In moderation, dogs are okay to consume honey. It is used as a sweetener in numerous foods and beverages and contains natural sugars as well as trace levels of vitamins and minerals.
That sweetness has a cost. If owners feed their dogs an excessive amount of honey and don’t provide them enough exercise and a nutritious diet, the high sugar content of honey may cause obesity in the dogs. If you do feed your dog honey, it could be a good idea to brush his teeth because sugars can also lead to dental decay.
Since raw honey may contain botulism spores, it shouldn’t be given to puppies or dogs with weakened immune systems. Dogs who are overweight or diabetic shouldn’t consume honey.
How much honey is okay for dogs to consume?
Minerals that are fat-soluble: Elements including copper, magnesium, manganese, and copper help produce collagen and red blood cells. They also support the growth of ligaments and tendons, muscles, and bone density.
Antibacterial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties: The enzymes in honey reduce swelling and relieve sore throats and stomach ulcers. Honey promotes wound, hot spot, eczema, and insect bite healing when applied in a thin layer to skin. When consumed, it assists in clearing the digestive tract of harmful germs that may cause diarrhea.
Honey has anti-inflammatory characteristics that can benefit senior dogs who are suffering from joint pain as well as dogs who are inflamed from hotspots, cuts, or insect bites.
Honey includes traces of floral pollen, which provides relief from seasonal allergies. The immune system of your dog is stimulated by this pollen, which aids in the development of antibodies that can fend off autoimmune reactions to the pollen.
Quercetin, a polyphenol high in antihistamines that soothe itchy, watery eyes brought on by environmental allergies, is another component of pollen. Local honey is recommended since it is more likely to contain this kind of pollen.
Not all honey is the same
Various bee species have access to various plants. As a result, their honey is distinct.
The manuka shrub in New Zealand is the source of manuka honey. It has the highest antibacterial content of any honey and up to four times as many nutrients as conventional honey. Manuka honey can calm their throat and ease their cough if your dog has kennel or dry cough.
The honeys with the highest levels of antioxidants are tupelo, dandelion, meadow, heather, honeydew, and jarrah.
If you wish to use honey for its therapeutic properties, consider the processing method. Use locally procured, raw, unfiltered honey for the highest therapeutic and health effects. Honey that has been processed and pasteurized may include additives or have been created using techniques (such as heat) that eliminate its health benefits for your dog.
How much honey can your dog safely eat?
Sugar is present in large quantities in honey. Despite being a natural sugar, it can still be problematic for dogs who have diabetes, are fat, or have immune system deficiencies. Honey should not be consumed by these pets. If you’re thinking about giving some to your dog, talk to your vet first.
Honey has 70 calories and 17 grams of sugar per teaspoon. One teaspoon of honey per day is often well tolerated and beneficial for dogs. The following recommendations are based on your dog’s weight:
- Small dogs (less than 10 lbs.) may consume 1/4 teaspoon daily.
- Medium dogs (10–20 pounds) may consume 1/2 teaspoon daily.
- Larger dogs (20 to 50 pounds) can consume one teaspoon daily.
- Large breed dogs (weighing more than 50 pounds) may consume 2 tablespoons daily.
There is such a thing as too much honey for dogs to eat. If your dog overate, their blood sugar levels may be raised, which could result in symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or appetite loss. If you notice these symptoms, consult your veterinarian.
Honey can cause problems for these dogs
Dogs who are sensitive to bee stings may also be sensitive to honey. If you wish to give them honey, start with one drop per day and increase the amount while keeping an eye out for any allergic responses.
The immune systems of puppies are still maturing. Raw honey shouldn’t be consumed since it can contain botulism spores. The puppy may experience digestive problems as a result of those spores.
Dogs with diabetes shouldn’t consume honey. Their blood sugar levels may get too high due to the high sugar content.
Dogs that are overweight or obese don’t require the additional sugar in honey. There are also additional nutritious snacks readily available. Here are some suggestions for nutritious snacks.
Due to the possibility of botulism spores in honey, dogs with weakened immune systems should not consume honey. This group includes canines with diabetes, cancer, lupus, or auto-immune illnesses.
Due to the high sugar content of honey, tooth decay might result. By giving your dog a weekly dental cleaning, you may eliminate this risk.
Ways to offer your dog this tasty superfood
Honey should be given to your dog using a teaspoon for convenience. Simply serve them a spoonful of honey, and let your dog gulp it down.
