Yes, Jif peanut butter is safe for dogs – in moderation. However, there are a few things you need to know and look out for before you give your dog this tasty treat!
What Makes Jif Peanut Butter Ok For Dogs To Eat?
The reason why some peanut butter is not safe for dogs is the inclusion of Xylitol. This product is an artificial sweeter which some manufacturers use to make sugar free products. While this ingredient is fine for humans, dogs react badly to it and it needs to be avoided at all costs!
Fortunately, Jif uses real sugar and not artificial. However, you should check the ingredients list every time you buy anyway! There’s no telling when or if a manufacturer will change ingredients, and they aren’t thinking about dogs when they make this stuff.
Be vary wary of “reduced sugar” or “less sugar” because in most cases, it means they have simply replaced it with a harmful artificial product and not removed it entirely. (However, Jif’s “no sugar added” formula seems to be artificial sweetener free at the time of writing.)
Dogs that ingest Xylitol experience a rapid insulin release. For your dog, this is very dangerous, because it can send blood sugar levels dropping to deadly levels. It can happen in as little as 10 minutes, and if you believe your dog has accidentally eaten an artificial sweetener you should call the vet.
Look out for weakness, collapse, staggering, lack of coordination, or seizures. These are serious signs of distress and you should go to the vet immediately, or your dog may die.
Is Jif Peanut Butter GOOD For Dogs Though?
In moderation, peanut butter is perfectly healthy and can even be beneficial for dogs! It’s got lots of healthy fats and protein, but it’s also very calorie dense. So, it’s easy for dogs to get fat if they eat too much of it, which can be dangerous for their health.
Many pup parents like to fill kong toys with peanut butter when they are away from their dogs to keep them busy. This is a great use for it as long as you don’t over feed.
It’s also best to get peanut butter with lower sodium if you can, but no salt peanut butter is not always available, unfortunately.
How Much Peanut Butter Should You Give Your Dog?
This depends on the size of your dog, but you should keep in mind that there are 200 calories in 2 TBSP of Jif peanut butter. A 20 pound dog only needs a little over 400 calories per day! As you can see, it’s very easy to over feed your dog and create a weight problem.
So, measure accordingly and only give them a very small amount. Particularly if you have a small breed dog that can’t handle many calorie dense foods. You may also want to mix it up with lower calorie treats like healthy fruits and veggies that are also dog friendly!
Jif Peanut Butter Ingredients List
(Dog Safe!)
Roasted Peanuts, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed And Soybean), Mono And Diglycerides, Molasses, Sugar, Salt.
