Do you love peanut butter and wonder if your dog does too? Are you asking yourself “Can germans shepherds eat peanut butter and peanuts?” Well, keep reading to find out why they’re great for dogs. And the reasons they can quickly become deadly!
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Can German Shepherds Eat Peanut Butter And Peanuts?
Peanut and peanut butter can be a great addition to your german shepherd’s diet when given in moderation. They’re full of nutrients that can help keep your pup healthy. However, be warned, there are cases where peanut butter can quickly become toxic to your dog.
What Makes Peanuts & Peanut Butter Good For German Shepherds?
Before you find out why peanut butter can be deadly to your german shepherd, here are the reasons you should consider feeding peanuts to your dog. After all, they’re both filled with a lot of nutrients.
Protein
- Protein is one of the main building blocks needed in your german shepherd’s diet. It’s responsible for repairing muscles and helping them grow, as well as building other tissue.
- Just like carbohydrates and fat, it’s also going to provide your german shepherd with the energy they need to move around.
- It’s also going to help your pup’s body create hormones and enzymes that keep the body regulated and healthy.
- Lastly, protein keeps your german shepherd’s immune system strong, so they’re a lot less likely to become sick!
(According to PetMD.)
Magnesium
- Magnesium is one of the key ingredients needed to help your german shepherd’s body work. It helps their heart to beat, muscles move, and nervous system signaling.
- As well as this it also facilitates the energy production in your dog’s cells, which are necessary for movement.
- If your dog doesn’t have enough magnesium in their diet, they’re at an increased risk of suffering from heart arrhythmia, diabetes, kidney problems, and muscle tremors.
(According to WagWalking.)
Phosphorous
- Phosphorous is needed for a lot of your dog’s kidney function. It’s going to help their kidneys flush out any toxins in their bodies.
- It also helps their muscles contract. This may not sound like much but it’s necessary for everything they do.
- As well as this, it also helps them keep a steady heart rate, especially when they’re exercising.
- It combines with other enzymes in the body that aid your pup too.
- Phosphorous is also necessary for the process of transferring stored energy into useable energy.
(According to Bully Ade.)
Zinc
- The right amount of Zinc is necessary for making sure the immune system isn’t overactive or underactive.
- It also helps your german shepherd’s digestive tract.
- It has an important role in thyroid function too.
(According To Dog Time.)
Niacin (Vitamin B3)
- Niacin helps blood flow throughout your german shepherd’s body.
- It’s also needed to help keep their skin healthy.
- Niacin aids your pup’s digestion as it’s necessary for the secretion of bile and stomach acid.
- It lowers cholesterol in dogs as well.
- And it can also help improve memory in dogs.
(According to Total Health Magazine.)
Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B6 helps stabilize blood sugar levels. If your dog has any blood sugar diseases such as diabetes, it’s great at helping to keep them regulated.
- It helps dogs absorb fat and protein.
- It’s needed to maintain normal brain function.
- Lastly, vitamin B6 helps with red blood cell production.
(According to Total Health Magazine.)
What Ingredient Can Make Peanut Butter Deadly?
While there’s a lot of great reasons to feed your german shepherd butter. There is one thing to be aware of. Recently some manufacturers have been including Xylitol in their peanut butter.
It’s a sugar substitute that’s safe for humans but deadly for dogs. So before feeding your german shepherd peanut butter, make sure that there isn’t any Xylitol in it.
At the moment there are four well-known peanut butter’s that contain Xylitol. Go Nuts, Krush Nutrition, Nuts ‘N More, and P28 Foods. While you should definitely avoid these brands, your own due diligence is still needed before giving your german shepherd peanut butter.
What Are The Symptoms Of Xylitol Poisoning?
If your german shepherd consumes xylitol you’ll often notice the following symptoms.
- Weakness
- Vomiting
- Collapsing
- Trembling and tremoring
- Seizures
- Racing heart
- Diarrhea or black-tarry stool
- Jaundiced gums
- Bruising
- And in worst-case scenarios, death.
If you suspect that your german shepherd has ingested xylitol you should take them to the vets immediately.
What’s The Peanuts & Peanut Butter For German Shepherds?
