tag

Search

Is Peanut Butter Toxic For Your Dog?

Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print

Most people never ask the question, “Can dogs eat peanut butter?”

If you already know the answer, you know more than most pet owners (and even many veterinarians!) …

… because most people don’t know that one of the top-selling dog treats of all time is bad for dogs.

Like really bad.

Yet pet stores stack their shelves with peanut butter flavored products.

And if you think that a Kong stuffed with organic, sugar-free peanut butter is safer than those treats …

… the answer I’ll share soon will surprise you.

Because when I’m done, you’ll want to move peanut butter to the naughty – and downright dangerous – snack food list.

Here’s why peanut butter is toxic to your dog …

1. Most Peanut Butter Contains Aflatoxins (Which Cause Cancer)

Don’t know what aflatoxins are?

They’re naturally-occurring mycotoxins produced by a fungus called Aspergillus.

And peanuts have them in spades.

Aflatoxins are one of the most carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances on the planet … and they can be toxic to the liver.

Research shows aflatoxin causes liver cancer in laboratory animals and is a risk for your dog too.

In fact, even the FDA warns about the risks of aflatoxin (AF) exposure, in their Bad Bug Book:

From acute exposure: Acute exposure to high doses of AFs can result in aflatoxicosis, with the target organ being the liver, leading to serious liver damage. AFs inhibit the normal functions of the liver, including carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and protein synthesis.

From chronic exposure at sublethal doses: cancer, impaired protein formation, impaired blood coagulation, toxic hepatitis, and probable immunosuppression. In animals, AFs may cause, in addition, reduced weight gain and reduced feed-conversion efficiency.”

And you can’t avoid these … even when buying that fancy, fresh store-made peanut butter.

Study Of Aflatoxins In Peanut Butter

A few years ago, a Consumers Union study reviewed the levels of aflatoxins in peanut butter.

They found that the toxin level varied from brand to brand. And this may surprise you …

The lowest levels were in big brands like:

  • Peter Pan
  • Jif
  • Skippy

The highest levels were in the peanut butter that’s ground fresh in health food stores.

But keep reading, before you break out the Jif.

2. Most Peanut Butter Contains Harmful Fats

Trans-fatty acids are one of the most toxic food substances today. Trans fats are the result of a highly toxic process that makes foods more stable.

This process is hydrogenation. It’s what allows trans fats to sit on the shelves for a long time.

In hydrogenation … they take a plant oil, add a nickel catalyst, heat it, and then remove the nickel catalyst.

The result is toxic fat. And it’s linked to chronic inflammation that causes diseases like …

  • diabetes
  • heart disease

So … check the labels for trans fats before you buy your peanut butter. If you see hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients …

leave it on the supermarket shelf!

And if trans fats weren’t bad enough, roasting nuts can also cause the fats in peanuts to go rancid.

So if you must feed peanut butter, then at the very least … make sure it’s raw and free of hydrogenated fats.

But of course, you’ll still have to deal with the aflatoxins … they’re nearly impossible to get away from.

3. Most Peanut Butter Contains Sugar

Think of white sugar as food for all the nasty things we take our dogs to the vet for. Issues like …

  • yeast (candida)
  • bacteria
  • parasites
  • and cancer!

The more we eat, the more they feast!

Sugar can also cause diabetes, food allergies, premature aging, and low-level inflammation. And it feeds cancer cells.

And, here’s something you might not know … some peanut butter manufacturers add deadly xylitol to their ingredients! Xylitol can kill dogs … and there’s no antidote.

So check the ingredients and never buy anything with Xylitol for your dog.

4. Peanut Butter Has Unbalanced Fats

Peanuts are high in good monounsaturated fats but … their ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats is terrible!

One cup of peanuts contains 35578 mg of omega-6 fatty acids and only 196 mg of omega-3 fats.

Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can trigger inflammation. And too much inflammation is bad.

The most common inflammatory conditions in dogs include allergies and joint disease.

5. Peanut Butter Contains Glyphosate

It’s well known that farmers spray GMO crops with Roundup and other herbicides to prevent weeds. But it turns out that isn’t the only time they’re used.

7 to 10 days before harvest, it’s common practice to spray certain crops with herbicides.

This pre-harvest spray helps farmers increase their bottom line in 4 ways. It …

  1. initiates an earlier harvest.
  2. produces a larger yield.
  3. makes it easier for farm machinery to harvest the crops without strain.
  4. allows for earlier replanting.

The problem is, this pre-harvest spray contaminates the crop with glyphosate … the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides.

And glyphosate is really dangerous for you and your dog.

A recent study found that exposure can increase cancer risk by 41%. In 2015, the World Health Organization identified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. Some countries have even banned it.

And recently, juries have awarded some big payouts to people harmed by glyphosate. 

To make matters worse … when they spray glyphosate right before the harvest, the crop directly absorbs it. You can’t wash it off!

And peanuts are one of the crops that get sprayed pre-harvest. Even some of the top brands use peanuts contaminated with glyphosate.

In 2018 the Health Research Institute tested a popular brand of peanut butter … Skippy. They found that Skippy Natural Peanut Butter with Honey contained 11.71 ng/g of glyphosate.  

So … this is another powerful reason to find a better alternative to peanut butter for dogs.

6. Peanut Butter Contains Lectins

Lectins are proteins made by plants as a defence mechanism against predators. They create an inflammatory response in the animal that eats them, which makes them sick … and they avoid that food in future.

Lectins can also bind to carbohydrates and sugars in the body and interrupt messaging between cells and inflammatory reactions.  They can also interfere with the proper absorption of vitamins, minerals and important proteins. 

This is why lectins are called anti-nutrients.

Here’s why lectins are potentially dangerous …

Lectins can cause gut inflammation, which irritates the cells lining the digestive tract and causes them to open up. This is called leaky gut

When leaky gut is present, lectins and other food particles escape into the bloodstream, where they trigger an inflammatory response and systemic inflammation. 

If chronic, low-grade inflammation persists, it can cause most chronic organ disease, such as heart and kidney disease, arthritis, allergies and even cancer. 

Peanuts and other legumes have the highest lectin content of any food group. 

Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter?

With these risks lurking in peanut butter … it’s time to skip the Skippy!

Instead give your dog a nice raw bone, dehydrated liver or another healthy delicious snack!

5 minutes a day. Healthier Dog.

Get important health plans from vets & experts. It’s natural and it’s free.

START MAKING YOUR OWN DOG FOOD TODAY

Get instant access to easy-to-make and affordable recipes. Plus get new recipes delivered right to your inbox.

Recipe Cards for Making Raw Dog Food

Related Posts