There’s not much sweeter than that sweet pup of yours. Nothing can compete, really. But some things are out there that make your pup even sweeter. One of those things? Honey. It’s sweet, savory, and makes a great treat for your furry friend. However, can dogs eat honey?

Here’s the sweet surprise: they sure can! Like some other delicious human foods, honey benefits your dog’s health and diet in a variety of ways.

You Are What You Eat

When it comes to honey, Winnie the Pooh makes for a great spokesman: “If everything is honey, and I am what I eat, I must be made of honey – and life is very sweet!”

And believe it or not, being made of honey wouldn’t be half bad. Why? Because honey is an underrated health supplement, especially honey local to your area.

Pooh’s favorite treat boasts antimicrobial and antifungal properties. This means that honey helps reduce inflammation, soothe sore throats, and help with stomach issues like ulcers.

In fact, The Honey Bee Conservancy explains local honey helps to cure allergies. Because the honey is sourced from local pollen, eating a small amount each day helps your body build a tolerance to the pollen.

Therefore, if your furry friend gets irritated during days with high pollen counts, consider feeding them a teaspoon of honey a few days a week, or everyday.

Sugar, Honey-Honey!

So, Can dogs eat honey everyday?

They can, but it’s wise to limit your pup to no more than one teaspoon per day. Especially for smaller pups, anything more than one teaspoon introduces risks for obesity, diabetes, or even teeth problems.

As long as your pup eats a balanced diet and receives adequate exercise, a little honey here and there provides them a tasty treat.

The only real issue with honey is its high natural sugar content. While these natural sugars cause much less worry than highly processed, highly refined sugars, they can still harm your fur baby.

I don’t recall any scenes of Pooh Bear brushing his teeth, but I’m sure he brushed those chompers quite frequently. Because the natural sugars in honey can cause tooth decay, so you might want to brush your pup’s pearly whites after feeding them some sweet honey.

Can Dogs Eat Honey That’s Raw?

Yes, your pup can eat raw honey, but make sure that fur baby of yours isn’t sick and doesn’t have a compromised immune system. Here’s the deal: raw honey sometimes contains botulism spores.

These spores, in the stomach, produce toxins that potentially harm a dog with a poor immune system. However, the chances of the raw honey actually containing botulism, combined with the chances of it actually harming your dog remain low.

The reason is that your dog contains a mature enough digestive system necessary for preventing any of the spores from becoming toxic.

Besides, the benefits of raw honey far outweigh the slight, potential risks. As mentioned earlier, local raw honey helps with pollen allergies, but it also helps with healing wounds.

Due to raw honey containing more nutrients than filtered honey, it has higher amounts of antibacterial properties. Dating back to ancient Egypt, people have used honey for its antibacterial, wound healing benefits. And you might as well use it for your pup, too!

Just Taste It

Can dogs eat honey? You betcha, and they can benefit from that honey even more if it’s raw and locally sourced.

Allow me to leave you with a final quote from that wise, honey-yellow bear: “I wasn’t going to eat it. I was just going to taste it.”

Go on, give your pup a taste.