Dogs are fond of peanut butter, there has hardly ever been a dog who didn’t enjoy the taste of the nuts.At the same time, peanut butter if fed to a dog in the wrong manner, can severely affect its health due to high fat and sugar content, and at the same time, there are some peanut butters that contains some toxic ingredients as well. It is the responsibility of the pet owner to not only choose the correct dog peanut butter but also feed as an occasional treat.Dogs are mammals belonging to the Canidae family, their binomial name being Canis familiaris. It is believed that dogs have been derived from the wolves and are in fact the domesticated version of that animal. Dogs are the first-ever animal to be domesticated, they accompanied hunters several centuries ago when they would go hunting animals in search of food. Over the years that passed by, dogs became more and more familiar with the human lifestyle, adapting to such an extent that they can now eat what other humans eat and still keep their bodies in good health.Although there are several foods that dogs can eat, they must eat them in moderation. One such item is peanut butter. It isn’t a natural constituent of a dog’s diet but can be included in moderation after consultation with the veterinarian. Some of the ingredients can harm a dog’s health and when consumed in excess amount can prove to be deadly as well. Dogs can eat crunchy peanut butter, as well as the smooth semi-liquid one, both have almost similar nutrition content and would be a great occasional treat but remember to check that the peanuts aren’t very large. Otherwise, the large peanuts can lead to a choking hazard. Let us now delve deeper into how should you be feeding peanut butter to your dogs and what some of the other things are that can be of concern.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about if dogs can get head lice and if dogs eat Skittles here on Kidadl?Why is peanut butter unsafe for dogs?In general, peanut butter is a spread or a paste made out of dry-roasted peanuts and several ingredients. The mixture also contains some added flavors items such as salt, sweetener, and emulsifiers to modify the texture and taste of the paste. Peanut butter is a common item found in almost every country in the world. Some peanut butter brands also have different flavors such as the likes of jaggery, chocolate, and honey to bring a change to the taste of the butter.There are several reasons why peanut butter might not be the best food choice for your dog. Even if you give some peanut butter to your dog as a treat, you will need to be very careful because even a small amount of peanut butter contains high fat. There are various other food items that can be given as a treat and they might still be better for your dog’s health than the healthiest peanut butter. The high sugar and fat content of peanut butter can directly lead to your dog becoming overweight, but this can still be controlled.The biggest reason why you should not feed peanut butter to your dog is that most of the peanut butter contains xylitol. Now, xylitol, if seen in real life, looks just like sugar and we might not even pay a lot of attention to it as it doesn’t affect us, humans, in any way but can cause rapid deterioration of health in dogs. Xylitol is added as a sugar substitute in food to act as a sweetener, and when dogs eat peanut butter, the xylitol enters their body and leads to hypoglycemia, a liver disease. Now dogs cannot figure out what foods are harmful to them so it is the responsibility of the owner to take care of their pets. At times, a very small amount of peanut butter, such as a half tablespoon, might not affect your dog but if you increase the amount and you will need to take your dog to the vet for immediate treatment.Which peanut butter contains xylitol?Dogs love the taste of peanut butter, and they are often so engrossed in eating peanut butter that they cannot even distinguish between the taste of peanut butter which does contain and does not contain xylitol. Xylitol is pretty toxic for the health of dogs, and while feeding them peanut butter, the owner must carefully check the ingredients of the pack as if it contains xylitol, it must not be eaten by your pup. A human won’t suffer from any issue if it consumes xylitol but it is different for dogs.Recent studies have shown that there are a number of peanut butter brands that do not contain xylitol owing to its toxic effects and how it can affect the health of a dog even when given as a treat. At the same time, there are a number of peanut butter brands that still do contain hazardous ingredients such as xylitol. Some of the crunchy peanut butter brands which contain xylitol include the likes of P28 Foods, Go Nuts Co., Protein Plus PB, Krush Nutrition, and Nuts ‘N More. Owners must avoid using the peanut butter of these brands at any cost as these kinds of peanut butter not only contain xylitol but are also high in sugar. Such kinds of peanut butter, thus, shouldn’t be used as treats especially when you get a small pup. Jif crunchy peanut butter is a good treat for your pet as it doesn’t contain xylitol and its ‘Jif Natural’ series of peanut butter are also sugar-free.The Best Peanut Butter For DogsPicking the best peanut butter for our dogs means that there are a number of factors to consider ranging from the price, the quality of the ingredients, its availability in the market. Good peanut butter must be low on sugar, fat, and salt as these three are the main ingredients present in every peanut butter but it is the quantity of each one that determines which dog peanut butter is the best. Xylitol