With our kids going back to school soon, peanut butter sandwiches will be filling their bags, and the peanut butter jar will probably be left open. We all know how curious are our dogs, and they won’t resist licking the jar empty of peanut butter. As dog owners, we should ask; Can Dogs Eat Peanuts or Peanut Butter?
Table of Contents
What are PEANUTS?
According to Wikipedia, peanut, also known as the groundnut and the goober, which is classified as Arachis hypogaea, is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. The botanical definition of a “nut” is a fruit whose ovary wall becomes very hard at maturity. Using this criterion, the peanut is not a true nut but rather a legume. However, for culinary purposes and in common English language usage, peanuts are usually referred to as nuts.
Nutritional Profile of PEANUTS?
Peanuts contain all the essential nutrients i.e. nutrients required for a normal physiological function that cannot be synthesized by the body, and thus must be obtained from a dietary source.
100 g of peanut contains the following:
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||
| Carbohydrates
|
21 g
|
Dietary fiber | 9 g |
| Fat
|
48 g
|
Saturated | 7 g |
| Monounsaturated | 24 g | Polyunsaturated | 16 g |
| Protein
|
25 g
|
Arginine | 3.001 g |
| Aspartic acid | 3.060 g | Glutamic acid | 5.243 g |
| Glycine | 1.512 g | Proline | 1.107 g |
| VITAMINS | |||
| Thiamine (B1) | (52%) 0.6 mg | Pantothenic acid (B5) | (36%) 1.8 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | (25%) 0.3 mg | Vitamin B6 | (23%) 0.3 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | (86%) 12.9 mg | Folate (B9) | (62%) 246 μg |
| Vitamin E | (44%) 6.6 mg | Vitamin C | (0%) 0.0 mg |
| MINERALS | |||
| Calcium | (6%) 62 mg | Phosphorus | (48%) 336 mg |
| Iron | (15%) 2 mg | Potassium | (7%) 332 mg |
| Magnesium | (52%) 184 mg | Zinc | (35%) 3.3 mg |
| Manganese | (95%) 2.0 mg | Water | 4.26 g |
- Units
- μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
- IU = International units
. In a 100 g serving, peanuts provide 570 calories and more than 20% of the Daily Value, DV of several vitamins such as B vitamins, vitamin E, several dietary minerals, such as manganese (95% DV), magnesium (52% DV) and phosphorus (48% DV), and dietary fiber. They also contain about 25 g protein per 100 g
What is PEANUT BUTTER?
Peanut butter is a food paste made from dry roasted peanuts. It usually contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sugar, or emulsifiers. Peanut butter is served as a spread on bread, toast, or crackers, and used to make sandwiches, for instance, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Peanut Butter is also used in a number of packaged foods, such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (made of chocolate-coated peanut butter), candy bars (e.g., peanut butter-flavored Snickers), and peanut-flavored granola bars. Peanut butter is popular in many countries. The United States is a leading exporter of peanut butter and itself consumes $800 million of peanut butter annually.
The nutritional profile of PEANUT BUTTER
Can Dogs Eat Peanuts or Peanut Butter
being rich in protein and vitamins, peanuts or peanut butter offer your dogs a protein-rich snack that can help your pet gain more muscle, stay healthy and live longer. However, every good thing can turn into a bad one if you weren’t careful! Can Dogs Eat Peanuts or Peanut Butter, but that depends on several factors like what type of peanuts/ peanut butter are we talking about, how big is your dog, how much are you offering them … etc
Precautions and considerations regarding PEANUTS/ PEANUT BUTTER
Can Dogs Eat Peanuts or Peanut Butter? YES, they can. However, when dealing with foods like Peanuts, one must take into consideration the nature of nutrients this food contains. For instance, Peanuts contain high levels of fat Which can cause digestive upset and even pancreatitis if your dog eats high-fat foods like peanuts on a regular basis or in large quantities.
In addition, salted peanuts contain more sodium than your pet needs and can be harmful to his health if ingested in large quantities, so stay away from salted peanuts!
How to serve your dog PEANUTS/ PEANUT BUTTER
Peanuts or peanut butter can be served in several ways. You can feed your dog raw unsalted peanuts as a treat from time to time but you need to pay attention to:
- Removing the peanut shell as the fibrous material can make a choking threat, especially for small dogs.
- If you already bought salted peanuts, try to wash the salt away as it can raise your dog’s sodium levels which are so not good for your pet!
- If you use peanuts as a treat for your dog, try to moderate how many peanuts you feed your pet, as too much can hurt your dog especially if you feed your dog peanut butter.
When it comes to Peanut Butter, your dog can have one or two spoons from time to time as a sweet treat. You can even mix it with other things. For example, you can use it to feed your dog it’s meds by taking them into a mixture of peanut butter. you can also make wet sugar-free bred sandwiches containing peanut butter, but be careful to not add more than 2 teaspoons of peanut butter to the sandwich. While feeding your dog peanut butter, you got to take into consideration the following:
- How much peanut better your dog can eat depends on his age/ size, small young pups can eat way less peanut butter than big elder dogs(daily intake is about 1 – 2 teaspoons a day).
- Even though peanut butter is usually safe for dogs to eat, some dogs may have peanut allergies. Signs of peanut allergies may vary from one dog to another, and include gastric distress, skin irritation, or hair loss. If your dog presents any of these or other signs of possible intoxication after eating peanut butter, stop feeding him a peanut butter and take him to the veterinarian, who will be able to diagnose a peanut allergy.
NOTE
According to cuteness.com Do NOT feed your dog peanut butter containing the artificial sweetener xylitol, a substance extremely toxic to dogs.
Xylitol is a substance used instead of sugar. It is found in things like gum and some chocolate and it is toxic to dogs. Therefore, avoid feeding your dog such foods, and always make sure you read the product description for any toxic components. If you do feed your dog something toxic or you saw any unfamiliar reactions, take it to the vet immediately.
