Are Peanuts Safe for Dogs?

Can dogs eat peanuts? Are peanuts for dogs safe? These are some of the concerning questions that come to every parent's mind. This is because being a dog or puppy parent, one must have heard about the effects of nuts on a dog’s health. Several nuts can be fatal to a dog’s health. However, when it comes to the taste and interest of dogs, they like to have peanut butter. Thus, every parent wishes to get complete details of nuts that are safe for their pets and which are dangerous for their pets.

Can dogs eat peanuts and are peanuts safe for dogs?

Peanuts are completely safe for dogs’ health. However, one needs to understand the proportion in which dogs should be fed and in which form should be provided. Peanuts are rich sources of proteins and protein is an essential nutrient that is required to keep the health of dogs in check. One needs to ensure to feed your pet with peanuts that are unsalted, raw, dry roasted, and de-shelled. These peanuts are safe to use in dog treats and cookies, peanut butter dog treats, and various animal health supply products. Pet parents need to make sure that they only feed de-shelled peanuts to their pets as shells sometimes may become choking hazards.

Peanuts provide our pets with essential nutrients, such as vitamin E, vitamin B6, phosphorus, niacin, potassium, and several others. With that, it is important to take care of the proportion of fats used in these dog treats and cookies or even peanut butter for dogs. While peanuts are good for dogs, they contain high levels of fats, which can cause digestive problems if your dog eats too much.

Which forms of peanut should be avoided from feeding dogs?

In most cases, it is found that dogs face issues if consumed fats in large amounts. It affects their digestive problems. It can make their stomach upset by showing various symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, etc. The regular consumption of fats by dogs can lead to several painful conditions called pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is the inflammation of your dog’s pancreas.

Xylitol In Peanut Butter and dog treats: When it comes to peanut butter and peanut butter dog treats, it is good for dogs’ health and they also enjoy having it. Peanut butter is very rich in providing proteins to dogs. However, it is always recommended to check the ingredients used to prepare peanut butter before feeding it to the pooch. One of the most harmful ingredients for dogs that are used in making peanut butter is Xylitol. Xylitol can be fatal to dogs' health. Thus, various brands have now removed the usage of Xylitol in peanut butter and before purchasing any brand one should always check the ingredients used in making peanut butter for dogs. 

Xylitol is considered really toxic and sometimes deadly for dogs' health as it is a high substitute for sugar that is fatal for dogs. Xylitol once consumed by dogs gets absorbed into the bloodstream and it releases insulin from the pancreas. Releases of insulin results in a decrease in blood sugar levels. If it remains untreated low blood sugar levels in dogs become fatal to their health.

Avoid Salted Peanuts: Salted peanuts contain large quantities of sodium in it. Consumption of sodium in large amounts can be fatal to dogs’ health. Some dogs may suffer from salt poisoning because of much consumption of salted peanuts. Hence, it is recommended to use low-sodium peanuts or unsalted peanuts in it. 

Shelled Peanuts: Peanuts are small nuts and most of the time dogs consumed them directly that sometimes may get stuck in their throats. Shelled peanuts become too hard for dogs to chew. Thus, shelled peanuts become choking hazards in the throat resulting in several health issues in dogs.

Tips followed for feeding peanuts to dogs:

There are a few tips that one should take care of while feeding peanuts to dogs so that their health can be taken care of.

• Try to avoid feeding salted or unshelled peanuts.
• Ensure to feed only raw, unflavoured, and deshelled peanuts.
• Make sure to feed peanuts only in small amount as it contains fats.
• Make sure to feed dog treats that don’t contain xylitol in them or the dog treats or peanut butter that are made at home. 
• You can also try mixing some peanuts in dog treats.

What types of dogs should be avoided from feeding peanuts?

Some allergic reactions sometimes may occur in some dogs that are underlying health conditions. Here is a list of a few conditions in which a dog should be avoided from feeding peanuts:

Dogs With Kidney Issues: Peanuts for dogs or peanut butter dog treats contain large amounts of salt and sugar in them which is harmful to dogs undergoing any kidney conditions. It may also worsen kidney issues in dogs.

Dogs that have increased weight: Peanut butter is rich in fats contained and thus, is not good for overweight dogs or puppies. 

Dogs that are on special diets: Some dogs require extra care in their diet to maintain their overall health in check. Thus, it is recommended to not feed peanut butter to dogs that are on special or veterinary diets.

Which nuts are harmful to dogs?

There are varieties of nuts that are beneficial for humans but are very harmful to dogs' health. Some of them are almonds, walnuts, pistachios, raw cashews, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, pecans, hickory nuts, etc.

What symptoms or side effects that dogs can suffer from?

There may be some symptoms that one might notice if the pooch is showing allergic reactions to nuts. If you notice any of such symptoms, it is recommended to consult with the veterinarian immediately and take appropriate treatment for the same. The signs of allergic nuts reactions in dogs are as follows:

• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Breathing problems like trouble breathing or breathing too fast
• Hives
• Swelling around face and mouth

Final Thoughts:

In this article, we have tried to cover every aspect of feeding peanuts to dogs. Some pets are allergic to peanuts similar to humans. Hence, one should be very careful before feeding any nuts to their pets. Hence, it is always recommended to consult with the veterinarian once as per your dog’s age, life stage, and lifestyle to get complete details of whether and in which amount peanuts should be provided to dogs. 

Kwik Pets is here offering several peanut butter dog treats along with all the pet products you require to keep your pet healthy, happy, and engaged. Check various products for pets available at Kwik Pets by clicking here.