Can Dogs Eat Honey?

Honey, or "the nectar of the Gods," is amazing at providing humans and dogs with a myriad of health benefits. Humans have been using it for thousands of years, both as a sweetener and for its therapeutic properties. It's so resilient that archeological research has unearthed ancient Egyptian mummies with honey that was still intact!

Honey has many medicinal benefits. Its various nutrients, such as vitamins (e.g., A, B, C, D, E, and K) and minerals (i.e., zinc, calcium, magnesium, etc.), as well as antifungal, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties, make all the health benefits associated with honey possible! So let's dive into the subject of feeding honey to dogs and learn more about its therapeutic value.

So the answer to the can dogs eat honey question is a resounding yes! But just because you can share honey's health benefits with your dog, it doesn't mean all dogs can work with its sugar content. Also, there's a question about the type of honey your dog should have: do you go with raw honey or pasteurized honey? And lastly, does cracking up a box of Honey Nut Cheerios count as a healthy treat for your dog?

Before we dive deeper into the topic of dogs eating honey, it's safe to say that honey can be an incredibly healthy addition to your dog's diet as long as it's done properly; we don't want to see any dogs become diabetic or obese because of unchecked honey consumption. Therefore, today's article will teach pet owners how to feed honey to their canine companions in a responsible manner.

What Makes Honey Such a Healthy Superfood?

It all starts with the buzzing bees working around the clock to find and extract nectar. Once the nectar is extracted, bees deposit it in their stomachs, where it mixes with enzymes and prepares for storage in the honeycomb. Once in the honeycomb, worker bees use a unique fanning technique to remove any additional moisture and cover the comb cells with wax for adequate storage. And voilà, honey is served!

Can Dogs Eat Just Any Honey?

Overall, nothing is stopping your canine companion from enjoying this scrumptious superfood, as the Volhard expert nutritionists agree. However, it's not as easy as buying a random honey jar from the local grocery store. Dogs eat honey, and it is safe for them, but not all honey is healthy for dogs. One must be careful as some manufacturers dilute real honey with syrups derived from plants, like high-fructose corn syrup or beet syrup. Or they can chemically modify the sugars in those syrups to make them look like real honey. Therefore, not all honey is the same.

Your Dog Should Eat Raw Honey Only

First, stick with raw honey if you want your dog to reap all of the honey's health benefits. Unfortunately, the pasteurization process kills the healthy enzymes contained in honey, enzymes we want our dogs to benefit from. The same can be said about unpasteurized honey, which goes through the same form of heat processing, although at lower temperatures. So, if you are to feed your dog honey, raw honey is the healthiest way to go about it!

Your Dog Will Get Along Best With Local Honey

Second, stick with honey from local beekeepers. If your dog gets seasonal allergies, he may benefit from honey. Honey contains trace amounts of flower pollen. Feeding honey slowly introduces pollen into your dog's body, which helps him create antibodies. When the warm weather arrives, these antibodies prevent an autoimmune response to airborne pollen.

Be sure to look for local honey because it contains the local pollen that will affect your dog.

Pollen also contains quercetin—a bioflavonoid with antihistamines—which can help decrease watery eyes and itchiness.

However, even if you stick with raw honey from local beekeepers, it's best to introduce it to your dog slowly. Even locally sourced honey may contain traces of substances (e.g., pollen) your dog might be allergic to. So, instead of running the risk of causing an involuntary allergic reaction, give your dog's immune system enough time to familiarize itself with the honey and create antibodies against allergens by feeding it in small quantities.

How Much Honey Does My Dog Need?

You've done your research and have stocked up on raw honey from the most trustworthy local beekeeper. What now? It's time to learn how much honey you should feed your dog daily. If your dog is diabetic, be very careful with honey. Research suggests that honey may have some anti-diabetic effects on diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes). But most dogs get type 1 diabetes. This means their pancreas doesn't make insulin properly. If you want to give your diabetic dog honey, carefully monitor how it affects his blood glucose or ask your holistic vet first.

Also, avoid giving honey to dogs under 1 year of age. Raw honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores. Because puppies are still developing their immune system, these spores could make them sick.

Consuming too much honey will gradually elevate your dog's blood sugar levels and become apparent through symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. Seek medical help the second you correlate these symptoms with excessive honey consumption.

Honey Guidelines for Healthy Dogs

Everything in moderation is the golden rule of feeding honey to dogs, and as long as you stick by the following guidelines, your dog's relationship with honey will be a fruitful one:

• Small dogs (under 10 lbs): ¼ teaspoon/day;
• Medium dogs (10-20 lbs): ½ teaspoon/day;
• Larger dogs (20-50 lbs): 1 teaspoon/day;
• Large-breed dogs (over 50 lbs): 2 teaspoons/day.

How Do I Feed Honey to My Canine Companion?

Oral feeding is the easiest way of feeding honey to dogs. All you have to do is scoop up the honey with a spoon and pour it into your dog's mouth. However, honey is quite slow to slide off a spoon, so remember first to run the spoon under hot water to ease the process.

How About Manuka Honey?

