So, can dogs eat peanuts? They certainly can! The relationship between dogs and peanuts might be more complex than you’d think, but almost all dogs can have peanuts. However, they cannot have all types of peanuts. There are exceptions when it comes to your pup’s peanut consumption.
Dogs and Peanuts: Why Bother?
Why worry about feeding your dog peanuts at all? Well, peanuts contain beneficial vitamins and nutrients that promote good health for your pup, making them great nuts for dogs.
Peanuts are high in vitamin B6 and E, niacin, protein, and healthy fats. These vitamins and nutrients support your dog’s energy levels and metabolism.
The health benefits provided by peanuts makes them a top notch treat for your furry friend.
Why Can Dogs Eat Peanuts?
While you may wonder, “Can dogs eat peanuts,” what you really should wonder is, “What kind of peanuts can my dog eat?”
Salted peanuts contain too much sodium for our furry friends: excessive amounts of salted peanuts can put your dog’s health at risk.
Steer you pup clear from flavored and shelled peanuts. Flavored peanuts often contain artificial ingredients and chemicals that are toxic for canine consumption, while shelled peanuts are a choking hazard and can harm your pup’s gut.
Your dog only needs unsalted, unflavored, and unshelled peanuts. Opting for these natural peanuts gives your pup all the benefits of these nutritious nuts.
So, can dogs eat peanuts that are salted, shelled, or flavored? No, but they can eat high-quality, natural peanuts that are dry-roasted and unsalted. These peanuts have all the beneficial vitamins and fats your pup needs in a small snack, without the health risks that come with salted, shelled, and flavored peanuts.
Advise: Allergies
While not common, some pups have peanut allergies. If you see your pup itching, sneezing, or coughing after they’ve chowed down on some yummy peanuts, then they might have a bit of a peanut allergy.
If you worry your pup may have a peanut allergy, ask your vet about feeding peanuts to your pup. Vets know best, and if the vet gives you the OK, then your pup is in luck for some delicious peanut treats.
The Dilemma
Us hoomans love to feed our fur babies a little peanut butter treat. Peanut butter makes for a healthy snack and is extremely useful when trying to give our pup a medicine that they refuse to take.
There’s a bit of a dilemma, though. Human peanut butter contains added salts and sugars, and our dogs don’t need those additives. Some peanut butters also contain xylitol: a sugar substitute that is extremely toxic for dogs.
But our furry friends would never forgive us if we stopped giving them their delicious peanut butter treat. So what do we do?
Luckily for us, there’s an easy solution. There are plenty of deliciously nutritious homemade peanut butter dog treats that provide the perfect alternative to human peanut butter.
The best kinds of these peanut butter treats are made with premium quality peanuts, human grade ingredients, and don’t contain any salt, sugar, palm oil, or additives. They’re au naturale, healthy, and your pup will thank you for them.
Now That You Mention It…
Speaking of peanut butter, our next article will explain how peanut butter products and dog peanut butter is manufactured. Some of the processes to make peanut butter products and the ingredients used in them might surprise you.
