Can Dogs Eat Peanuts? Is It Safe for Dogs?

Who doesn’t love peanuts and I am not talking about Charlie brown and Snoopy from the beloved comic strip ‘PEANUTS’, I am talking about those crunchy and chewy nuts that are loved by all (well maybe not by people who have allergies).

Peanuts are quite popular among people from salty to flavoured ones, peanuts have been around the block since forever. While being people’s favourite, it’s also one of those things that our dogs love to have when they see us eating some.

Unfortunately, usually not all nuts can be consumed by dogs and we as owners have to beware of certain kind of nuts that are toxic for our shaggy friends.

There is a lot of information available on the internet related to dogs and nuts, while some agree with giving peanuts to dog’s others definitely tend to disagree.

Read more: Is cinnamon poisionous for dogs

The truth is – well I’ll let you figure it out. While we discuss the pros and cons of dogs eating peanuts, there are certain nuts you should definitely prevent your pets from getting their paws on.

Now there is one thing that you can rest assured for – peanuts are not toxic for dogs. However, it’s no-brainer that like any other human food we have to keep a close eye on our sneaky pets to prevent them from consuming certain variety and also quantity of peanuts.

While peanuts are not toxic they do tend to be a source of fat when mixed with other ingredients to make biscuits, cookies and dog treats. So it’s important to look out for you pet before feeding it peanuts because digesting fat can be a hard task for your lovely dogs.

Find more: Can dogs eat carrots cooked

It can lead to stomach ache, indigestion, sometimes diarrhea, vomiting etc. Pancreatitis is also caused by consuming too much fat and the treatment of this is quite painful for your dog. Therefore prevention is better than cure.

Dogs & Peanuts Infographic

PEANUTS OR NO PEANUTS:

So, yes you can give your dog peanuts whether it is roasted, boiled or raw but always remember to give unsalted ones which don’t contain artificial flavor or colors. Also, make sure it doesn’t have any shell particles as the rough exterior shell of peanuts can cause harm to you dog’s digestive system.

It’s a known fact for all dog owners that salt is very harmful to dogs, and if you are new to this, I am sure this information would now help you to take better care of your pet.

If you are planning to give your dog a special treat from the usual store bought ones, keep in mind to prevent adding salt as an ingredient in whatever you are preparing for you pooch.

Learn more: Can dogs eat fresh cantaloupe

If peanut is one of those treats you had planned for example peanut butter then make sure you use peanut butter that is low in salt. Your pet could suffer from sodium ion toxicosis if it consumes too much salt.

HARMFUL PEANUT BUTTER:

Peanut butter contains fats that are not good for your dog since peanut butter is made for the public, they add artificial ingredients and preservatives to increase their shelf life which might be really harmful to your pet.

It can cause heart disease, diabetes etc. Always check the ingredients to know whether the peanut butter you are buying doesn’t contain trans fats or hydrogenated fats.

Most peanut butter contains sugar to balance the salty taste and while it may appeal to us, it might have an adverse effect on our dogs. Peanut butter sometimes contains xylitol as a sugar substitute which is extremely dangerous to dogs.

You can avoid buying peanut butter which contains xylitol by checking for any natural sweetener or sugar alcohol included as an ingredient.

So if by any chance if you have accidentally fed your dog peanut butter which contained xylitol then immediately take your dog to the vet and get it checked as xylitol is often fatal for dogs.

PEANUT ALLERGIES:

Dogs sometimes develop allergies to certain food over time and therefore it’s always advised to monitor your dog’s food and health to know if there are any sudden degradation in health or if it’s affecting its daily activities.

Whenever you are introducing any new food to your dog that is made for the human consumption, make sure you read the label for any ingredients that might be harmful for your pet’s stomach.

Allergies develop after repeated exposure to certain stuff due to which we become ignorant of the dangers because initially, our dogs respond well to the product.

It so happens that many times our dogs eat peanut and peanut butter with great delight and show no signs of sickness or health issues but later on they develop some or the other reaction to it and their body starts rejecting the stuff.

So keeping this in mind always be careful whenever you are feeding your dog human food.

DO’s and DON’Ts:

The key to any new treat for a dog is to give it in moderation that way you can keep a check on your dog’s health if there is any sign of discomfort or sickness you can immediately stop giving them.

You must have always heard this advice that “ Don’t make it a daily habit” and that stand true for dogs too if you are planning to give your dog peanuts as a treat then don’t make it a habit remember it’s a treat not it’s daily food.

But as always consult your veterinarian before making any changes in your dog’s diet if you have any doubt in your mind.

So it’s all for you to decide what’s best for your dog, many times we find the information on the internet useful and it helps us to keep a check on our dog’s health but often making up our minds about certain human food for our dog becomes a web of confusion.

Therefore whenever you are worried about the best food for your pet always consult a Veterinarian or a professional who has a better understanding of your dog’s health.