drferox:

Anonymous said to @ask-drferox: Hey Dr. Ferox, I was wondering if people should actually feed
peanut butter or cheese whiz to dogs, like they do in movies/cartoons. A
quick google search informed me that xylitol, found in some peanut
butters, is fatal to dogs, but other than that it is ok. Is that
entirely true? The internet seems disputed on it.

Xylitol is toxic, but like everything else on the planet, it’s the dose that makes the poison.

It’s naturally occurring, you can find it in low levels in various foods like corn and blueberries, but will also find it in various dental products. And at really tiny doses it’s unlikely to do much.

But it is now a more common additive in human cooking, as it’s not toxic for primates, and it is lately a more common additive in peanut butter spreads.

Peanut butter, like chocolate, contains a particular mix of carbohydrates and fats which is addictive and makes you not want to stop eating it. It’s why you’ve always got room for desert, and why fast food add sugar to things that should be savory.

At least, I’m told peanut butter tastes like that. I don’t actually know, on account of being allergic to it. I have a different reason to be nervous when a dog is working on a peanut butter filled kong in my consult room.

Dogs are typically not allergic to peanuts like humans can be, but those peanut proteins remain on the dog’s tongue for quite some time, and that might be a risk for an unknowing human. Presumably a dog owner isn’t feeding peanut butter to their dog if they themselves are allergic, but a person in the park who likes dogs but doesn’t know what it’s eaten today? Who knows.

So the xylitol toxicity is dose dependent, and when it’s in food that an animal is inclined to eat a lot of, such as peanut butter or cookies, or it’s in high concentrations such as in gum, which isn’t meant to be eaten anyway, it’s not a good idea.

A lot of cheese will make your dog fart heavily and may upset the stomachs of some more sensitive dogs, but a little bit now and then is fine. 

Peanut butter is perfectly safe for dogs when it’s a more natural kind that’s not full of all kinds of artificial sweeteners. Most nuts are safe. My grandfather’s dogs like to eat pecans just straight off the ground. It should be a treat rather than a frequent snack, but it’s harmless.