Most dogs have a sweet tooth and there are many foods that they enjoy and will eat whenever they get the chance.
Peanut butter is a food that dogs enjoy. It has a unique taste and smell and it’s sweetness is appealing for many dogs. The sugary and salty combination of peanut butter when combined with the rich and roasted aromas are attractive to a dog’s senses of smell and taste making it an attractive treat that they love.
Is all peanut butter safe for dogs to eat?
This is a very good question as no, not all peanut butter is safe for dogs.
Before you give peanut butter to your dog you need to check the ingredients as some varieties contain a chemical called Xylitol, an added sweetener that can cause hypoglycemia and other potentially fatal conditions in dogs.
Providing that the peanut butter does not contain Xylitol, it is safe to give your dog any kind but, probably the best choice would be an organic variety.
Although this will be slightly more expensive you will be assured of the quality and that it should contain no additives or added sugar.
You should only feed organic peanut butter that has no additives or artificial flavours.
Organic peanut butter choices for dogs
How much peanut butter can a dog have?
It is important not to give your dog too much peanut butter as it is high in fat and has a high calorific content.
If you are feeding peanut butter as a treat for your dog then, generally, you should make sure that the combined values of all treats, do not exceed 10 percent of your dog’s total daily calorie needs.
As an example, for large dogs this would normally be less than a teaspoon a day and for small breeds about one eighth of a teaspoon.
How to feed peanut butter to a dog
There are a few options for feeding peanut butter to your dog:
Peanut butter is an ideal choice for adding to a dog toy such as a Kong.
By packing the toy with a mixture of biscuit and peanut butter you can keep your dog occupied for hours. You can see our favourite Kongs in our article here.
Use a teaspoon for a fun, potentially messy time.
Add a small amount of peanut butter to your dog’s daily meal.
Paste some peanut butter onto one of your dog’s favourite dog biscuits for a nice, tasty treat.
Is it okay to give peanut butter to puppies?
There is no danger in giving a puppy peanut butter, providing that it is organic with no artificial additives.
However, as puppies are still developing both physically and mentally, feeding something like peanut butter to a youngster may not be the best food choice.
Puppies grow quickly and need the best nutrition that you can provide them with and you should always feed a growing puppy a high quality puppy food.
For some suggestions on the best types of puppy foods you can visit our puppy food article here.
Final Words
Most dogs love peanut butter and will happily gulp it down whenever they get the opportunity.
Always make sure that any peanut butter that you give to your dog is safe for him to eat and contains no additives.
The best type of peanut butter for your dog is organic peanut butter which is widely available.
You can see some good options here on Amazon.
