Is Butter Bad For My Dog? What You Should Know!

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Butter is obviously a dairy condiment and a classic cooking ingredient.

It’s made from churning milk. There is also a heavy cream version.

Whatever kind you have, regularly adding it to your dog’s meals is something you should avoid doing.

Can I Give My Dog Butter?Make no mistake:

Too much canine consumption of butter will eventually lead to all sorts of health problems including pancreatitis ie. inflammation of the pancreas.

Yes, saturated fat is generally less concerning for dogs due to what is a relatively much shorter lifespan.

And, yes, you do not need to worry about a tiny amount. But still, butter should not be given beyond sparingly.

Basically, keep it to a minimum.

Go Easy With Butter For Your Dog’s Sake

A small amount is acceptable on occasion.

On the other hand, it would not be smart to add this ingredient if you have an already unhealthy or overweight pet pooch.

In all cases, regularly feeding your dog butter is not recommended.

Lots of butter, lard and other types of saturated fats and trans fats are bad for dogs over the long term.

But again, there is no need to be alarmed about a taste. Just watch what you’re putting in recipes.

Canine Cholesterol Levels

Dogs can also have cholesterol problems although it is less common for them compared to humans.

What causes cholesterol levels to increase is usually too much intake of fatty foods. Elevated readings could eventually lead to kidney diseases.

Butter certainly won’t help if your dog has diabetes or an inflamed pancreas. In fact, it could contribute to such serious conditions.

Caution: It is important to withhold butter if your dog is pregnant. High cholesterol is unhealthy during a pregnancy.

The Short Term Effects

Excessive gas, stomachache, diarrhea or constipation are near-term concerns.

Do not feed foods that are high in fat, including butter, if you are worried about your dog experiencing such side effects.

What About Margarine?

The most popular alternative to butter is margarine.

Honestly, this option is even worse.

Why?

It is mainly due to the unnatural chemical ingredients.

Margarine also has lots of trans fat. Your dog should not be consuming it!

Diet For Healthy Dogs

Some oils are healthy for your dog’s diet. As such, some quality butters may be given in small amounts.

It really depends on the overall health of your dog.

Canines utilize proteins, carbohydrates, fats (like omega-3), fruits and fiber in that order.

Meat, and the protein it provides, is a priority as is plenty of calcium.

If you are unsure about what to feed it may be best to simply keep your buddy on a good store-bought dog food.

The Bottom Line

Butter obviously comes from milk and many canines are lactose intolerance to some degree.

But the biggest concern with butter is what could eventually happen to your dog’s pancreas and other organs.

Play it safe. Avoid serving foods that are loaded up with this fatty condiment.

Certainly never let your dog go-to-town on a stick of pure butter!

What Do You Think? Have Your Say Below…

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16 thoughts on “Is Butter Bad For My Dog? What You Should Know!”

  1. I’ve had 3 dogs over the span of 45 years and all of them have been given a small thimble-full (fingertip) of butter with their morning pill in it. They did fine. None of the three died of problems associated with giving too much butter.

    My new veterinarian told me that I should stop as my current dog could get pancreatitis. It doesn’t make sense considering it is such a small amount of butter. Moderation is the key to all things.

  2. We have Corgi and she likes natural butter that’s made in our own farm without preservatives. I also mix butter with kibbles, 3 times a day. She runs, she walks, she also visits my workplace almost every day. There are no health issues. She is a very fit dog and weighs 10-11 kilograms.

    So I think everything can be allowed, just proper amounts. Eating just one food, and avoiding others, isn’t good in general. Balance is important. As with people – it is not bad to consume sugar, pizza, ice cream etc. It is bad when we don’t consume healthy stuff, after or before eating bad foods.

  3. What happens when the dog eats too much – like an entire jar of butter?

  4. I have a Golden Lab mix. Can he can have a piece of toast with a little bit of butter on it?

  5. Could I give my 2 kilogram dog half a piece of toast with butter on it? She is very active and will run it off.

  6. The whole butter is bad for you thing has been debunked years ago. Highly processed vegetable oils made in a factory that are bad for you, not butter which is an actual food from the earth.

  7. We have a 14 year old Miniature Pinscher. She’s blind, deaf, has a collapsed trachea but is otherwise healthy and very much loved. She is tiring of canned Natures Balance and regular dog food in general. So, we have been cooking quality ground turkey meat in a very small amount (1/4 tsp) of butter. She’s loving it. Is it okay to continue?

  8. Now butter has been hailed as a good food. It’s a fallacy that it clogs arteries.

  9. The idea that eating cholesterol is hazardous is just nonsense. Animal metabolism has an internal control system for most things including cholesterol.

    Cholesterol is fundamental and essential to every cell in the body. It’s produced by the liver and its level is controlled.

    The more cholesterol eaten, the less produced by the liver. It’s as silly as thinking that you shouldn’t drink water because people drown in it. If the body didn’t have an excellent cholesterol control system we would have never existed.

    Where did the idea come from that eating cholesterol will raise serum cholesterol? Simply made up, no evidence, a fabrication. Science is so scarce in nutrition that for decades nobody even tried to test the belief in a controlled study.

    There is a serious rare disease named Hypercholesterolemia in which the automatic cholesterol control system is failing. If you have that disease you already know about it.

    1. September says:

      Thank you, Dave! It is so refreshing to have someone tell the truth. Your comment was so informative and hopefully will enable folks to give their precious pups butter without worry.

      We use butter for giving ours their medications. It works wonderfully and keeps us from traumatizing them by forcing it down their throats.

    2. I agree completely. It appears that most veterinarians (like general practitioners of human medicine) don’t know much about nutrition. Thank you for your response.

    3. Kerrygold pure Irish butter (from grass fed cows) is a butter dogs can have.

  10. I have a 2.5 year old Mastiff. He is a picky eater. I have found that he likes plain ordinary butter. He does not like peanut butter. I have just started to mix into his dry kibble about a teaspoon and a half of regular butter along with cooked liver and stewing beef. There is also a sort of gravy that comes from the cooking of the meat.

    He is fed 3 times a day, 2 cups of kibble plus the other at every feeding. Is butter mixed with his food like this okay or not? By the way, he’s not overweight and gets 3.5 to 4 hours in walks everyday, regardless of weather conditions. These walks, and running, are split one session in the morning up mountain trails, and evening at the ocean, on the beach, and trails at the beach.

    1. I have a Mastiff as well. She is 3 years old and loves most all foods. She has been on a raw food diet since 8 weeks old and she is in excellent health. I do give her raw, fermented butter (about 1 tablespoon) in her meal 3-5 times per week. She also gets raw coconut oil, cod-liver oil and animal fat from the meat and bones she eats.

      My goal is to keep her as healthy as possible and hope to avoid any large breed hip and joint issues. She doesn’t get as much exercise as your Mastiff, but she has 52 acres of farm land to roam.

      1. Thanks for the info. 52 acres to run around on is actually better than walks. She has the freedom to be out there doing almost anything she wants.

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