Let’s know about Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter. Who doesn’t love peanut butter? It is a popular healthy treat among people, but can dogs eat peanut butter like we can, and is peanut butter safe for dogs to consume? What are the benefits of feeding peanut butter to dogs, and are there any side effects? Let’s take a closer look. If you are wondering, “Can I give my dog peanut butter,” the answer is yes – dogs can eat peanut butter and it is not toxic to dogs.
Although dogs can have peanut butter, as with most other human treats, you have to be very careful. Dogs really enjoy peanut butter and it can be one of their favorite treats. In the past it was easy to just scoop up some natural peanut butter and let them do it. Today, with so many different brands of peanut butter out there, you must approach with caution. In fact, there are many homemade dog food recipes including peanut butter. Here is a list of great recipes with videos for dog treats and foods using peanut butter:
- Pumpkin Peanut Butter Homemade Dog Treats.
- Limited Ingredient Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats Recipe.
- Peanut butter and banana cookies for dogs.
- Bacon and Peanut Butter Dog Biscuit Treats.
- Peanut Butter and Banana Frozen Dog Treats.
- Peanut Butter Dog Treats.
The above recipes include natural peanut butter without any additives, and they are very popular with dogs (watch the video for proof). They are healthy and nutritious for your dog too.
This is what peanut butter looks like:
Natural peanut butter is actually healthy for dogs, and it is rich in several important antioxidants (Ferguson et al. 2005) as well as common vitamins and minerals:
vitamin e
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B6
folate
magnesium
Copper
Manganese
However, keep in mind that peanut butter is also high in calories. Usually, just one tablespoon of peanut butter will suffice as an occasional treat for the dog. For humans, studies have also shown several health benefits:
- It may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (1)
- It lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes
- It lowers the level of bad cholesterol
That said, there are things to watch out for if you want to give peanut butter to dogs.
That said, there are things to watch out for if you want to give peanut butter to dogs.
Before giving peanut butter to your dog, take a look at the label. It has become common to put artificial sweeteners in peanut butter. This makes it more attractive to those watching their sugar intake. Peanut butter can use almost any artificial sweetener, but it usually adds Xylitol. It is poison for dogs and cats.
What is Xylitol?
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener popular in candy, gum and peanut butter. Xylitol, and Xanthan Gum, are the same thing as far as chemical compositions go. Both are extremely toxic to your pet, which has been confirmed in clinical trials (Piscitelli et al. 2010). Xylitol can cause death in a short period of time. Symptoms can occur after the dog ingests xylitol as soon as 15 minutes (most prevalent when consuming peanut butter). There are sugar free gums that delay these symptoms for up to 12 hours. Some common symptoms of Xylitol poisoning in dogs include:
- lethargy
- loss of coordination
- Vomiting
- collapse seizures
Extensive bleeding can occur in the dog through the intestines, stomach or abdomen. Your dog may have dark red splotches on his gums with a pinprick hemorrhage. Liver failure can occur when a dog’s blood sugar drops too low. A small square of sugar-free gum, or a small spoonful of peanut butter containing Xylitol will produce toxicity in dogs depending on your dog’s body weight. The reason Xylitol is toxic to dogs is because it causes a rapid discharge of insulin into the dog’s bloodstream. This results in a sudden drop of blood glucose, at which point the above symptoms will start to show.
Diagnosing xylitol poisoning in dogs
To diagnose Xylitol poisoning in dogs, you will need to get your pet to the vet. The dog will have several blood tests. The vet will run a complete blood count which includes a chemical blood profile and a complete blood count. After this it will be a urethra. When examining your dog the vet will ask you about the symptoms you have noticed, be sure he knows what he is looking for. Your dog can also have bleeding disorders. Coagulation profile and fibrinogen test will be done to confirm the suspicion.
Treatment for xylitol poisoning in dogs
If you have caught your dog eating peanut butter with Xylitol and have contacted your veterinarian or a pet poison emergency line, they may induce vomiting as a first step. The vet will suggest ways to make your dog vomit, but this may not always help. Sometimes if successful, the dog can correct itself. If not, and tests show low serum potassium or blood sugar, he will place the dog on a fluid therapy program. He will do frequent blood tests to continue assessing the degree of xylitol toxicity. He will check your liver function. The result is usually the poor are protected. This depends on how long the Xylitol was in the dog’s system and the follow-up tests the vet will do.
Always read the label on peanut butter
Prevention is the best solution. Dogs enjoy peanut butter, baked straight into their treats. Natural peanut butter with no additives and no xylitol is completely safe for dogs. It is up to you to check the label carefully to protect your dog’s health. It is not limited to peanut butter. Keep all diet (sugar-free) products out of reach in high cabinets or counters, the way you’ll baby proof your home. Keep your purse out of the way of a prying nose if you keep gum or candy in it. When it comes to dogs it is best to avoid all artificial sweeteners. However, other standard sweeteners such as aspartamine, saccharine, sucralose and stevia are not dangerous to dogs. Only for viewing and never used xylitol.