Dogs love it when their owners share some peanut butter with them as a treat, whether it’s dolloped on a spoon, spread on a lick mat, or stuffed into their favorite toys. Owners might give their pups a small amount as a quick reward for good behavior or hide a necessary pill inside a glob of it to make the medicine go down easier.
While this treat can provide dogs with some health benefits, new and longtime owners should know that not all types and brands are safe for their pets. Here are some things you should keep in mind when choosing a spread for your pooch to make sure your canine companion is safe, happy, healthy, and satisfied.
Avoid Birch Sugar and Other Additives Toxic to Dogs
Dog owners should avoid any peanut butter brands that include xylitol or birch sugar, a sugar substitute used in many types of sugar-free foods to give them a more pleasant flavor. While safe for humans, xylitol is highly toxic to canines: it can cause hypoglycemia, a condition where the pancreases release too much insulin rapidly and their blood sugar levels drop drastically.
Dogs that eat food with xylitol can experience seizures, liver failure, and even death if left untreated. If you believe your dog ate something that contains xylitol or you notice them showing signs of weakness, staggering, collapse, or lack of coordination or having seizures within 12 to 24 hours after eating peanut butter, contact your vet or an emergency clinic immediately.
Many veterinarians and dog dieticians suggest avoiding any brands that feature added ingredients like preservatives, added fats and sugars, hydrogenated oils, palm oil, or molasses. Some even argue that owners should select brands that only contain peanuts or peanuts and salts as ingredients.
If they lack xylitol or other additives, chunky and smooth spreads are safe for dogs to eat. If you’re trying to decide between them, you should consider your pet’s eating habits. If your dog doesn’t tend to chew their food thoroughly, you might want to stick to smooth so peanut chunks don’t present a choking hazard and won’t get caught in your pet’s jaws and irritate them.
Give Peanut Butter in Moderation
On one hand, the treat can benefit pooches in several ways since it contains proteins to support their immune systems, fiber to help them maintain healthy digestive tracts, and vitamins B and E to keep their skin, muscles, and eyes healthy.
On the other hand, it contains large amounts of calories, fat, and sodium. Pet owners should avoid giving it to their puppers too often; by doing so, owners can prevent them from becoming overweight or obese and suffering from consequent health problems.
The American Kennel Club encourages pet owners to consult with their veterinarians to decide whether and how often to give their pooches peanut butter, to make sure that no more than 10 percent of their pets’ diet consists of treats, and to alternate between giving their pets peanut butter and dog-friendly fruits and vegetables as treats.
Dog Lab suggests that smaller canines should have no more than 1/2 a tablespoon and larger ones no more than 1 tablespoon of the treat a day.
Owners shouldn’t give peanut butter to dogs that have diabetes, pancreatitis, or peanut allergies without consulting their vets first. Some pooches also just happen to not like the food, so their owners might consider giving them dog-friendly alternatives like cream cheese, green beans, and watermelon.
Brands to Choose and Not to Choose
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Many dog experts agree that the best types of peanut butter to share with your dog are unsalted, dog-specific, or homemade. Unsalted varieties usually lack unnecessary additives; dog-specific types are made to be dog-safe and often include extra healthy and tasty ingredients, such as ginger, turmeric, and seeds; homemade recipes are safe since you know exactly what ingredients you put into them and can avoid ones harmful to canines.
These are by no means exhaustive lists, but the following are brands that experts at Senior Dog Days, I Heart Dogs, and Outward Hound suggest for owners to avoid or buy:
Brands to Avoid (due to having xylitol, additives, etc.):
- Jif
- Skippy
- Nuts ‘n’ More
- Go Nuts Co
- Peter Pan
Safe brands (due to only having peanuts or peanuts and salt or being specifically made for canines):
- Teddie All Natural Peanut Butter
- Crazy Richard’s 100% All-Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
- Poochie Dog Peanut Butter
- Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter (No Salt)
- Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Organic Peanut Butter
Ingredient Brands That Are Safe for Making Dog-Friendly Peanut Butter:
- Smucker’s
- Wild Friends
- Kirkland Organic
- Laura Scudder
- Adams
Final Thoughts
Your pooch deserves the best when it comes to their food. While peanut butter can be a good treat for puppers, you should only give them safe kinds in moderate amounts. You should make sure that treats make up less than 10 percent of what your dog eats; that the peanut butter doesn’t contain birch sugar; and that you check with your vet if you don’t know whether to give your dog this type of treat.
Your pet will definitely appreciate the extra effort you take to keep their treats safe, healthy, and delicious.
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