Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter? No! Read the Dangers

Can Dogs Have Peanut Butter?

Dogs can eat peanut butter. It is not good for them to eat it every day.

Nut butters are good for dogs, but you need to be careful about the fat and calories. You also want to read the ingredients list and not get one that has xylitol in it which is bad for dogs even in small amounts.

Peanut butter is safe for dogs to eat, but only in moderation. Peanut butter has many benefits like protein and healthy fats. The best option is unsalted peanut butter or homemade peanut butter because they don't have extra sugar and additives.

Reasons to Avoid Giving Peanut Butter to Dogs

It is mostly recommended to avoid peanut butter because it may pose some serious health concerns for your pup. This is because of the reasons mentioned below.

Peanut Butter Contains Excessive Lectins

Peanuts are not a nut, they are a legume. That is important. Legumes have lectins that can create inflammation in your dog's body and contribute to leaky gut which is associated with itchy skin among other things. Some of the problems that this might cause are:

• Arthritis
• Food allergies
• Itchy skin
• Food intolerances

Lectins are bad for your bones, joints, hips, and knees. They also make your dog's heart, arteries, and other organs inflamed. This is especially dangerous for your dog’s heart.

Peanut Butter Can Increase the Risk of Heart Diseases

Apart from the lectins, the inflammation, itchy skin, and other auto-immune paths opened up by peanut butter for dogs. There is also heart disease. This is due to a combination of reasons.

One key part of this is that peanuts have fats that lead to heart disease. If you need more convincing, please remember that peanuts are fed to mice and rats in lab studies all the time so they can get heart disease too!

Peanut Butter is High in Rancid Fats

Dogs should eat more omega 3 fat. It is important for our health and the health of our pets. We need to do this in a certain way though. Omega 6 fats are important but they are already too much in most food animals get to eat.

Peanut butter makes the problem worse, especially if they have eaten a high-carbohydrate food before that is rich in omega 6 fats. If you want to fix it, it's better to give them foods with omega 3 fats and less omega 6 fats. It is even better if you do both at the same time and balance out the see-saw.

Peanut Butter Consists of Dangerous Molds

Peanut butter and other products that contain peanuts can contain a mold called Aflatoxin. This is a dangerous mold that can cause cancer. Peanuts are not the only food that has this mold, but they have more of it than other foods.

You can choose to buy organic peanut butter instead of regular peanut butter, but both choices will still have Aflatoxin in them. The best thing to do is not feed your dog anything with peanuts in it so they don't get sick from this mold.

Dogs can be Allergic to Peanut Butter

Some people will get a sudden and dangerous allergic reaction that is typical for humans with nut allergies.

Dogs don't have the same kind of reactions as humans to nuts. Signs of allergies can be different in dogs. So if your dog is going to have new food, give them just a small amount first and watch them for signs. Not seeing any signs within an hour means that they are ok with the food.

Some symptoms of severe allergy that you need to monitor include:

• Diarrhea
• Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing
• Hives or small areas of swelling on their body
• Severe itchiness
• Swelling around their eyes and/or muzzle
• Collapse
• Vomiting

Some symptoms of moderate allergy that you need to monitor include:

• Chronic itchiness and/or chewing of their paws
• Thin fur coat
• Chronic/recurrent ear infections
• Recurrent problems with impacted anal glands

Peanut Butter has a High Caloric Content

Peanut butter is bad for your dog. It is a fat grenade. It has a high-fat content and consists of bad fatty acids. There are other things that can make your dog grow really fast, but peanut butter is worse.

Peanut Butter has Hazardous Xylitol

If you have peanut butter, it might be safe. But some peanut butter is deadly to dogs. Recently, the people who make peanut butter switched to using a sweetener called xylitol as a sugar substitute.

Xylitol is toxic to dogs. Xylitol is used in sugar-free products like chewing gum, toothpaste, breath mints, and chewable vitamins.

