Peanut Butter
 

Since I’ve had Jax, my almost eight month old yorkie pup, I’ve read a lot about pancreatitis, which seems to be one of those diseases that yorkies are particularly prone to suffer. I’ve also read that too much fat in the diet can be one of the causes. Which leads to my question.

Jax, you might recall from my intro, came to me, undernourished and only 26 ounces, at three months of age. At the vet’s recommendation, I kept puppy nutrical on hand in case of an attack of hypoglycemia. Luckily, he never had an attack, but he kept me in a constant state of worry because he was super active and energetic, but he was not a good eater, often going twelve hours or more paying no attention to his food. In particular, he wasn’t and still isn’t a morning eater. There’s food in front of him, but he has no interest.

So when he was so tiny and I was so worried, I got in the habit of giving him a tiny bead of the nutrical to lick off my finger in the morning, if he hadn’t eaten since the night before. I’ve read, subsequently, many people advise against doing that as a preventative, but I did ask my vet, and she saw no problem with doing it.

Well, when he finally got up to three pounds and six months, I stopped worrying so much, but Jax still expected something to lick off my finger in the morning. He’s not at all food motivated, but this he definitely enjoyed. So I substituted a tiny smear of peanut butter, which he still expects every morning.

Which leads back to the subject of pancreatitis. Is this tiny amount of peanut butter, which is obviously a high fat food, dangerous for him? Ie, will it likely lead to pancreatitis? He’s not at all fat, in fact I still worry he’s a bit thin. And he’s very, very energetic. But I’m a worrier, and I haven’t been able to see the vet for a while because of the pandemic, so I haven’t been able to ask.

Lots of people give dogs peanut butter and never have issues. I was using it to get pills into my older girl and she has Cushings which can put her at a higher risk for pancreatitis but she had no issues. I think it’s fine in my opinion. Just make sure that it’s peanut butter with out xylitol, apparently the are putting that in some peanut butters now.

Thanks. I’ve frequently given peanut butter as a treat to my rescue fosters, and I’ve never given much thought to pancreatitis (although I do know to avoid xylitol). But I’ve never had a Yorkie pup previously, and Jax has enough challenges without me risking pancreatitis by feeding him something he shouldn’t eat. On the other hand, I’d hate to deprive him of it unnecessarily, because it’s almost the only “treat” he’ll eat, and I do only give him a tiny amount.

I can't say if a lick of peanut-butter will cause pancreatitis over time. I wanted to add to Lovetodream post.


Xylitol is a sugar replacement and used in "some" peanut-butter brands. It's extremely poisonous to dogs, thousands of dogs die each year from Xylitol. Please read the label before buying peanut-butter if you plan on giving to your pup. I don't know if just a lick over time is dangerious, but why chance it.

Good reminder. :) The brand peanut butter I use doesn’t contain xylitol.

I saw your post right after I sent my reply, I'm happy to know you were aware of the Xylitol. Have you tried pieces of fruit or frozen veggies (thawed) as a treat.

My Yorkies never could manage fatty foods that well and there is no need for them to have food other than dog food and dog treats, veggies, fruits, the tidbit of crust or occas. tiny piece of non-spicy meat except pork. Never had a Yorkie that could manage even as much as a single bite of pork w/out visit to the vet. I'd steer clear of fatty foods with Yorkies as so many of them do wind up with roaring case of pancreatitis. Hard message to get through to visitors but you have to do it.

The only fruit I’ve ever given him is pineapple, and the sole time he ate a piece of it, he got sick. I’ll try a few frozen veggies. My guess is, though, he’ll be more interested in batting them around on the floor than eating them. He paws more kibble out of his bowl and plays with it than he actually eats. I think I mentioned that he’s just not much interested in food. :rolleyes:

The only people foods he’s ever had (since I brought him home, at least) are pineapple (he ate one piece and got sick), chicken (which he nibbled at a few times but couldn’t care less about) and peanut butter. He’s not a very good eater. Not picky, really, just not interested until/unless he decides he’s finally hungry.

Sorry for the lol, the visual is to cute and funny. My now passed girls use to bat their treats around, fling them in the air, roll on them then eat it lol, crazy pups. Yes I did read he is not much interested in food. Pineapple may have to much acid and reason for bad reaction. If you like apples and bananas try a tiny bit of either fruit. I am not a big apple lover, bananas yes, but I buy one apple just for the furry. I only give him a small amount every other day, bananas he gets a small amount when I eat mine. He eats only kibble, nothing from the table, so any other foods makes his poop a wee bit softer and reason I give him just small amounts, he is a bigger yorkie, 12 Lbs, not fat, just a bigger dog.

Most PB isn't *insanely* high in fat. Though it's not "low" either. But I probably wouldn't stress about a little PB for most healthy dogs.

Although if you were worried about it they do have those peanut butter powders that you can make. This one is low in fat for example: https://www.iherb.com/pr/PB2-Foods-T...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Why even risk it at all when there are so many other, safer things to feed or treat a dog with and they'll feel just as rewarded? A single bite of ham the family had one Easter sent little Jilly to the vet next morning when she woke up early w/wild diarrhea, vomiting and retching even when she was empty; and ultimately almost killed her, the gastroenteritis was so severe a case. Days later and getting worse on treatment, the vets were discussing quality of life issues with me as she was so ill, losing weight, pooping blood while on active hospital treatment.

The vets said some Yorkies don't handle some fatty foods well at all and she was one. Harrowing, sad, painful, miserable, very expensive, very scary time for nothing more than a bite she wanted.

Oh believe me, I am no stranger to stomach problems. I've been through the ringer with Jackson's stomach issues. He is very sensitive and has had a few scary pancreatitis attacks and IBD symptoms. I am hyper aware to certain foods and triggers now and agree that I do not like risking for breeds like Yorkies who are such high risk and prone to diseases like pancreatitis. I just personally don't think PB is a huge issue if given in small increments for a healthy dog. 16g of a fat is a typical % for the regular JIF PB and the Royal Canin Yorkie food has the same amount of fat (though I am unsure what the dry matter basis analysis comparison would be between the 2). I don't read a ton of dogs getting pancreatitis FROM PB but maybe... I know the main triggers tend to be ham, turkey skin, hot dogs, etc etc...

But you are right in that for some it's not worth the risk at all. The OP sounds like it's a very teeny tiny amount. But perhaps some alternatives to look into would be plain non fat greek yogurt or a little lick of low fat cottage cheese.

I can see why anyone with a dog who has a particularly sensitive stomach or who has had a previous pancreatitis attack would need to be extra cautious against any fatty food. I will definitely do some more research into pancreatitis in yorkies. Right now, I’m inclined to think the tiny amount (a smear of less than a quarter of a teaspoon) of peanut butter is okay for him, since he’s had it daily for over two months with no ill effects, but things could change as he gets older.

I've given Mike peanut butter since he was a baby. Now he is 9 lb and I give him half tsp or less sometimes to top his Kong stuffing. I also add it to homemade treats. In order not to worry about preservatives and xylitol, you can easily make it a home from raw peanuts, it takes 10-15 min to make a huge batch and it lasts forever. No additives, no salt.