# Tahini? Hummus?



## A Kramer (Sep 27, 2021)

In thinking about replacement foods for peanut butter, especially when I’ve had difficulty finding it without sugar, has anyone tried tahini or other nut butters? Or just hummus? (yes I know to watch the salt; but everything else in it is ok?) We are feeding a grain-free diet.

Seems to me if my dog will eat it, it’s a great alternative — for stuffing treats, or dressing up dinner. Before I try it, just wanted to check that there are no hidden toxicity concerns.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Hummus usually contains garlic - there are mixed views on it for dogs. All would be very high fat, which can cause pancreatitis if fed in quantity. I tend to stick to home made treats based on chicken, sardines, etc - use potato or rice flour if you need to be grain free, but wholemeal flour has a lot of nutrients not found in meats so I prefer to use that.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Yeah, I would definitely steer clear of hummus unless you’re making it yourself and skipping all the extras (including oil). Even then, there is a possible connection between chickpeas and DCM:









16 Pet Foods Possibly Linked To Heart Disease In Dogs, FDA Reports


Ongoing investigation considers possible risk of “grain-free” dog foods.




www.forbes.com





So I would still be cautious, especially if you’re already feeding a grain-free diet.

Have you tried cooking big batches of chicken breast and freezing? Both the chicken and the water it’s cooked in can be great treats. Single-ingredient jerky is another option.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

I use honest kitchen instead of peanut butter for a licky treat for Phoebe, since she doesn’t like peanut butter. We use the grain inclusive kind, but they have grain feee as well. You can make it the right consistency for filling kongs. I’ve also used small amount of liverwurst.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

My favourite Kong filling is a frozen cube of homemade broth that I shove in.

Canned dog food also works well, as does a smear of plain yoghurt or cottage cheese. I've heard of people using Cheez whiz. I fed a dribble of plain kefir on top of food for a long time. 

For a while, I put a tiny dab of cream cheese or peanut butter to fill the small hole, then added her regular kibble, filled with water, let the kibble soak up the water, drain, freeze. It made a long lasting, but not high fat filling. You can just fill with pre soaked kibble too, but I found it messy.


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## Dogs4Life (May 27, 2018)

Have you checked the natural section of the grocery store for peanut butter? The kind I buy is in a glass jar, has to be stirred, and has minimal salt added. A large jar is usually $5-6. Once I started eating the natural stuff, I never went back to the other stuff- the other stuff doesn't even taste like peanut butter.


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## toby2021 (11 mo ago)

For Kongs and licky treat, you can try mashed sweet potato, squash, pumpkin or banana


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## beowoof (Dec 6, 2021)

perhaps a grain-free dog wet food in pate form would work similarly as it's often a thick paste like peanut butter and/or hummus? often brands have a corresponding canned/wet range to accompany the dry, which would make it a grain-free option.


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## A Kramer (Sep 27, 2021)

Thanks everyone— these are ALL great suggestions and mostly ones I would never have thought of. Lots of options!


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