Xylitol causes an unexpected release of insulin in dogs, which makes their blood sugar levels go low. If the dog is not treated, hypoglycemia can be life-threatening. It happens fast.

Harmful Peanut Butter Brands for Dogs

There are four brands of peanut butter that contain xylitol, and your dog should not eat them. Peanut butter is good for you, but it's bad for your dog. It can make them very sick if they eat it.

Here is a list of such peanut butter brands:

• Go Nuts, Co.
• Krush Nutrition
• Nuts 'N More
• P28

However, the use of xylitol as an artificial sweetener is increasing day by day. So, there may be other brands as well that use xylitol. So, the best practice to stay safe is to read the labels. Never feed such peanut butter to your dog that consists of xylitol.

What Kind of Peanut Butter is Safe for Dogs?

In general, peanut butter is safe for your dog. But if you use the wrong kind, it can make them sick. The best kind of peanut butter is one that has no added sugars or other preservatives. If you use the right kind of peanut butter, it will be good for your dog.

It is okay to eat peanut butter and other nut butter. But, only sometimes and in small amounts. Choose low-sodium or unsweetened versions.

Can Dogs Eat Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter?

You may have read that crunchy peanut butter can be a choking hazard for dogs. This is rare unless you give a very small dog a large amount of crunchy peanut butter. But if you give your dog about one tablespoon of peanut butter, it is unlikely to present the risk of choking.

So go ahead and give your dog whichever kind of peanut butter you have--creamy, crunchy, or super-crunchy--you can use it to distract your dog with.

Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter and Jelly?

Peanut butter is fine. But you cannot give your dog jelly. Jelly has a lot of sugar in it, and your dog might get diabetes or be fat. Sometimes, some jelly contains xylitol, which means that it is dangerous for dogs to eat.

How Much Peanut Butter Can Dogs Eat?

The rule of thumb is to give your dog no more than 10% of the dog's daily calories as treats. Each person's dog will be different. You also need to take the kind of peanut butter you give them into account (check the calorie count).

“How often should dogs eat peanut butter?”

Generally speaking, small dogs should get no more than about 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter per day and larger dogs should get no more than about 1 tablespoon.

“What age can dogs eat peanut butter?”

You are safe to give puppies peanut butter when they are 6 weeks old. When you give it, make sure that it is a small amount so that the puppy doesn't get too much. Try not to give chocolate or xylitol in the peanut butter.

How to Give Peanut Butter Safely to Dogs?

Peanut butter can be used for dogs in different situations. It is okay for dogs to eat peanut butter if you follow the below-mentioned tips and ways:

Give Medication with the Help of Peanut Butter

Giving your dog pills and capsules can be hard. It is hard to get them to eat plain medication. You can put the medication in peanut butter so it is easier for the dog to eat.

The texture and flavor of peanut butter disguise most pills, so it is easy for dogs to take their medication.

When you first start giving medications to your dog with peanut butter, make sure it is not the first time they taste that kind of peanut butter. You can give them a dollop without anything hidden inside that they are used to.

When the dog likes peanut butter then you can hide medication inside.

Give Peanut Butter at Bath Time

When training your dog to take baths, try getting the peanut butter out. When they are licking it off the wall, they will not be so scared of being in the water. This will make bath time more fun for both of you.

Give Peanut Butter During Playtime

If you have a dog that is smart and high-energy, try using peanut butter with a puzzle toy. Fill a large Kong with kibble. Then put peanut butter on top of it and seal the hole with the peanut butter.

Put it in the freezer for two to three hours. Offer this puzzle toy when you are home but can't play with your dog because they need to be supervised or something like that.

Peanut Butter - A No-No for your Fluffy Friend!

Peanut Butter is a no-no for dogs. That’s because it can be harmful to them, especially when they have an allergy to peanuts or are in the process of being desensitized.

Dogs can have peanut butter, but there are some important things that dog owners should consider. Peanut butter is not safe for all dogs and it's best reserved as an occasional treat that you only give them every now and then.

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