Questions today: can dogs eat honey?
You just run a simple search on the internet, asking “can dogs eat honey?” and “is honey good for dogs?” or “is honey bad for dogs?” to find your answer for your dog.
But don’t you know? Your best answer can be found here!
Let’s get into the good stuff!
Candies, avocados, milk, coffee, tea… No matter how tempting it may be, these are several “people foods” that you shouldn’t feed to your dog. Many of us cannot help but give in whenever our pets give us that wide-eyed, puppy-dog look and begged us for food. But being responsible adults, we have to be careful with what we can and cannot feed them.
To own a pet is to hold ourselves responsible to their health, safety and well-being. An unhappy dog means that you have failed as a dog parent. Lucky for you, there can be easy solutions to the unwanted judgement from fellow dog parents – HONEY!
Research is inclined to conclude that honey can bring health benefits to dogs. It has become popularly accepted by a lot of dog owners and dog parents, including myself. But the million-dollar question is: Can dogs have honey? Does honey belong to that no-go list? Can a little bit of honey hurt them? Well, you’re in luck because today, I am going to give you a no-nonsense answer to that question.
What You Need to Know about Honey and Dogs
If your dog has a sweet tooth just like many of us do, honey can be a healthy alternative to sweets when taken in small amounts. Honey is a sweet gift from nature, and it is right to share its deliciousness to our best friends.
It is best if the honey is raw. Raw honey is the best kind of honey. This is kind of honey is unprocessed, it still contains all the natural goodness that comes with the natural sweetener. Dogs naturally love honey, which makes it very easy to feed to them. Most would even eat honey straight from the spoon.
Quality matters. The kind of honey we give to our dogs is crucial to their health. Store bought honey means that they have been manufactured, and made in bulk. Quality control can sometimes fall out of ideal standards. So, stick to the natural kinds. After all, we only want what is best for our pets.
Can Dogs Eat Honey?
The simple answer is, yes.
However, because of their sensitive tummies, cute little puppies cannot be given honey. Puppies’ immune system has not fully developed, making them unable to fight against botulism that can lead to severe health risks. It is better to keep honey from the young ones, or consult your veterinarian when is the best time to give your babies sweetness of honey.
Trust me, your dog will love honey, and will love you more after you have given them honey as a treat. Dogs really like the taste of raw honey. It is the perfect reward after a day of staying out of that pile of newly washed clothes, or that pile of papers you are to submit to class tomorrow. If you have not tried giving buddy honey, you are obviously late into the scene. Dog food companies have even added honey as an ingredient to their products, making it more attractive in the market.
Premium dog foods incorporate small amount of honey as a natural sweetener in its ingredients. No matter how wonderful honey is, remember, it is still mostly sugar and carbs. Consumption of honey needs to be strictly limited. There may be health benefits for consuming honey, but if your dog is young, it might be safer to take it to the local vet instead. Just remember, honey is not just for you or Pooh, give some to your dogs, too.
Health Benefits from Honey – Is honey good for dogs?
Whether you prefer it drizzled over your warm breakfast pancakes or just straight from the bottle, the unique taste of honey is well-loved by many people. But the health benefits of honey go way, way beyond its natural sweetness.
A tablespoon of raw honey contains 80% carbohydrates, two percent vitamins, and 18 percent water. Being a great source of natural carbohydrates and sugar, it is known among athletes for boosting performance, natural fatigue and muscle endurance.
But the perks does not end there!
- While has not been clinically proven, a spoonful of honey may help alleviate certain types of dog allergies. Like people, dogs can suffer seasonal allergies like sneezing, itchy skin and runny nose! Because honey contains trace amounts of pollen, regular consumption might help acclimate your dog to pollinated environment. In this way, honey can assist building some degree of immunity against pollen and other airborne allergies.
- In using honey to cure allergies, raw honey is the best kind to use. For big dogs, 1 tablespoon of raw local honey twice a day can cure allergies. The amount of honey should be adjusted according the size of your dog. Follow this site for more details
- Honey also has anti-inflammatory properties. Taking honey regularly will assist not only in healing exterior wounds but also in reducing inflammation caused by stomach ulcer.
- If you feel like going out on a long hike and your dog is in dire need of an energy boost, a small dose of raw honey can perk them up at once! This is because natural sugars present in the honey can easily be digested by the dog’s body. Furthermore, enzymes present in the honey aid in helping the digestive system work more efficiently in absorbing nutrients and eliminate waste products.
- Honey can do wonders for dog wounds, too. It can be a perfect, not to mention sweet alternative for wound dressing. Just apply raw honey onto the cut, but don’t forget to wrap it up with bondage or else, your dog will lick it off clean. This is true since honey contain disinfectant that would help the wound to heal rathe faster.
- Since we know too well that our babies like to chew on things, tummy troubles no longer shock us. This is where honey comes in handy. A teaspoon of honey can help normalize digestive flow in dogs.
We all know that honey is sweet, now we have discovered that it comes with a lot of benefits as well. It is only right to know what dangers it could bring to our canine buddies. If you don’t believe me, maybe you will listen to Juliette de Bairacli Levy, an herbalist and the mind behind holistic veterinary medicine. She said, “Honey is the greatest of the natural energizers, a nerve tonic, and a supreme heart tonic… Predigested by its makers, the bees, it is absorbed immediately into the bloodstream of the consumer. A diet of only milk and honey can sustain life for months in humans and animals. It has been well and longtime proved that honey is also highly medicinal and will inhibit growth of harmful bacteria in the entire digestive tract and destroy those of a toxic nature.”
