“Oh Those Delicious Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwiches”

By Deb Haines

Not all types of peanut butter are safe and not all amounts of peanut butter are safe, either. Xylitol is an increasingly common sugar-replacement sweetener that’s in hundreds of products, including some brands of peanut butter. It’s an “all natural” sugar substitute that’s fine for people, but it’s EXTREMELY POISONOUS TO DOGS and poisons thousands of dogs each year.

It’s no longer easy to say whether it’s safe to give even a small amount of peanut butter to your dog. And there’s a one-word answer as to why… Xylitol, You must always check the ingredients on the label.

Xylitol is a sweetener that’s gaining in popularity because of its dental benefits for people as well as its suitability as a sugar substitute for people with diabetes. Yet thousands of dogs are accidentally poisoned by xylitol every year.

The toxic dose of xylitol in dogs is even less than chocolate! For example, as little as 1.37 grams of xylitol can cause a rapid drop in a dog’s blood sugar (“hypoglycemia”) and result in staggering, disorientation, collapse, and seizures in a 30-pound dog*. If a dog of the same size ingested 6.8 grams, it could be enough to cause a debilitating and likely deadly destruction of the dog’s liver cells.

Regular peanut butter is not toxic to dogs. It’s important to read ingredient labels before feeding any human grade products to animals. If you are going to use peanut butter to give your dog treats or medicine, which many people do, it should only have peanuts, salt, and maybe sugar. Make sure it doesn’t have Xylitol. peanut butter without Xylitol is safe for dogs to eat. So, before putting a dollop of peanut butter on your dog’s food for their special day, be sure to read the ingredients label of the product. That goes for anything that you feed your pet. And for information on serving sizes and food nutrition for your pet, always consult your veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist.

How Much Peanut Butter is OK for Dogs?

A little bit of xylitol-free peanut butter for your dog will likely be perfectly fine — overdo it though, and you can give your dog a nasty (as well as painful and expensive) case of pancreatitis and/or contribute to obesity.

The exact amount of peanut butter will vary from dog to dog and from peanut butter to peanut butter (check the caloric count on the label). Generally speaking, small dogs should get no more than about 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter per day and larger dogs should get no more than about 1 tablespoon.

Is Peanut Butter and Jelly OK for Dogs?

Many types of jelly are made from fruits that you shouldn’t give your dog. Grapes are poisonous to dogs and can cause acute kidney failure. The same goes for raisins and currants.

Jams or jellies are very high in sugar and often highly processed and contain artificial flavors or preservatives, all of which are not good for dogs.

Jam is mostly sugar, and its high sugar content contains no nutritional value for dogs. Excessive amounts of (sugar) jams can cause inflammation throughout the body. Too much sugar can lead to diabetes in dogs.

Grape jelly

Grapes and grape containing products are poisonous to dogs. This includes grape jelly or juice, as well as dried grapes (raisins), and even currants which belong to the same family as grapes. The mechanism of poisoning is currently unknown, but grape poisoning can cause severe kidney failure in dogs.

Products made from real grapes, such as raisins, grape juice and grape jelly, have also shown to cause problems.

Questions and Answers from PVC vets

1. I know grapes are poisonous so I assume grape jelly is as well?

Dr. Emilie Viebranz -Reach ….. Grape jelly is actually not made from real grapes ( if you are referring to commercial ones and not something that is home made from actual grapes). If your dogs lick some here and there, no real harm; unless of course the jelly contains Xylitol ( just check ingredients to ensure Xylitol is not present). Most ‘grape’ products are usually flavored with something to imitate grape. To be sure, always check the ingredients. Even if the jelly has some grape extract on the ingredient list, it is not likely to be significant.

2. My dog got hold of peanut butter and is now vomiting, what should I do ?

Dr. Kristin true ….xylitol toxicity or pancreatitis. You need a vet exam immediately.

Please always check with your local veterinarian or emergency room.

Pet Vet Corner always recommends you establish a relationship with your local veterinarian before an emergency.