Alternatively, if the idea of sticky fingers makes you uncomfortable, try spreading it on some fresh fruit or dog treats.
For a nutritious, refreshing snack on a hot summer day, add a spoonful of raw honey to your dog’s smoothies made from fresh fruit and vegetables.
To give your dog extra nutrients during the day, combine honey and peanut butter, freeze the result, and place it inside a reward toy.
On the Internet, there are several homemade delights that contain raw honey among their ingredients. If you’re attempting to sweeten up a treat, raw honey is a great addition. However, honey loses its therapeutic properties when heated. To maintain those advantages, try spreading it on the outside of a treat.
Once you start giving your dog honey, you’ll start thinking of all kinds of inventive ways to include it in their everyday diet. Most dogs will gobble up a spoonful of honey if you add it to their food.
Yes, you can feed honey to your dog
There aren’t many scientific studies that definitively support the claims made by honey aficionados, but there is favorable anecdotal evidence, and people have utilized honey for its therapeutic and health advantages for generations.
Due to its numerous advantages for both humans and dogs, honey is considered a superfood. When your dog needs a rapid energy boost, give them this treat. It’s tasty, full of antioxidants, offers the advantages of various vitamins and minerals, relieves allergies and skin irritations, and provides relief from both.
Most adult dogs benefit from raw honey, and there aren’t many hazards. I give it to my dogs since they all adore it. To improve your dog’s general health, try adding honey to their treats or diet.
Can I offer raw honey to my dog for a cough?
Honey is a wonderful gift from nature that has been utilized for over a thousand years to improve health and treat ailments. It is bursting with healthy vitamins, minerals, and potent antioxidants. It can calm allergic reactions, soothe irritated skin and throats, and has antibacterial and antimicrobial characteristics that have been scientifically verified.
Search for “Rather than the processed product frequently seen on grocery store shelves, go for raw honey, ideally from nearby beekeepers. All that is done to filter raw honey is remove particles. Otherwise, that’s as natural as it gets. Find local beekeepers online or at the local farmer’s market.
On the other hand, processed honey is produced using heat, which thins it and renders many of its beneficial properties inert. In fact, because the production process might remove the helpful pollen, many processed honey products aren’t even true honey.
Depending on the flowers the bees utilized to manufacture the product, natural honey can range in hue from light to dark golden amber. Just a color, really.
Dogs don’t require much honey to benefit from its consumption, while bigger dosages are safe. For health maintenance, a quarter-teaspoon per 20 pounds of body weight per day is sufficient.
Honey is simple to offer to dogs because of its sweet flavor; if the honey is thick, you may wrap it into a treat-sized ball. Honey can be consumed on its own, combined with herbs in powder form for added health benefits, or added to herbal teas that also serve as cough syrups. See for details on how to make your own herbal honey “herbal remedies for dogs (April 2007). We’ve read that some folks put honey in the water for the dogs. You should also provide plain, fresh water if you do it.
Raw honey provides allergy relief to dogs.
Local honey can be used to treat environmental allergies, according to medical studies. The phrase “local honey” was used. When your dog consumes the honey, his body will be able to gradually acclimate to the potential allergens thanks to the local product’s modest levels of local pollen, which should help prevent a full-blown attack. Make sure you’re experiencing an allergic reaction to the environment. Additionally, hot patches, scratching, and itching might be symptoms of a food allergy. See “Consider Your Dog May Have a Food Allergy? (March 2015).
In your quest for allergy treatment, you can even go a step further. Michele Crouse, a dog trainer and beekeeper from Texas, uses it to bathe her dogs. She explains that she begins with a clear, natural shampoo base from an organic provider and mixes it with an equal amount of honey before adding aloe vera, essential oils like lemongrass, orange, lemon, lavender, tea tree, and citronella, as well as the Asian herb May Chang (Litsea cubeba). These plants are all capable of sanitizing, deodorizing, or repelling insects. Since the essential oils only make up 5% of the mixture, adult dogs and older puppies can use it without any problems. I add about 25% water to the shampoo to hydrate it and make it easier to use.
Although the resulting shampoo doesn’t lather much, according to Crouse, it thoroughly cleans the dog’s coat and calms the skin. “I apply it again after letting it sit for about a minute, rinse it off again, and repeat. I board dogs, and I’ve found that giving a visiting dog a bath in honey shampoo always relieves his scratching and itching.
Raw honey soothes symptoms of kennel cough.
