Table of Contents
It’s not unusual to find a dog owner happily sharing human foods with their canine friends. It’s not unusual either to find a dog blissfully gobbling up people foods.
But as you probably already know, not everything considered good for human consumption is equally safe for dogs. That underscores the importance of consulting your vet before introducing your pooch to any people foods.
In this post, we take a closer look at almond butter and its potential safety for dogs.
Can Dogs Have Almond Butter?
Almond butter is one of the many human foods that dogs can safely consume. Therefore, there’s no immediate cause for alarm if you discover that your pooch has popped open your almond butter can and taken a few licks.
Besides being safe for dogs, almond butter is also packed with several nutrients that dogs require in their diets. Notable ones include protein, dietary fiber, healthy fats, and minerals like calcium.
However, note that almond butter is only safe for dogs if served in small portions and as an occasional snack. Excess consumption could trigger a variety of adverse effects, including gastrointestinal complications and possibly even hypersensitive reactions.
More About Almond Butter
Almond butter simply refers to butter made from grinding almond nuts. The product is widely considered a safer and healthier alternative to peanut butter for humans, mainly due to its higher abundance in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Perhaps that also explains why many dog owners don’t mind sharing almond butter with their canine companions.
How Is Almond Butter Prepared?
As already indicated, almond butter is essentially butter derived from almond nuts. The preparation method can be simple or somewhat sophisticated depending on whether the substance is industrially manufactured or homemade.
But in most cases, the process begins by grinding almonds into a paste. You can go for raw almonds or roast the nuts prior to grinding them.
The next step entails separating the smooth paste from the ground mixture.
For industrially manufactured almond butter, the paste may be cured using preservatives. The final product is either consumed unflavored or after flavoring using artificial or natural sweeteners.
How Does Almond Butter Feel Like?
Almond butter varies in texture based on how it’s prepared. The texture can range from smooth to crunchy and anything in between.
Besides, almond butter is usually stir or no-stir. The term ‘stir’ denotes a compound’s susceptibility to oil separation while ‘no-stir’ denotes the quality of being emulsified.
Potential Benefits of Almond Butter for Dogs
To understand how almond butter might benefit your dog, it would help to start by unpacking its nutritional profile. A 100-gram serving (about 3.5 ounces) of plain, unsalted almond butter provides the following nutrients;
• Energy – 2,648 kilojoules or 633 kilocalories
• Protein – 15 grams
• Carbohydrates – 21 grams
Dietary fiber – 3.7 grams
• Fat – 59 grams
Saturated fat – 5.6 grams
Monounsaturated fat – 38.3 g
Polyunsaturated fat – 12.4 grams
In addition to the above nutrients, the same serving portion of almond butter provides considerable amounts of minerals and vitamins. These include zinc, calcium, iron, potassium, and manganese. The butter is also fairly abundant in riboflavin, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin E.
Below are various ways in which almond butter may benefit your canine friend;
1. Almond Butter May Support Muscle Development
Almond butter is relatively high in protein. A 100-gram serving of the product boasts as many as 15 grams of protein.
Protein is heavily involved in the normal growth and development of muscles and tissues. The nutrient also works alongside calcium and phosphorus (which are equally abundant in almond butter) in promoting healthy bones.
Besides, protein can help manage your dog’s weight by reducing appetite and hunger pangs. That’s due to its ability to promote the feeling of fullness for longer after meals.
2. Almond Butter May Improve Your Dog’s Coat
Protein-rich diets are not only beneficial for your dog’s muscle, tissue, and bone development. They can also improve the animal’s coat and fur.
Besides, almond butter is high in B-complex vitamins, especially vitamin B3, which promotes a shiny coat and healthy eyes.
3. Almond Butter Is Good For Digestion
Indigestion is a common gastrointestinal problem in humans and dogs alike. Fortunately, it’s another issue that you can manage by supplementing your dog’s diet with almond butter.
A 100-gram serving of almond butter provides up to 3.7 grams of dietary fiber. That’s more than enough to relieve constipation and other common gastrointestinal issues in dogs.
Dietary fiber eases constipation by creating stool-bulking effects, which consequently promote bowel movements. The nutrient also nourishes your dog’s microbiome, a phenomenon known to lower the risks of various digestive and metabolic diseases.
What’s more, fiber works synergistically with protein to make your dog feel fuller for longer. Therefore, the nutrient plays a direct role in preventing food-induced weight gain.
4. Almond Butter May Boost Your Dog’s Immunity
All plant-derived products contain decent amounts of antioxidants, and almond butter is no exception. Antioxidants are compounds that boost immunity by reducing the negative effects of free radicals in body cells.
Almond butter is especially high in vitamin E. The vitamin contains anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties, which make it effective against inflammatory diseases and cancerous tumors.
There are plenty more ways your dog can benefit from almond milk based on the other minerals and vitamins present in the product.
Potential Adverse Effects of Almond Butter for Dogs
a) Almond Butter May Trigger Gastrointestinal Issues
The high fiber content in almond butter might be useful in relieving indigestion in dogs. However, the same nutrient can produce laxative effects if consumed in large amounts. Common symptoms to expect include;
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Dehydration
• Appetite loss
• Signs of abdominal pain
b) Almond Butter May Cause Unhealthy Weight Gain
Almond butter is rich in nutrients that promote lean weight, including fiber and protein. But the product is also high in compounds known to cause unhealthy weight gain, most notably fat.
While almond butter mostly contains healthy fat, excess consumption could still predispose your dog to weight-related issues like obesity. That’s especially if you consider that the butter also contains worrying levels of carbohydrates.
c) Almond Butter May Induce Allergic Reactions
Nuts have a notorious reputation for causing allergic reactions in humans and dogs alike. The fact that almond butter is inherently made of the almond nut means the product could easily trigger hypersensitive reactions in dogs.
Symptoms of almond butter allergy in dogs range from respiratory distress to skin irritation, fever, etc.
Conclusion
Almond butter is not only safe but also potentially beneficial to dogs. However, the product can prove harmful if fed with careless abandon.
The best way to share almond butter with your dog is to consult your vet first. Also, go for products free from harmful additives, including artificial sweeteners like xylitol.
Most importantly, keep the portions low to avoid adverse reactions to almond butter.