The peanut butter spread in your pantry may not be safe to give your dog

Peanut butter is a staple on most pantry shelves, and in homes with dogs, it's especially useful. Most of my clients leave a jar designated for their canine family members, and I use that to fill their Kong toys to freeze and enjoy. The ubiquitous product is also a popular vehicle to help administer oral meds to dogs. 

By and large peanut butter is a safe product to offer to our pets, so long as it's simply peanut butter and not coupled with other ingredients. 

It's reasonable to expect that peanut butter and peanut butter spreads that are devoid of enhancements like chocolate or hazelnut spread are safe, but one peanut-based spread came to light recently and illustrates that reading ingredient labels is key when it comes to pet safety. 

A popular line of peanut spreads by Nuts ’N More — most prominently the peanut butter flavor — might easily be dismissed as something safe and offered up without a second thought.

Why are wholesome and healthy products like this one and those produced by other companies a problem?

One word: Xylitol.

The risk that xylitol — a sugar replacement used in many products — poses to canines regardless if it is consumed by getting into candy, chewing gum or other sweets (or in this case, even being given directly to a dog) can be devastating. 

The popular sweetener is toxic to canines because it causes a dangerous drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), as well as liver damage, and even death. The exact mechanism is not clear, but what is known is that it doesn't take much to cause serious health problems.

Click here for more facts on the effects of xylitol in dogs.

Bringing this to light is in no way an effort to vilify any company, as these products are intended for use by humans. (In fact, Krush Nutrition has included information on their website pointing out that xylitol is not safe for dogs.) But, because of our inherent desire to share things with our canine friends, it can be hard to know if some products are dangerous to pets — even if they seem natural and basic. Whenever in doubt, take a second to read the label and if the ingredients are not clear and known to be safe, skip it. 

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Persuading reluctant dogs to take a bitter-tasting pill can be alow-stress endeavor

We've plenty of medications available to help keep or make our pets well, and to manage pain. When our veterinarian prescribes a drug for our animal companions, it might come in the form of a tablet or capsule, a liquid suspension or it may even be compounded as a transdermal.

The latter is especially convenient and stress-free for both pet and human (as the medication is administered by applying to the inside of the ear flap), but unfortunately few drugs can be delivered into the body in this way. Thyroid and anti-depressant medications, as well as prednisolone are options, just to name a few. Another caveat is that this method is more expensive, making it prohibitive to many families. 

Tablets and capsules are the most common way that medication is dispensed, and for good reason: they are the easiest to work with, and are the least expensive. 

A well-cloaked disguise

Getting most tablets or capsules down the hatch is usually easy if it's mixed in their food. Using something soft or gooey to hide the pill is helpful, as I've indicated in a previous post. It's important, however, if you're feeding multiple pets, to keep everyone separated and ensure that dog number one gets the medication down, while dog numbers two, three or more do not. 

(I urge pet owners and caregivers to keep an eye out during meal time to watch for any doses of medication that end up fished out of food and discarded onto the floor.) 

Most of the time this easy, stress-free method works great. When it fails, consider using food as a tool, this time in a different context. 

Quantity along with quality 

Starting with bits of food or treats that your pet values highly, it can be pretty easy to get the most reluctant canine to scarf down what's in your hand. Make sure that they are good and hungry (give the treats before a meal), and have 4-5 treats in your hand, ready to offer one after another in rapid-fire succession, ensuring the highest value treats are doled out somewhere in the middle. For example, you might give a crunchy treat, a slightly higher value treat, then whatever you've hidden the medication in, then whatever is left in your hand. Most dogs are too busy thinking about getting the next treat that they don't pay attention to anything, and using this tactic seldom fails.

A little competition never hurts

Using a little peer pressure can help. Few dogs can resist wanting to get in on the action if another creature in the family (animal or human!) is enjoying a yummy treat, so you can use that to your advantage. Using the same tactic as above, but only using pill-free treats for the helpful participants. 

The problem with some medications is that they have a bitter taste, or can cause other unpleasant side effects, like nausea, and in either case can put pets off of food and treats completely. The bitterness of the pain reliever Tramadol had become an issue for Gretchen in early June, despite her having been on the drug for a while with no unfavorable effects. With the medication not being an option for her as a transdermal, and as a suspension, too bitter, finding a workable solution was the only option: at 15 years old, going without the drug at this stage of osteoarthritis was unthinkable. 

A no-fail solution for hyper-aware dogs

In chatting with our acupuncture vet, Monica Turenne, DVM, CVA, she made a simple but ingenious suggestion that made me wonder why I'd not thought of it before.

By taking an empty gelcap — available from any pharmacy for just a few cents — and slipping the pill inside before tucking that into a high value treat or food, any odor or taste is masked. I've been doing this for a few days, and it hasn't failed.

Given Gretchen's past level of suspicion, I totally give this trick a big thumbs up. It's made managing a painful condition much easier and in the end, both of us very happy. 

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a contributor on MLive -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.