Can Dogs Eat Butter?

Most four-legged friends love to lick empty cream and yoghurt cups. And you can be sure that your dog will always be standing next to you, longingly waiting for something to come your way.

When you take a packet of butter out of the wrapper and put it in a butter dish, you ask yourself “can dogs eat butter?”

You can find out here how bad it really is when your darling licks the last bits of butter packaging!

In a nutshell: Can my dog eat butter?

No, your dog should not eat butter. Although it is not poisonous, it can put a strain on your four-legged friend’s digestive tract.

Eating it can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. The reason is that butter is a milk product that contains hardly any lactose but is very rich in fat.

Is butter toxic to dogs?

No, butter is not toxic to dogs. In principle, your dog can eat butter because it is neither harmful nor toxic.

However, your furry friend has no health benefits from the butter:

• The fat content of butter is a whopping 80 percent.
• It offers hardly any important nutrients.
• Large amounts of butter cause diarrhea in dogs.
• Consumption can also lead to nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and flatulence.

Roughly speaking, it depends on the quantity. However, it is better not to feed butter in order to spare your four-legged friend any side effects after consumption.

Vegetable oils are a far better alternative to butter. These contain numerous polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for four-legged friends. Salmon oil or cod liver oil are good animal oils for dogs. These oils are easier to digest and provide nutrients to your best friend.

Under no circumstances should you feed margarine as a substitute for butter. Although margarine consists of unsaturated vegetable oils and fats, these are converted into saturated fats during industrial production. In addition, margarine is subjected to a chemical process.

What amounts are harmful to dogs?

If your darling gets a piece of bread with butter, it’s usually harmless. If he occasionally nibbles a bit of it, nothing usually happens.

The situation is different when he receives larger quantities. A tablespoon of butter can lead to unwanted side effects like diarrhea. For very small dogs, even the amount of a teaspoon can have a negative effect.

However, every dog reacts differently. For example, your dog may tolerate a little more butter and another may get a stomach ache after just a small amount.

Butter cookies are taboo

Butter biscuits are taboo for dogs. They contain sugar and other ingredients that have no place in a dog’s stomach. It is very dangerous if the biscuits contain the sugar substitute xylitol (birch sugar). Xylitol consumption is almost always fatal in dogs.

My dog ​​ate butter. What should I do now?

If your best friend has stolen some butter from the breakfast table, you should keep a close eye on them afterwards. He will not get any health damage from it. Consequently, there is no need to panic.

If your darling drinks a lot of water after eating it, it may be an indication that the butter has caused digestive problems. In this case, it is advisable to feed them a bland diet for the next few days. This will support your dog’s gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms usually disappear after at least three days.

It looks different if your fur nose has eaten the butter including the packaging. If he doesn’t spit it out or vomit it up, you should examine his stool. If the packaging is not found in it, then the veterinarian should be consulted.

Good to know:

If your dog has eaten a large amount of butter, the organism needs time to digest the concentrated load of fat. With light food you can support the gastrointestinal tract.

Conclusion: Can dogs eat butter?

No, your dog should not eat butter. It doesn’t harm him, but he doesn’t get any health benefits from it either.

If your dog should eat a piece of butter, this will usually not have a negative effect on his organism. However, butter contains a lot of fat, which can lead to obesity if consumed regularly. If your dog eats too large a portion at a time, it can cause nausea, stomach pain, or diarrhea.

Do you have questions about dogs and butter? Then leave a comment below!