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Dogs love treats. Dogs also love peanut butter. Peanut butter is found in a variety of dog treats in pet shops and grocery stores, and dog owners often love giving their dogs peanut butter and watching them enjoy and make faces as their dog eats it.
Peanut butter also takes a long time for dogs to eat, making it a great filling for dog toys. When you don’t have a treat on hand, peanut butter often can be used as a fun treat that is ready when you need it.
Peanut butter is popular for dogs. But what many people are unaware of is that some peanut butter can deadly.
That is because some peanut butters contain a sweetener known as xylitol. It is found in many common nut butters, yogurts, and chewing gum, making it safe for humans to consume. But it is extremely poisonous to dogs.
Xylitol is a sweetener commonly used in our foods as it acts as a sugar replacement and helps with dental health. It is being increasingly used in our food products due to its “all-natural” and zero sugar stigma.
It’s important to remember that just because it’s safe for us to eat, doesn’t mean the latter is true for our dogs. Xylitol is incredibly poisonous for canines, even more so than chocolate. If ingested, it can cause dogs to have seizures, liver failure, and even death.
According to the ASPCA, just 1.37 grams of xylitol can rapidly decrease a dog’s blog sugar, triggering the onset of disorientation, collapse, and seizures. Some peanut butter brands that contain this natural sweetener include:
These brands target an audience who prefer a low-calorie option of peanut butter by offering xylitol as a sugar substitute. But because human peanut butter is not meant for dogs (even non-xylitol containing peanut butter is not recommended unless it has been formulated for dogs), it does not advertise its dangers to pets.
When trying to choose a peanut butter, it is important to read the labels when treating your dog with a spoonful. A harmless reward could turn into an unwanted deadly disaster.
Remember to prioritize your dog’s safety and remember to read labels. Many popular peanut butters are free of xylitol and safe to give your dog in small doses. But until brands start warning consumers about xylitol in their products, it is up to dog owners to keep their pets safe.