I’m sure you’ve seen it all over on social media. Pet owners giving their dogs a spoonful of peanut butter. I have to admit, it’s cute.
Sometimes, we’ll surf all day and night looking for more videos of different dogs eating it.
Before you decide whether or not you should do the same for your dog; in particular, a German Shepherd, there are several factors you’ll want to consider. This article pertains to pet owners that own a German Shepherd(s).
Is it Safe to Eat?
The simple answer, yes. A canine can eat this type of snack. However, does that translate it to being healthy? Not exactly. As I’ve stated earlier, it’s cute to see your German Shepherd spend a long time eating this delicious snack.
I mean, it’s always cute seeing a giant canine just sitting there patiently, trying to finish his food. However, there are some things you need to take into consideration.
Health
First of all, you want to make sure that your pup is healthy. If your canine has any health problems or any other conditions then you might want to stay off that delicious snack.
It’s really important to know his or her health inside out. Remember, this is something that we humans eat, and just because we eat it doesn’t necessarily mean that our dogs should too.
Also, he or she might be allergic to it, just like how not all humans can eat it as well! If your dog has a bad reaction to it, then make sure you contact your vet immediately!
Here is a list of human food that your dog should avoid!
Calories
While you can feed your pet peanut butter, try not to feed too much of it. Depending on the brand, they can carry a lot of calories. Granted, your canine is more of a larger breed so they do need to intake more calories in their diet vs a smaller breed.
However, if your German Shepherd stays indoors and doesn’t get enough activity, then you should really look out for the calorie intake. The last thing you want is for your pet to gain some serious weight over time and soon enough they could have health issues.
Overnight
This one is common sense. How long has the jar been open? Even worse, what if you left the jar open before you went to bed?
Imagine waking up in the morning and you see your late night snack all over the house. That’s right, your pet was so curious that he or she decided to get some of your food! I mean, the taste is so amazing, how could they resist right?
You want to be careful and you want to make sure that you have full control of when you decide to give your pup peanut butter. An open jar overnight isn’t healthy (as it doesn’t start to separate oil to the top).
And remember, it has unhealthy fats which isn’t good for them! And why would anyone want to eat an open jar that’s left open overnight in the first place anyway?
Processed Sugar
The downside of giving this type of spread is that there are additional sweeteners such as xylitol which to me, might be harmful to canines. Any type of processed sugar is something to consider.
As you know, not just for pets, but sugar can cause all sorts of health conditions such as diabetes, food allergies, and it also feeds cancer cells. It’s always best that you seek a vet first to make sure whether or not you can give your delicious snack to your best pal.
Is there a Perfect Time in Giving this Snack?
There really is no proper time in giving your pooch peanut butter. But as I stated earlier, you want to give your German Shepherd (or any breed), this delicious spread on special occasions.
One of the best times to give it to your hound is when they are taking medicine. Let’s face it, a lot of our dogs hate taking medicine. To make it easier, putting the pill inside the spread will make it easier for them. Your best friend won’t know that it’s in there!
What Should You Do?
As always, you should take everything into moderation. You want to spoil your pooch here and there, but you don’t want to do it too much. Again, we always want our dogs to have a long and healthy life. You can check also check our guide to find the most popular dog foods in the market.
By giving them too much human food, it can cause them more harm than good. As always, you want to make sure that your canine isn’t deficient in their balanced nutrition. We’ve also created a list of popular German Shepherd foods that your canine will enjoy. Again, you can feed your dog peanut butter here and there, but try not to do it all the time!