlets anyway. So, not available in supermarkets…yet! Fingers crossed for the future though as more people start to understand the benefits of a plant based diet for their dogs.
My verdict on Give a Dog a Bean
I really like this product. I think it is high quality, and looks so nutritious it feels like I am feeding my dog home-cooked food. Importantly though, it also seems to have largely resolved Coco’s gut and sensitivity issues which is something I’ve been trying to do for years, and that’s a real relief for me – and for Coco!
But as with any dog food, it’s not just whether I like it. I might think it’s the best dog food in the world, but if my dog doesn’t like the taste, she’s not going to want to eat it! Fortunately, she does like it very much and happily munches her way through her mealtimes. Not only that, she suffers no negative consequences from doing so which, after years of discomfort for her, is a great result all round.
So this food is perfect for dogs who suffer from gut and skin issues because of its careful formulation, but it’s equally good for those without sensitivities too and I would certainly recommend it if you’re looking for a wholesome, tasty, plant-based nutritious food for your dog.
Use Just be Kind discount code VEGANMUM at checkout
More articles about vegan dog food
I hope you have found this Give a Dog a Bean review helpful. I have written a number of other articles about dogs and plant-based diets, some examples of which are below:
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