When you’re choosing peanuts and peanut butter for your german shepherd, try to go as natural as possible.
The peanuts should be unsalted, and the peanut butter should have no preservatives, or sugar in them. The best choice is to buy peanut butter that only contains peanuts (such as this one).
If you don’t want to buy peanut butter, you can also make your own easily too. (There’s a recipe at the end of this article.)
How Much Peanut Butter Should You Feed Your German Shepherd?
As a very general rule of thumb, you should give your german shepherd 10% treats and 90% normal food in their diet. However, it’s even better if you ask a vet.
Generally, however, you should limit the amount of peanut butter you feed your german shepherd as it’s high in fat.
Also, if your german shepherd is already overweight or suffering from a disease like diabetes it can often be better to avoid giving them diabetes.
Feeding your german shepherd too much peanut butter can make them overweight as well as creating lots of other health problems.
Can You Give Your German Shepherd Peanut Butter And Jelly?
It’s generally not a good idea to give your german shepherd peanut butter and jelly. Jelly is a lot higher in sugar and preservatives that will lead to weight gain.
As well as this, some fruits can be poisonous to your german shepherd, and potentially fatal.
So if you do plan on feeding your german shepherd a treat, just stick to peanut butter, not peanut butter and jelly.
(However, if you want to give your german shepherd fruit, some great fruits to give your them include apples, strawberries, watermelon, and oranges though.)
Can German Shepherds Be Allergic To Peanuts
In some cases, german shepherds can be allergic to peanuts. And the symptoms of an allergic reaction are pretty similar in dogs and humans.
If you think your german shepherd is having an allergic reaction to peanuts, then you’ll need to take them to the vets.
In severe cases, signs of an allergic reaction include swelling of the body, collapsing, trouble breathing, vomiting, and diarrhea.
If it’s less serious you may notice ear infections, their coat looking thinner, itchiness (such as chewing their paws), and problems with their anal glands.
And if you’re not sure whether your german shepherd can eat peanuts or not, once again, be sure to seek the guidance of a vet beforehand.
What Are The Best Ways To Feed Your German Shepherd Peanuts Or Peanut Butter?
There are a lot of great ways to feed your german shepherd peanut butter. In fact, you can often use it as a way to entertain them! Here are some of the best ways.
- Freezing it and giving it to them as a summer treat is a great way of helping them cool down.
- Using it as a sealant on their kong, makes it more challenging for them to get treats out.
- Try mixing it with other treats to make their treats more exciting (bananas are also great for german shepherds).
- And of course, why not mix it into their dinner or breakfast to make it taste better!
BONUS: How To Make Dog-Friendly Home Made Peanut Butter
If you want to give your german shepherd peanut butter, then you can always make it yourself! And it’s incredibly easy.
Simply buy unsalted, roasted peanuts and add them to a blender. Then keep blending them for about 3 or 4 minutes. At first, it won’t look like peanut butter, however, the longer it blends the more oil will be released.
Once the oil is released it will start to look more like peanut butter, until it’s eventually blended up enough!
As you can see it’s not hard at all to make peanut butter!
Interested In Training Your German Shepherd The Right Way?
If you haven’t trained your German Shepherd properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact, you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!
And in most cases it’s still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your German Shepherd completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT.
And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!
So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior, or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!
(You can also check out a full review here, to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)
Recap
There’s a lot of information to take in here. But to answer the question “can german shepherds eat peanut butter and peanuts?” the answer is YES! As long as it’s in moderation.
Here are a few of the main points to remember:
- Peanuts and peanut butter are great because they contain protein, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, and vitamin b6.
- Avoid any peanut butter that contains xylitol.
- When you’re choosing peanuts or peanut butter for your german shepherd make sure there are no other ingredients, such as salt or sugar.
- You should avoid feeding your german shepherd too much peanut butter as it has a lot of fat in it. As a rule of thumb, all of the treats you give your german shepherd should only make up 10% of their diet.
- Don’t give your german shepherd peanut butter and jelly as it’s too high in sugars, preservatives and your pup could be poisoned.
- Just like us, german shepherds can be allergic to peanuts.
- And remember, if you’re not sure about any food, make sure you consult a vet before giving it to your dog.
If you liked this article make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day.
