Nuts for butter: treat your dog to a peanut snack

Martha Terry's avatar
By
Published In Buying Guides
Dog eating peanut butter
2T0FP5G Happy dog eating peanut butter from spoon. Cute puppy dog licking unsalted peanut butter with big pink tongue. Female Harrier mix dog. Selective focus
(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Peanut butter is a bit like Marmite – love it or hate it. But dogs are less discerning – most seem to enjoy the taste of peanut butter, and it’s a popular treat among dog owners. The creamy texture, rich flavour, and stickiness of peanut butter can make it an enticing and enjoyable treat for dogs. The best peanut butter for dogs is often used as an enticing ingredient stuffed in a Kong toy (like this one on Amazon), one of the best dog treat dispenser toys or spread on lick mats (like this one on Amazon), or as a way to administer medication. Always introduce new treats gradually and observe your dog’s reaction to ensure they don’t have any adverse reactions.

It’s uncommon for dogs to be allergic to peanut butter per se, however there are ingredients in some brands that are harmful to dogs, namely xylitol. This is a sugar substitute that is safe for humans but highly toxic to dogs. Xylitol can cause a rapid release of insulin, leading to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and potentially liver failure in dogs. Always check the ingredients before giving peanut butter to your dog and choose a brand that does not contain xylitol. The best plan is to buy dog-specific peanut butter, as ones intended for humans may have harmful ingredients.

CATEGORIES
Martha Terry
Martha Terry
Features editor

Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.