Can Dogs Eat Peanuts? Risks and Benefits of Peanuts for Dogs

Dogs can eat a small number of raw, unsalted peanuts as an occasional treat, but peanuts and other human foods should never replace daily servings of dog food or kibble in your pet’s diet.

Avoid feeding your dog salted peanuts or roasted peanuts since the sodium and oil in these foods could be harmful to your dog. Use these same guidelines with almonds and pistachios. Never feed your dog pecans or macadamia nuts since both contain toxins that can cause severe health issues in dogs.

Dogs can eat peanut butter so long as the recipe doesn’t contain xylitol (an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute), which can cause a dog’s blood sugar to drop, or other ingredients that might cause an allergic reaction. If it contains safe ingredients, pet owners might use natural peanut butter to busy their dogs with a puzzle toy or to mask the flavor of medicine in dog treats.

Although dogs can eat peanut butter, they cannot eat all nut butters. For instance, dogs can tolerate cashews but not macadamia nuts. Always check with your vet or another credible source before feeding your pet anything out of the ordinary. Additionally, you should give them peanut butter in moderation—too much poses a problem for pet health in terms of both stomach upset in the short run and obesity in the long run.

Consider a few of the health benefits your dog could enjoy from eating small portions of raw, shelled, and unsalted peanuts:

• Boosted energy levels: Peanuts contain several essential vitamins and minerals that benefit your dog’s skin health, metabolism, and cognitive function. Some of these vitamins include vitamin E, vitamin B6, and niacin.
• Improved heart health: Peanuts are high in calories, but a significant amount of those calories come from heart-healthy fats, such as omega-6 amino and oleic acids. The high fat content in peanuts and peanut butter can be also be a good energy source for your dog in small doses.
• Improved muscular recovery: Legumes like peanuts can be good sources of plant-based protein, which helps rebuild torn muscle fibers after rigorous exercise and could increase your pet’s lean muscle mass.

Consider the various health risks associated with peanuts before you feed them to your dog. Here are just a handful of the potential negative outcomes:

• Allergic reaction: Slowly introduce peanuts to your dog and monitor them closely for swelling, difficulty breathing, or any other common signs of a peanut allergy. If you learn your dog has a severe peanut allergy, seek guidance from your veterinarian and purchase dog food from manufacturers who guarantee nut-free processing.
• Choking: A canine has four molars in the back of its mouth to grind peanuts into smaller, manageable pieces. Peanut shells, however, are dry and difficult to swallow and pose a choking hazard for your pet.
• Digestive problems: Common signs of digestive problems in dogs after peanut consumption can include loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. If your dog shows any of these symptoms, withhold food for a day and slowly introduce broth, rice, and chicken or another light meat, like turkey.
• Obesity: Dogs break down excess carbohydrates to glucose, a sugar that their bodies store as fat if they don’t use it right away as energy. Obesity can lead to several health problems, so limit high-calorie snacks like peanut butter to a few servings per week and ensure your dog gets adequate exercise.
• Pancreatitis: Overeating peanuts—or any fatty food—could contribute to rapid weight gain in your pet. Obesity can lead to inflammation of the pancreas. Signs of pancreatitis include a hunched back, lethargy, or repeated vomiting. If you suspect your dog has pancreatitis, bring your pet to a veterinarian to receive treatment as soon as possible.
• Sodium-ion poisoning: Small amounts of salt can cause thirst or mild dehydration in your dog; however, large quantities of salt, such as in salted peanuts, could result in sodium-ion poisoning. Common symptoms of this include gastrointestinal issues, fever, and, in rare cases, seizures or death.

Certain human foods can cause adverse reactions in canines, so always consult your veterinarian to determine whether it is safe to add these foods to your pet’s diet. This article is for educational and informational purposes and is not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.

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