Is peanut butter good for a dog

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

Contributions sourced from

3 Best & Healthiest Peanut Butters For Dogs (50+ Tested)

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There is no denying that peanut butter is one of the most popular dog treats around. My dog cant get enough of it.

I love peanut butter because its so versatile.

I can

Use peanut butter to stuff my dogs kong toy
Smear peanut butter over a lickmat
When medicating my dog, I can use it to hide a pill to make it easier to give medicine

Or I can simply let my dog lick it off the spoon

The moment my pup hears me open a jar of peanut butter, he comes running.

However, it might surprise you to learn that peanut butter can be dangerous to dogs in more ways than one.

Today, Ill be sharing what these dangers are, as well as the top peanut butter brands for your dog.

All up, with help from our team of doggie taste-testers, a canine nutritionist and our in-house veterinarian, we reviewed over 50 different kinds of peanut butter.

Here are just a few of the different brands we tested

All to answer a simple question:

Which peanut butter is best for your dog?

Want the answer? Then read on.

Why Is Peanut Butter Unsafe for dogs?

Firstly, peanut butter is a high fat treat. Its unavoidable, even the healthiest types of peanut butter are high in fat.

Like with all high-fat foods, you should only give your dog peanut butter occasionally. Regular feeding can cause your dog to become overweight.

I dont have to tell you that an overweight dog is an unhealthy dog.

So, how much peanut butter should you give your dog?

Generally speaking, smaller dogs should get no more than 1/2 a tablespoon of peanut butter per day. Larger dogs should be given no more than 1 tablespoon per day.

But if your dog is at risk of pancreatitis, then you should avoid peanut butter altogether.

You see, pancreatitis can be brought on by high-fat foods, like peanut butter.

Risk factors of pancreatitis include being overweight and old age. However, some breeds are prone to the disease such as cavalier King Charles spaniels, Collies, miniature schnauzers and Yorkshire terriers.^[1]

Not sure if your dog is at risk of pancreatitis? You should speak to your vet before adding peanut butter to your dogs diet.

But even if your dog can eat peanut butter without risk, you still need to be careful

You see, there is an ingredient in some peanut butters that is a severe health hazard.

In fact, this ingredient has been responsible for killing thousands of dogs.

Im talking about xylitol

This is a bowl of xylitol. Looks like sugar, right?

Well, it kind of is

Xylitol is a sugar substitute found in many foods, including Peanut Butter and chewing gum its purpose is to give these foods a pleasant sweet taste.

Now, for you or me, xylitol is basically harmless.

But to dogs, even a small amount can be deadly.

Studies have proven that even a small amount of xylitol Can lead to hypoglycemia, liver disease and coagualopathy^[2][3]

Thousands of dogs are poisoned each year by eating food containing xylitol, including peanut butter.

To put it simply, feeding your pup xylitol sweetened peanut butter could be a death-sentence.

But your dog doesnt know this. He will happily gulp down peanut butter that contains xylitol unaware that this could be his last treat ever.

The problem is that dogs cant read.

Thats why its your job to examine the ingredients on your peanut butter carefully. If you see xylitol listed as an ingredient, dont give it to your dog save it for your human pals.

Fortunately, there are only a few peanut butter brands that use xylitol as an ingredient.

That peanut butter sitting in your pantry is probably safe for your dog.

The most popular brands of peanut butter, such as Jif, Skippy, Smuckers and Peter Pan are all xylitol-free. But

Just because your peanut butter is xylitol free doesnt mean its good for your dog.

Check the label

You see, many of the peanut butter brands contain sugar, preservatives, and other ingredients that you probably dont want your dog to eat. Most commonly:

1. Sugar Refers to sucrose, caramel, corn syrup molasses, and other forms. Some peanut butters add multiple types of sugar. While sugar may not be immediately harmful to dogs, it can lead to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes.^[4]

2. Mono and Diglycerides While a 2006 Study^[5] found no side effects in the blood work of beagles, Veterinarian, Dr. Sara Ochoa said its not an ideal ingredient to feed dogs and may lead to obesity and heart problems.

3. Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils Refers to a wide range of different oils. The exact oils will vary from brand to brand. Peanut butter is already a high-fat treat without these extra oils.

While these ingredients might make the peanut butter more spreadable or keep longer, they do not benefit your dog.

If your xylitol-free peanut butter contains one or more of the above ingredients, you might want to swap over to another brand.

Beware: natural or organic peanut butter brands can also contain these unwanted extra ingredients.

Take this jar of Natural Jif, for example

Sure, it might be natural, but it contains ingredients like sugar and palm oil that are best avoided.

The best solution? Make homemade peanut butter with a food processor. All you need is peanuts!

If you are time-poor like me, then crushing your own nuts probably isnt a realistic option. Thats why I buy my peanut butter from the store.

Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable store-bought brands that are free from unwanted ingredients. Ill be sharing the best dog-safe peanut butters in just a moment.

Whichever peanut butter you buy for your dog, always check the label!

The ideal peanut butter for dogs should contain two ingredients at most

Peanuts
Salt

Yep, thats it.

As for creamy or crunchy? Thats entirely your choice. I personally prefer smooth as I find it easier to spread over my pups Kong toy.

Best Peanut Butters For Dogs

After reviewing over 50 different peanut butters, we narrowed down our recommendations to just three.

These top picks hit the sweet spot between quality ingredients, price, availability and taste.

Best Smooth Peanut Butter

365 Every Day Value Smooth

Made from dry-roasted peanuts, this peanut butter contains no extra ingredients. Not even salt!

It doesnt get any more purer than 365 Everyday Value Organic Peanut Butter

It has just one ingredient. Organic Peanuts, grown right here in the USA.

Best of all, it tastes great. Technically, this article was supposed to find the best peanut butter for dogs. But being a peanut butter lover, I couldnt help myself I conducted an unofficial taste-test of each peanut butter too!

There is also a crunchy version available, but it does contain salt.

Be mindful that 365 Everyday Value makes a wide range of different peanut butters, all of which look very similar. However, many of these contain sugar and oils. Make sure you check the ingredients if you are grabbing a bottle from your local Wholefood its easy to confuse the jars.

The thick consistency made this smooth peanut butter perfect for kong toys and lick mats it would clump together without dripping onto the floor.

Its easy to see why 365 Everyday Value Organic Peanut Butter was our top pick as the best peanut butter for dogs. For the price, you wont find a tastier, healthier peanut butter. Highly recommended.

Best Chunky Peanut Butter

Teddie Super Chunky

A chunky organic peanut butter with a satisfying crunch

Perhaps you like you prefer the texture of chunky peanut butter and want to share that crunchy experience with your dog.

Not a problem, Teddie Super Chunky Peanut Butter has you covered. Made in America from USA grown peanuts, this peanut butter is as natural as it is delicious (very!)

Best of all, crunchy peanut butter is perfectly safe for dogs to eat. The nuts are crushed small enough that they shouldnt pose a choking hazard, even in small breeds like chihuahuas.^[6]

Just like our previous recommendation, the chunky peanut butter worked well as stuffing inside kong toys and smearing over lick mats.

However, I did notice the occasional piece of nut come loose and make its way onto my floor. It is for this reason that if you are stuffing a dog toy, I recommend choosing smooth peanut butter instead.

Oh, and if you are looking for peanut butter to share with your dog, then I can confirm that its just as delicious for humans.

While Teddie also makes an unsalted version, its considerably more expensive even if you grab it from the shelf of your local Walmart. Even so, if we were to recommend an unsalted chunky peanut butter, it would be our top pick.

Best Healthy Boosting Peanut Butter

Poochie Butter

Peanut butter with a unique blend of natural ingredients to boost your pups health

Dry Roasted Peanuts
Coconut Oil
Tumeric
Parsley
Ginger
Cinnamon (Cassian)

Wouldnt it be great if your pups peanut butter treat could improve your pups health? Well, thats the idea behind Poochie Butter, a peanut butter designed just for dogs.

Poochie Butter has 6 natural ingredients that may provide health benefits to your pup.