Honey is a tried-and-true remedy for calming scratchy throats and coughs. You can use local honey for kennel cough, however Manuka honey might be your best option. Manuka honey has the strongest antibacterial qualities of any honey in the world and is produced by bees pollinating Manuka trees in New Zealand and some regions of Australia. Additionally, it is the most expensive honey in the world, sometimes costing three or four times as much as local honey.
Raw honey helps heal dogs’ burns, scrapes, and cuts.
A popular option for a natural wound treatment is manuka honey. Manuka honey is actually FDA-approved for treatment on people with burn injuries. However, any raw honey will aid in maintaining cleanliness and moisture around the wound, which encourages healing. The natural antibacterial properties of honey help to protect the wounded region and decrease the risk of infection.
Apply a thick layer of honey to the wound after cleansing it, and then, if required, cover it with a soft bandage. Of course, to prevent your dog from licking the area, you might also need to use an Elizabethan collar or another similar tool.
Note: Before administering any medication, a veterinarian should carefully inspect deep, broad, or puncture wounds.
Raw honey reduces gastrointestinal upset in dogs.
A few doses of honey may calm and soothe your dog’s GI system for brief episodes of diarrhea or upset stomach that could be caused by anything as simple as his eating some fresh grass.
Since honey naturally has antibacterial characteristics that can help remove germs that may be the cause of the ulcer, some veterinarians advise using honey to help treat mild stomach ulcers.
Again, you must be certain of what you are dealing with, therefore it is wise to obtain veterinarian counsel in these circumstances.
Honey lends an energy boost to dogs.
Sugar, like honey, gives you more energy. According to anecdotal evidence, honey helps many senior dogs recapture some of their former sprightliness and energy. Honey is frequently used by dog athletes’ owners to encourage energy, stamina, and vitality.
Tips for Feeding Your Dog Honey
Although all honey is viscous, crystallized honey is frequently too thick to pour or even scoop out. By placing the jar in a bowl of hot tap water, you can soften it. About three-quarters of the way up the jar, the water level should be reached. After the first five minutes, let it sit for five to ten minutes while stirring now and then. Due of the low heat usage, this procedure will soften the goods without damaging it. Avoid using a microwave or heating the honey in a pot of boiling water. Honey should be kept in a firmly closed jar at room temperature.
Potential Problems with Feeding Honey to Your Dog
One spoonful of honey has 64 calories. Although that might not seem like much, it depends on your dog’s activity level and regular weight. If additional changes are not made, adding a daily intake of honey may cause unintended weight gain (i.e., reducing other treats or the amount of food your dog receives).
Be aware: If your dog has diabetes, talk to your veterinarian before include honey in his diet. Simple sugars include honey.
One last word of advice: Do not feed honey to pups. Very trace amounts of Clostridium botulinum spores, which are present in dirt and dust, can occasionally be found in natural, raw honey. Adult dogs and humans with developed digestive systems may pass the spores through the body without any ill effects, but pups and young animals can get sick after consuming the spores. Treats containing honey should only be used on dogs older than a year.
Will honey help a dog’s tummy feel better?
Dogs with allergies may benefit from raw honey. Not only does the honey need to be raw, but it also needs to come from a local source for this to work. This is due to the fact that over time, the same pollens found in the dog’s environment will be present in local honey, which will diminish the dog’s sensitivity. Honey will not treat food allergies; it will only help with environmental allergies like pollen. Honey will not assist minimize the effects of food allergies in your pet if you suspect they exist. Nevertheless, you should visit your veterinarian and avoid dietary allergies.
Help soothe a kennel cough
Honey may also help dogs that have kennel cough. Manuka honey from Australia might be your best option in this specific case. Of all the honeys in the world, manuka honey has the strongest antibacterial capabilities. One word of caution: It also costs a lot more money!
Help with gastrointestinal issues
Honey can also be calming for an upset stomach in animals with digestive problems. When your dog doesn’t like a treat or you’ve eaten too much fresh grass, honey might help soothe minor stomach trouble. Do not continue to offer honey to your pet if their stomach problem continues; instead, get them medical attention.
Speed healing of wounds, cuts and scrapes
Honey can also aid in the healing of wounds. Make sure your pet sees a veterinarian to have the wound properly closed and treated if it has a deep wound or puncture wound. Due to its antibacterial characteristics, a small layer of honey helps hasten the healing of minor burns, scrapes, or even hot spots. To prevent your pet from licking the honey off or making a sticky mess all over your house, cover the affected area after applying the honey with a dressing.
