The Dangerous Scoop on Peanut Butter and Your Pets

I love peanut butter, and not just for myself — I have specific jars of peanut butter in the house just for my dogs (because, I love them, but I’m not sharing my fancy all-natural stuff with them), and I use it for giving meds, stuffing Kongs, or just as an extra special treat. They love it, and, in small amounts, it’s not a bad treat for them to have.

Or so I thought.

Most peanut butter is okay, but some new peanut butters are hitting the market, and they’re really toxic to dogs. The issue is the inclusion of xylitol, a sweetener which is used in a whole lot of sugar-free foods (including those new types of peanut butter I just mentioned). It hardly ever gets labeled as dangerous for pets, but fact is, it’s extremely dangerous for our furry friends.

You can learn a little more about the topic from one of our favorites, Dr. Andy Roark, in the video below — he’s got the brands to watch for and everything. But, bottom line is this — xylitol, whether in peanut butter or any other food (jam, gum, mints, candies and more) is bad news for your four-legged crew. Make sure to read labels, and, if you have a product with xylitol in the house, make sure it’s always out of your dog’s reach, especially if you have a dog that likes to get into everything (*cough* Rudi *cough*)!

Do you feed your dogs any human foods? I do, but I’m super cautious about which foods they are, especially after learning about this! —Kristen