You’ve heard it from your friends and you’ve seen all the recipes, peanut butter is a popular treat for our furry friends. But what about your Dalmatian? Can your Dalmatian safely eat peanut butter? This article explains everything you should know.
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Can Dalmatians Eat Peanut Butter? Is It Safe?
As long as the peanut butter does not contain Xylitol or a high salt content then in most cases your Dalmatian can eat peanut butter.
It’s first important to state that there is a range of nuts that are considered toxic to dogs. And caution should be taken.
Fortunately, peanuts are not actually a nut. A Harvard University study found out that they are legumes, which are classed as edible seeds that grow in a pod from a plant.
Although it’s confirmed that peanuts are in fact safe for dogs to eat, it doesn’t rule out the possibility of a peanut intolerance so this must be considered first.
According to PetMD:
SAFE: Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds
UNSAFE: Walnuts, Macadamia Nuts, Pecans, Pistachio
But as previously mentioned, your Dalmatian could have their own intolerance to nuts that are otherwise safe.
Always try a very small test amount first with your Dalmatian to check his reactions. You should also confirm this with your veterinarian.
Avoid Peanut Butter With Xylitol
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener and is safe for human consumption, but it’s toxic for dogs.
As more and more brands go sugar-free, they look to Xylitol to replace sugar. And Xylitol is always their first choice. Although it’s considered artificial, it actually occurs naturally in plants, and some brands play on this to make their product seem “healthy”.
Xylitol is included in a range of peanut butter brands, so you must be careful to check the ingredients.
*As of now, here are the following brands containing Xylitol: (subject to change)
● P28
● Go Nuts Co
● Krush Nutrition
● Nuts N More
● No Cow
● Protein Plus PB
Always check the ingredients before giving peanut butter to your Dalmatian.
Avoid Peanut Butter With High Salt
The other factor is salt content.
Try to avoid using peanut butter that contains a lot of salt.
What’s considered high salt? Most kinds of peanut butter will have more than 110 mg of sodium, and this is already too high. The healthiest brands out there manage to get this down to around 50 or 60mg which is more acceptable.
Too much salt will make your Dalmatian incredibly thirsty, which in turn will lead to A LOT of potty breaks.
In the worst cases, high salt intake can lead to sodium ion poisoning, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, high temperatures, and seizures. It may also increase the chances of developing long-term diseases.
How Much Peanut Butter Can Your Dalmatian Have?
Peanut Butter is high in calories and should always be given in moderation.
Moderation typically means a few times per week, and when you do give it, a single tablespoon is more than enough.
For dogs, it’s all about the taste, and it’s simply not necessary to give a large amount.
When using peanut butter as a reward throughout training, he only needs a few licks every time he gets a command right. That’s it! This way, one tablespoon will last an entire training session.
If too much peanut butter is given, it will likely add too many additional calories and may lead to unwanted weight gain.
Should You Give Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter?
Honestly, this doesn’t really matter. Whichever one you prefer is the best answer!
You may have heard that crunchy peanut butter may be a choking hazard. This may be true if the peanut butter crunches are the size of golf balls, but I’ve never come across them to be this big… So, it’s highly unlikely to cause a choking hazard.
If you want to be sure, stick to creamy!
Creamy also has the benefit of smearing onto plates easier, plus it also digests easier. Creamy it is.
The Best Ways To Give Your Dalmatian Peanut Butter
Peanut butter plays the role of a high-value reward, that your Dalmatian will LOVE.
This means it’s important to only give it to him when he truly deserves it, this will it won’t lose its appeal and it will work extremely well when you need to use it.
Training rewards:
Peanut butter acts as an awesome training reward. When you are teaching your Dalmatian basic commands like sit, stay, down, and come here, it’s better to have a reward that makes obeying your commands worth it. This will improve your Dalmatian’s willingness to learn, and he’ll enjoy training in the future.
Preventing fussy eating:
If you know that your Dalmatian is just leaving his food because he’s bored with it. You can make it much more interesting and tasty by mixing a small amount of peanut butter into it. Always be careful with the calories, but this works a treat!… get it
Distracting him:
A dinner plate smeared with peanut butter will buy you 10 minutes of time to cut his nails, brush him, or give him a bath. The peanut butter will make him zone out while you get to work. Plus it will build positive associations with the task he previously disliked, and this will make it easier for you the next time.
Making DIY dog treats:
Peanut butter can be used in a range of recipes to make your own tasty, healthy dog treats. You can make super tasty banana and peanut butter chunks by mashing them together, separating them into small chunks, and popping them in the freezer. A high-value treat perfect for summer.
And the list goes on…
Whatever you use peanut butter for, just remember to give it when your Dalmatian deserves it, and keep it in moderation due to the calories.
Popular Dalmatian Articles:
● How To Effectively Manage a Shedding Dalmatian
● Do Dalmatians Calm Down? Ever!?
● Can Dalmatians Happily Live In Apartments?
Last Thoughts
Yes, your Dalmatian can eat peanut butter. But you should ensure that the peanut butter you are giving does not contain Xylitol or a high salt content. You should also ensure your Dalmatian does not have a peanut intolerance before giving him peanut butter.