Ingredients including Tumeric may have anti-inflammatory properties^[7] and coconut oil, which may help maintain healthy skin and coat.^[8]

Now, I must warn you that this peanut butter is slightly runnier than our other recommendations especially if you live in a warm environment

While this did make the peanut butter significantly easier to spread, it came at a drawback. It wasnt suitable for stuffing dog toys.

I, unfortunately, discovered this when filling my pups Kong Extreme chew toy. The thinner consistency allowed it to slowly leak out over time A peanut butter puddle nearly sent me slipping across my hardwood floor!

I was able to get around this by putting the Poochie Butter in the fridge to harden it up. However, I cant see this method working well in warm weather.

Oh, and this one isnt for sharing. Curiosity got the better of me, and I had to have a taste. Its definitely not for me I wont be smearing this one across my toast.

Fortunately, our dogs couldnt taste the difference.

Unfortunately, Poochie butter doesnt come cheap. For the same price, you could buy five bottles of our top pick.

But if you are looking for an all-natural peanut butter that is free from sweeteners, preservatives, and other nasties, Poochie Butter is worth checking out especially if you are trying to introduce one of the health boosting ingredients to your dogs diet.

Runner Up Peanut Butters for Dogs

The following are commonly bought natural peanut butters and would also make great peanut butters for dogs. However, they didnt make our top picks due to either availability, price, flavor, or texture.

Adams Natural Creamy/Crunchy
Adams Natural Organic Creamy/Crunchy
Adams Natural Unsalted Creamy/Crunchy
Crazy Richards Creamy/Crunchy
Fix & Fogg Creamy/Crunchy
Good & Gather Organic Stir Creamy/Crunchy
Great value Organic Creamy/Crunchy
Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy/Crunchy
MaraNatha Organic Creamy/Crunchy
Peanut Butter & Co Old Fashioned Smooth/Crunchy
Smuckers Natural
Smuckers Organic Creamy/Chunky
Trader Joes Salted Creamy/Crunchy
Trader Joes No Salt Creamy/Crunchy
Woodstock Farms Unsalted
Woodstock Farms Easy Spread

Note: Manufacturers may add, change, or remove ingredients without warning. Always read the label before buying peanut butter you intend to feed your dog.

The unhealthy peanut butters that didnt make the cut

The following commonly bought peanut butters are not recommended for dogs because they add sweeteners, preservatives, transfats, or other unnecessary ingredients.

Adams No-Stir Creamy/Crunchy
Amazon Brand (Happy Belly) Creamy/Crunchy
DogsButter
Great Value Creamy/Crunchy
Good & Gather Creamy/Crunchy
Jiff Creamy/Crunchy/Extra Crunchy
Jiff Natural Creamy/Crunchy
Jiff (Simply Jiff)
Jiff (Reduced Fat)
Justins Classic Peanut Butter
Kong Real Peanut Butter
MaraNatha No-Stir
Peanut Butter & Co Smooth/Crunchy
Peter Pan Original Creamy/Crunchy
Peter Pan Natural Creamy/Crunchy
Reeses Peanut Butter
Skippy Creamy/Crunchy
Skippy Natural Creamy/Crunchy
Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy/Crunchy
Smart Balance Naturalk Creamy/Crunchy
Woodstock Farms Classic

Note: Manufacturers may add, change, or remove ingredients without warning. Always read the label before buying peanut butter you intend to feed your dog.

The Dangerous Peanut Butters (Contain Xylitol)

These are the peanut butters that you cannot give your dog under any circumstances.

If you have a dog in your home, its best to swap over to one of the brands recommended above.

Krush Nutritions Nutty By Nature
Go Nuts, Co. Peanut Butter
Nuts N More
P28 High Protein Peanut Spread

Have you come across another peanut butter sold in the USA that contains xylitol? Let me know in the comments so I can add it to the list.

How to Keep Your Natural Peanut Butter Spreadable

While natural peanut butter is ideal for dogs, it does have a bad habit of separating. If you look at your peanut butter, you might notice the oil rising to the top of the jar.

This is a normal behavior of true peanut butters that contain just peanuts and maybe a pinch of salt.

Here is a simple trick to stop your natural peanut butter from separating