Many people agonize about the safeness of feeding their dog peanut butter. The basis for this apprehension is perhaps due to the stories we have heard about nuts being hazardous for dogs. This is in fact true, several groups of nuts, are extremely unhealthy for dogs. These include the Macadamian and walnut, just to note a couple.
The problem with feeding nuts to dogs is that several of these can become toxic over time. This is due to the excessive phosphorous levels and other ingredients that may become even more toxic over time. These levels of toxicity can cause both kidney and bladder issues. In the most grim occurrences these levels can actually become fatal. It should also be kept in mind that some brands of chocolate also include nuts.
There is marvelous information for those of us that want to include peanut butter as an aid in administering medicine, rewarding our dogs with peanut butter dog biscuits or just sharing a bit on the tip of our finger. Peanuts are not really nuts! In fact, peanuts are really a species in the legume family (Fabaceae) to be specific. In other words, peanuts are really a type of bean!
As with any new food item, it should initially be given in a small potion. Since dogs, just like people, can have food allergies, consideration should be taken. If an allergic reaction is suspected, stop the feeding and observe your dog closely. Just like many items, there can be good and bad. The protein level of peanut butter is high but so are the calories. You can always choose an organic brand if you are worried about added preservatives.
To summarize, peanut butter has not been found to be bad to dogs. Since many items contain additional ingredients it makes sense to read the label. Although we think our dogs are almost human, they probably can’t make reliable choices when it comes to their nutrition. My dogs are happy since they like peanut butter dog treats.