We've talked about local beekeepers as the best sources of raw honey for dogs. But there's one type of honey, maybe more beneficial than its local counterpart, coming from the Southern antipodes: Manuka honey! Harvested from the white flowers of the Manuka tree, Manuka honey abounds in antibacterial properties and valuable nutrients for strong canine health. Anything from respiratory distresses (e.g., kennel cough) to gastrointestinal upsets, irritable bowel syndrome, and diarrhea can be counterbalanced by this unique type of honey, which is why it belongs to the diet of any dog with a compromised immune system!

However, it's important, once again, to feed in moderation. For example, in overweight dogs, honey will only add unnecessary calories, whereas, in diabetic dogs, honey can cause a sugar spike. Also, Manuka honey often comes from undocumented sources, so if you want to make sure of its sources, look for Methyglyoxal, its antimicrobial element.

Honey Comes With a Myriad of Health Benefits!

When it comes to this superfood, it's no longer a question of can dogs eat honey, but of how many benefits can honey have? And it does have quite a few of them! First off, honey is rich in flavonoids and phenolic acid, two chemical compounds that protect the body against oxidative stress.

Second, honey is a gold mine for antioxidants such as:

• Vitamin A: perfect for healthy eyesight, a stronger immune system, and sustained growth and development.
• Vitamin C: ideal for strengthening the immune system, maintaining bone structure, improving oral health, and assisting the body in growing and repairing tissue.
• Vitamin E: imperative for an improved immune system, healthier skin, shinier coat, improved muscular function, and increased fertility.

Third, honey comes with a myriad of other nutrients to keep your dog in perfect shape:

• Vitamin D: the canine body needs this nutrient in order to regulate phosphate and calcium levels. Without enough vitamin D, the canine body runs the risk of developing bone issues.
• Vitamin B: for improved metabolism and energy levels, blood cell and nerve production, healthy skin and hair, stronger brain and nervous system, and reduced risks of heart disease and cancer.
• Vitamin K: appropriate levels of this nutrient are necessary in order to promote wound healing and blood clotting.

Honey Also Contains Flower Pollen and Propolis!

But the honey you're feeding to your dog has some hidden benefits you might not be aware of, which stem from the honey creation and storage process! Through the pollination process, bees transport and mingle small quantities of pollen with honey, which, once ingested, can be thoroughly beneficial to your dog's immune system! Research has pointed out the effect of pollen on free radicals (i.e., damaged cells that can lead to cancer and other diseases), helping our canine companions stand against various diseases and the aging process.

Furthermore, honey also contains traces of propolis, i.e., the substance used to fortify hives and honeycombs. Humans have been using propolis as a natural antibiotic for thousands of years, managing infections and inhibiting cancer cells from developing. Other infectious diseases, such as canine flu and kennel cough, warrant the inclusion of propolis in any dog's diet! All of these health benefits can only encourage dog owners to set aside a little jar of honey for their dogs!

Can Puppies Enjoy Some Honey?

Although adult dogs can reap numerous health benefits from honey, puppies are not the best candidates for it. That's because puppies are still experiencing growth spurts, and their immune systems are not as effective against foreign pathogens potentially found in honey, such as botulism spores. For example, an adult dog is strong enough to repel such unwanted invaders, while a puppy is not. You might turn to pasteurized honey for safety, but even so, it's wiser to keep your puppy on the Volhard Weaning Diet until strong enough to enjoy the raw version.

Don't Forget to Brush Your Dog's Teeth!

The honey dogs eat is undeniably helpful for your dog's health, but its benefits do have some consequences. Honey is packed with natural sugars, which, if improperly managed, will wreak havoc on your dog's oral health. These sugars stick to the surface of your dog's teeth, causing tooth decay and other oral health issues. Therefore, it's the dog owners' responsibility to implement an all-encompassing oral care regimen before introducing their dogs to honey. Unsure how to proceed? Check out this Volhard article on proper dog teeth cleaning!

Should My Dog Eat Honey Nut Cheerios?

So, honey is healthy and beneficial to our canine companions, but what about dog treats with honey? Can they supplement your dog's honey intake? Scores of dog owners have taken to the Internet, trying to learn if human honey treats are also recommended for dogs. And their questions mainly revolve around whether dogs can eat Honey Nut Cheerios or not.

It's imperative that we say from the start—no, dogs must never eat Honey Nut Cheerios for a multitude of reasons! First, they're not made out of real honey, so your dog will not enjoy honey's health benefits. Second, it contains chemicals unsuited even for humans, let alone dogs, such as glyphosates (i.e., a chemical weed killer) and lipase, an enzyme secreted in the pancreas that, if produced in excess, can lead to pancreatitis. Instead of running the risk of poisoning your dog with Honey Nut Cheerios, we recommend that you stick with raw honey—it's healthier, and you'll always be aware of what your dog eats!

Dogs Can and Should Eat Honey!

After a long journey through the health benefits of honey, it's safe to answer the can dogs eat honey question with, yes, dogs can and should eat honey! As long as you follow the provided guidelines and keep overweight and diabetic dogs away from it, your dog's relationship with honey will be sweet and fruitful! For more advice on dog nutrition, health, and training, make sure that you contact us and check out our blog!

Volhard Dog Nutrition and its expert nutritionists are now offering online consultations to help more dog parents discover why, what, and how to feed their dogs the healthiest of foods! Speaking to a Volhard nutritionist will help you understand the inseparable relationship between healthy food, a healthy body, and a healthy mind. If you're interested in contacting one of our Volhard nutritionists, don't hesitate to access our consultation page!

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