Basically, she was the first one to ever give her dog honey as a treat. Guess what, it is perfectly okay!
Downsides: When Is Honey Bad for Dogs?
Like any other food, they rule is to always take it in moderation. So to always stay on the safe side, it is recommended that you give them a portion limited to a teaspoon-sided taste. No cheating! One teaspoon per day and that’s it!
- If you have a very large dog, you may give him a teaspoon and a half. But any amount more than that may cause not only diarrhoea but also obesity. We wouldn’t want our beloved little dogs to experience that, right?
- As what I mentioned earlier, if you have a puppy, please do not give them any amount of honey. This is because just like human babies, puppies do not have well-developed immune systems that are capable of defending itself against the presence of botulism spores.
- When honey is raw, there is no way to eliminate the lingering presence of the botulinum spores. Fungal infections and bacterial infections are also valid concerns for our vulnerable young Fido’s.
Just wait for them to grow up. As Danielle Steel famously said, ‘some things in life are worth waiting for.’
What to Do when Dogs Eat Too Much Honey?
Going over the daily recommended daily upper limit might result to gastrointestinal problems such as botulism, diarrhoea, bloating and stomach cramps. Because to the high fructose present in honey, ingesting too much honey might interfere with your dogs’ ability to digest nutrients. This might result to some form of abdominal discomfort until the honey is fully digested.
Secondly, due to its high sugar content, consistent overconsumption of honey might result to insulin insensitivity. Sugar present in honey will be absorbed by the body rapidly leading to an insulin spike which directly increases blood sugar levels.
Third, long-run overconsumption of honey might result to unwanted dental issues. Because honey contains acid that attracts certain types of bacteria, excessive intake might lead to erosion of teeth enamel and the formation of dental cavities. We wouldn’t want that, would we?
Lastly, beware of botulism poisoning! Because raw honey contains botulism spores which weak immune systems might not be able to fight off, overconsumption of honey might also lead to botulism poisoning. The best way to minimize the risk of botulism is to know the risk factors and recognize its warning signs. The warning signs of botulism are constipation, listlessness, weakness, and decreased appetite.
If you observe your pets behave in this way, bring them to the vet straight away. The good thing is, when detected early, botulism can lead to full recovery. Let us all be responsible dog owners and keep both our eyes open for the sake of our beloved pets.
How to Feed Honey to Dogs the Right Way?
Make sure to feed them raw honey which can usually be bought in locally grown, organic markets. Raw honey, rather than highly processed ones, is pure and not chemically altered. This means that it has not been pasteurized, heated or incorporated with other ingredients. Always beware of deceptive marketing.
Research shows that grade “A” processed honey found in the supermarkets are diluted with chemicals such as corn syrup, giving it a smoother and more “sophisticated” look from inside the bottle. But as far as health benefits are concerned, raw honey is practically useless. Therefore, as what I mentioned earlier, you must pick local, fresh honey straight from your nearest organic bee farms.
What kind of honey should I feed my dog? I know its quit easy to get confused with all these labels proclaiming to the better than the rest. Out of all the varieties of honey in the world, Manuka honey is the most beneficial of all. Clinical trials show that Manuka honey’s nutritional content is up to five times more than its regular counterparts. In fact, the unique Manuka Factor (UMF) derived from the properties of the Manuka honey is being now being used as a globally recognized standard to measure the antibacterial properties of other varieties of honey. Talk about the best!
If you have a big dog—such as a Labrador, two teaspoons of raw wildflower honey will be sufficient. But the recommended dosage varies according to the size of your dog. Use the size of a regular Labrador as your standard measurement when approximating how much honey you need to feed your dog.
If your dog is inflicted with the “kennel cough,” depending on your dog’s size, you can administer at ½ to 1 teaspoon to alleviate the symptoms. Believed to be equally effective as the common cough suppressant found in the drug store, honey’s thick consistency will act as a protective coat that would relieve it from incessant coughing.
Closely monitor your dog after feeding him his daily dose of honey. Start with incrementally small amounts before moving up to the entire teaspoon. If you do not see any adverse effects within the next days or so, then you may continue feeding him honey, along with other foods that you may want to introduce into your dog’s diet.
However, if your dog is diagnosed with diabetes, it is highly recommended that you consult with the local veterinarian first before adding honey to his food intake. This is because the high sugar and calorie content present in sugar might spike its insulin levels. Better safe than sorry, right?
Can dogs have honey : The Final Verdict
Dogs can eat honey. A teaspoon of honey per day is the ideal amount to give to our pet dogs. All we ever want is to keep them happy and healthy. Good thing there is honey to give them that extra boost. Just like us, dogs love the natural sweetness of honey.
Personally, I drink my tea with a teaspoon of honey. I have always been aware of the health benefits it brings. Eventually, I became curious as to how honey could be beneficial to my dog.
With a lot of research and visits to the vet, I can confidently say that honey is good for dogs. That is why I wrote this article – to share with my fellow dog parents this amazing news.
Imagine having breakfast, or having your afternoon tea, and you have no idea what treat to give your dog. It is a relief to know that a teaspoon of honey can go a long way for your baby.
Feeding honey to dogs is not new, but it has become popular with the rise of organic living and the “natural and holistic pet health”. It is just amazing how dogs naturally enjoy the taste of honey. They have sweet tooth too!
Be careful though, dogs have digestive system that is programmed to eat meat. Feeding them too much honey can be bad for them. Please, do read the information above to guide you in this newly found info.
Go on, enjoy your tea! Don’t forget to give your dog that well-deserved teaspoon of honey!
