Dogs may consider anything you’re nibbling on just as alluring as a delicious New York steak — even if you are snacking with the lettuce leaves, not to mention that yummy almond butter! But the truth is, our dogs can’t eat the same things that we do, and when we are talking about human food, some things can be even toxic.
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Can dogs have almond butter?
In brief, yes. It’s a safe snack, and can even boast with some minor health benefits for the pup. And we will cover those in details in this article. But there are two primary rules to recall: if you are serving almond butter to canine it has to be plain with no extra-ingredients, including salt or sugar, added. And it only can be given to the dog on a special occasion in a small quantity – maybe a teaspoon per week.
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Is almond butter OK for dogs?
If it’s a tiny serving than your pup is going to be fine. Almond butter’s calories mostly come from fat. Too much fat is never good for your pet’s health, however, in small quantities, it may bring some improvements to your pup’s fur, skin, immune system, and more.
Is almond butter too fat for your pooch?
Just to put things in perspective, in 32 grams of almond butter (about two tablespoons), there are 18 grams of fat including two grams of saturated fat (the harmful one, increasing the “bad” cholesterol levels). Almond butter is also high in calories – containing approximately 200 calories per two tablespoons.
The same size serving has 14 grams of protein and two grams of fiber. And some more nutrients that are good for your pup including 1 mg vitamin B3 and 7.75 mg of Vitamin E. The first one is responsible for maintaining dog’s skin, fur, liver and eyes’ health. And the second one supports pup’s immune system and combats free radicals in his cells, keeping him younger.
Is almond butter bad for dogs?
If skip the fact that almond butter can be too fat if consumed in large quantities, there’s another issue to cover. In particular additional ingredients included in butter’s formula might be deadly for your dog.
Food authorities state when almond butter manufacturing companies try to create the product with fewer carbs or fewer fats they must to add components like Xylitol to substitute the things that have been taken out, like sugar, but keep the taste more or less the same.
(We’ve described how Xylitol affects dogs in more details in this article about pups and marshmallows)
Xylitol in almond butter and your dog
Xylitol is fine (well, at least not immediately deadly) to humans, particularly diabetics, because it does not affects the insulin levels.
But for dogs the impact is horrible. According to Martine Hartogensis, a veterinarian at FDA “When dogs eat something containing xylitol, the xylitol is more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, and may result in a potent release of insulin from the pancreas.”
The fast insulin release may cause a rapid drop in blood sugar level (also called hypoglycemia), which can happen within 60 minutes of consuming the xylitol. And when ignored this condition can promptly be turned into a life threat.
Is almond butter safe for dogs?
Almond butter isn’t poisonous or toxic to dogs.
But it can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort if your pup will overeat of it, because of the fats’ excess in nuts. And almonds in the form of the butter contain even more fats because some oil is added during the production process. An extreme amount of fat in your pet’s nutrition over time can contribute to the development of pancreatitis. So if you think of adding almond butter to your pup’s diet, moderation is a vital principle.
Almond butter and dogs. Summary
Dogs cannot have ANY variety of almond butter. But it’s fine to share a small serving of all-natural almond butter with no preservatives, sugar, salt, etc. added.
An excellent option for canines is natural (organic, e.g. Wild Soil made ONLY with almonds and no other ingredients) almond butter without any added ingredients like hydrogenated oils, salt, sugar, sugar-substitutes or other flavorings and preservatives.
And double-check that there’s no Xylitol amongst the ingredients of the almond butter you’ve decided to go for. And of course, remember about those calories. A rare teaspoon of almond butter is OK for your dog, for the sake of variety, but please, don’t overdo it. And if you are wondering if recommendations for almond milk are any different, check out our full guide with vet’s comments Can Dogs Have Almond Milk?.
