CAN DOGS EAT HONEY, SUGAR CONTENT AND TYPES

DISCLAIMER/DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. The information contained in this site is for educational and informative purposes ONLY and is NOT advice. Also, this website and the information contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please refer to our Disclaimer Policy for more information.

Last Updated on December 8, 2023 by Thee Puppypreneur

Table Of Contents

CAN DOGS EAT HONEY?

Can dogs have honey? Why, yes, some dogs can and other dogs should not! In this post were going to discuss is honey safe for dogs and some of the benefits of honey for certain dogs when taken internally.

We’re going to go through the different types of honey and even discuss if there might be better alternatives to feeding honey. For example, let’s say you want to use honey in a recipe for a dog treat.

If you are looking for medicinal uses of honey for your dog as a topical, all-natural alternative, then check out our other article below.

MANUKA HONEY FOR DOGS AND ITS AMAZING TOPICAL USES

You can find honey in many online dogs treats now a days such as these honey glazed bully sticks, made from grass fed, free-range buffalo

Amazon.com : Honey I’m Home, Bully Sticks Buffalo Dog Chews, 6 Inches, 5 Pieces – All Natural, Free Range, Healthy, Grain Free, Honey Coated & Crispy : Pet Supplies

Or better yet how about these Disney, Winnie the Pooh Table Scraps in Honey Roasted Turkey, which are made from all organic ingredients like; organic turkey, organic honey, organic barley flour and organic flaxseed to name a few.

Amazon.com : Table Scraps Disney Organic Honey Roasted Turkey Recipe Dog Treats 5 oz, Brown (27800) : Pet Supplies

BENEFITS OF HONEY FOR DOGS AND SUGAR CONTENT

Now when you look at pet treats on the market you might see them use ingredients like honey, molasses or sugar. When asking yourself can dogs eat honey, did you know that honey is actually almost as high in sugar as plain, granulated, white table sugar.

In fact, check out our comparison table below and maybe next time you are making a sweet treat for your pet you can sub out ingredients for healthier alternatives.

(grams of sugar are approximations)¹ ² ³ ⁴

TYPES OF HONEY FOR DOGS AND NOT SAFE HONEY FOR DOGS

With so many varieties on the market how do you choose? There is raw honey, regular honey, manuka honey, mad honey are they all the same? There are many differences in all the variations of honey available on the market.

MAD HONEY

Mad honey is a different type of honey all together and reports certain therapeutic benefits but this honey should NOT be given to your dog as this special type of red honey from places like Turkey and Nepal is considered neurotoxic largely in part to the fact that the bees feed on a rhododendron flowers which give it its calming and euphoric effects.⁵ ⁶ (REMEMBER NOT FOR YOUR DOG)

MANUKA HONEY

The liquid gold of honey’s and this one is sure to make you crack open the piggy bank. Genuine Manuka Honey comes from New Zealand and only then is it able to receive a UMF rating.

This rating changes in value depending on the therapeutic content in the honey, so the higher the rating the more potent anti-inflammatory properties it has.⁷

From UMF24+ being the rarest to UMF5+ being certified authentic and anything above UMF15+ is certified antibacterial and skin grade.⁸ Depending on your needs for using this honey for dogs will depend on the rating that you need.

Amazon.com : New Zealand Honey Co. Raw Manuka Honey UMF 15+ | MGO 514+, UMF Certified / 8.8oz : Grocery & Gourmet Food

BENEFITS OF HONEY FOR DOGS, RAW VS. REGULAR HONEY FOR DOGS

Raw honey for dogs is exactly what it sounds like for the most part. It typically goes from the honeycomb, through the strainer and then is bottled. Whereas regular honey goes through a multi-step process that can include extra filtrations, pasteurizations and possibly other additives such as sweeteners.⁹

Amazon.com: K9 Honey – 100% Pure Raw Honey Functional Raw Dog Treat and Food Topper, 24 oz. : Pet Supplies

When honey goes through minimal processing that helps in retaining the majority of its antioxidants and nutrients. However, raw honey as well as regular honey can contain Clostridium botulinum spores which could cause botulism poisoning.¹⁰

In fact, darker honey tends to have higher antioxidant properties and phenolic compounds.¹¹

Why is this important? Well, phenolic compounds are reported to exhibit analgesic, anti-inflammatory and immune modulating effects on the body.¹²

So, next time you are at the market and you are wondering can dogs eat honey, just remember what you’ve learned here today regarding raw vs. regular honey and how darker honey is better for various reasons.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF FEEDING HONEY TO DOGS

COLITIS

One of the possible benefits of honey for dogs is that honey has even been found to be as effective as prednisolone in the treatment of colitis. ¹³

GASTROENTERITIS

Another one of the potential benefits of honey for dogs is that honey has also been used successfully in cases of gastroenteritis where it shortened the clinical signs of bacterial diarrhea and is an effective replacement for glucose in electrolyte solutions.¹⁴

CANCER

Yet, another potential one of the benefits of honey for dogs is that it even has an inhibitory effect on certain tumors and can be used as a “cancer preventative”¹⁵

or therapeutic as it induces apoptosis or cell-death on certain types of cancers. ¹⁶

ALLERGIES

In another study on patients with allergic rhinitis which is characterized by sneezing and runny nose caused by some type of environmental allergen. They were given honey according to body weight for 8 weeks and subsequently showed improvement in allergy symptoms, but only at high doses.¹⁷

IS HONEY SAFE FOR DOGS

Puppies shouldn’t be given honey as well as certain other medical conditions. ¹⁸ Whatever your need for using honey make sure you discuss with your veterinarian first before starting anything new in your pet’s life.