Can Dogs Eat Yogurt?

Can Dogs Eat Yogurt?

As pet owners, we have to consider so many things that are easy to overlook to keep our pets safe and healthy. We have been asked if it is okay for dogs to eat yogurt – that’s what we will be discussing in this post.

Ok

So can dogs have yogurt?

The short answer? Yes, dogs can eat yogurt. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they should.

Is It Healthy For Them?

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Yogurt is technically healthy for dogs based on its high in calcium and protein and provides a variety of antibiotics. Just make sure that it is free from both natural and artificial sweeteners. Some artificial sweeteners, such as xylitol, are toxic for dogs. Also, added sugars are a no-no.

Greek yogurt is a better option as compared to regular yogurt as it contains a higher amount of protein and fewer amounts of potassium and calcium.

Let’s take a look at the advantages of it, shall we?

Following are some advantages of feeding yogurt to your doggy friend:

• Yogurt can help in improving your doggy friend’s digestion (well, at least in theory)
• It contains Lactobacillus acidophilus—-a form of live bacteria that are known to be good for one’s gut health
• The probiotics in the yogurt help strengthen the dog’s immune system and makes it easier for him to fight off diseases

Even though technically speaking, yogurt is good for dogs, you should only feed it in moderate quantities to your furry friend.

It can be given as an occasional treat—or when you’re tricking your dog into eating his medicine!

The underlying problem that comes from giving dogs yogurt is that most have issues with digesting lactose. So the ideal kind that you could get is plain, Greek-style yogurt which has lots of live cultures. Plus, it’s typically lower on lactose.

While probiotics are beneficial in most cases, this shouldn’t be your main reason for giving your dog yogurt. There are much better sources of probiotics for dogs than yogurt. These products are designed to improve your dog’s intestinal health without having lactose included.

One such product is the Mercola – Complete Probiotics For Pets. It provides your dog with 38 billion CFU beneficial bacteria from 14 carefully selected strains known to promote optimal gastrointestinal health in pets.

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The Dangers of Yogurt

It’s important to note that Yogurt isn’t necessarily toxic for dogs unless there are toxic ingredients like xylitol in them. The main idea is to understand that they might just have issues with digesting it. Puppies can process lactose but they aren’t designed to do that after growing up.

Typical symptoms of digestive issues from lactose are gas, diarrhea, and vomiting. If your dog experiences this, it is recommended to take them to the vet to make sure that they are okay.

Yogurt often has a fair amount of fat in it. If dogs have too much fat in their diet, they become at risk for things like pancreatitis, which can be fatal. If you want to give your dog yogurt, please give them a small amount and see how they react. If it goes well, consider yogurt a treat and offer it once in a while.

The Ten Percent Rule

This is something that you may not be familiar with. The ten percent rule is the idea that treats and snacks should only ever make up 10% at most of a dog’s calories every day. Now, the best way to get an exact figure of what that means can be done during your next visit with your vet. They will take into consideration things like what kind of treats they like, their activity level, and their weight.

A Fun Product

All seriousness aside, yogurt is okay in small amounts. Just keep in mind what we said about xylitol. With that in mind, there is a fun treat that we suggest getting. It’s called Fruitables Greek Yogurt Dog Treats and it’s a healthy product for dogs, taking into consideration all the things that we discussed in this post.

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