obviously isn’t present in any of these peanut butter brands, if a peanut butter contains xylitol, isn’t even good.Of the top three peanut butter products in the world, the first one is 365 Everyday Value Peanut Butter. This is undoubtedly the best peanut butter made out of only natural peanuts grown in the USA. This peanut butter is quite smooth and one can apply it on lick mats and kong toys of their dogs or even feed with a spoon. This peanut butter isn’t only healthy owing to its ingredients but also provides value for money and is thus a good option when it comes to giving treats to a dog. Next up on the list is, Teddie Super Chunky Peanut Butter, it is also made out of natural peanuts grown in the United States and is pretty delicious. The peanuts are finely crushed in the Chunky Peanut Butter, eliminating any sort of choking hazard. Similar to the 365 Everyday Value Peanut Butter, this peanut butter too can work well with kong toys and other such stuff. This brand also produces an unsalted version of peanut butter which does not contain any salt and is thus better than the normal product but the unsalted version comes at a considerable cost. The third one on the list is peanut butter only for dogs. Poochie Butter is a peanut butter brand that produces peanut butter only for dogs, and it doesn’t contain any preservatives or sweeteners but contains ingredients like turmeric and coconut oil which are beneficial for the health of dogs.How will crunchy peanut butter hurt my dog?Whether it is crunchy or smooth peanut butter, neither is supposed to hurt your dog if fed in regulated amounts and there is no xylitol. A large number of peanut butter brands making both smooth and crunchy peanut butter use natural peanuts and low amounts of sugar, salt, and this makes the final product relatively rich in protein and less of a health hazard.Some people believe that the peanuts of the crunchy peanut butter can lead to choking but this is not the case. The peanuts are very well ground in crunchy peanut butter, and until and unless you overfeed peanut butter to your dogs, there won’t be any adverse reaction to be afraid of. Moreover, it is actually the ingredients of these treats that people should be worried about if necessary. You must avoid giving peanut butter treats to your dog which contain high amounts of fat or if your dog is at risk of pancreatitis.The Right Way To Feed Peanut Butter To Y0ur DogWhen you decide to feed peanut butter to your dogs as some occasional treats, you must consider two factors. One is the amount or the quantity of peanut butter to be given as treats at a time and the second is the way you give peanut butter to your dog. It is very important that you regulate the quantity of peanut butter you give to your dog as an excess of even the best peanut butter in the world can harm your dog. Also, make sure that the peanuts used are natural.Peanut butter contains a considerable amount of protein, but at the same time, it contains a lot of fat and sugar keeping in mind that it is given as a treat. An increase of sugar and fat in the body of your dog can lead to obesity which in turn can give rise to a number of health issues. So while you go shopping for the perfect peanut butter for your dog, take a look at the ingredients list, and the lesser the number of ingredients, the better it is. Additionally, the calories gained by dogs by eating peanut butter shouldn’t be more than 10% of the total food calories the dog consumes in a day. Some of the best ways to feed peanut butter to your dog are by spreading it on a kong toy or on a lick mat, and in desperate conditions, if some peanut butter does not come out of the bottle, just let your dog lick it. You can also hide some medicine inside a spoon of peanut butter if your dog is on some medication.How much is good for them?Some peanut butter brands are a good source of protein, as well as healthy fats for the dogs, but excess of anything isn’t healthy. As long as the consumption of peanut butter is regulated in dogs, they would benefit from it, otherwise, it could lead to adverse health conditions.Studies have said that small dogs can have half a tablespoon of peanut butter in a day and not more than that. Whereas, the larger ones can consume and digest up to one tablespoon of peanut butter in a day but they shouldn’t be fed regularly else the consequences can harm the dog’s health. Such food should always be given on occasions once in a blue moon. The majority of the protein, carbs, and required calories should be given to the dog by its prescribed dog food.Peanut Allergies For DogsThe chances of dogs having peanut allergies are slim but not zero, and there is always that one dog who can exhibit adverse reactions to peanuts. Every dog is unique in some way or the other, so if by chance your dog is allergic to peanuts, it is nothing to panic about even though the chances are very low.In order to check if your dog has allergies to peanuts or peanut butter, observe your dog carefully for the first couple of times you feed it peanuts. Give your dog peanuts in small quantity and if it develops any swelling around its eye, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, severe itching, redness, these are all signs that your dog is allergic to peanuts. Immediately take your canine friend to a vet and get some medical assistance.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for whether dogs can have crunchy peanut butter then why not take a look at if dogs have knees or Polish Lowland Sheepdog facts?
Dogs are fond of peanut butter, there has hardly ever been a dog who didn’t enjoy the taste of the nuts.
