Yes! Dogs Can Eat Yogurt. Here’s Why

Yogurt can be a healthy snack or a sweet dessert. It can have fruits, granola, and sometimes nuts. While you probably enjoy yogurt, you may wonder if you can give your doggie some too. You can feed your pup some yogurt! As long as your dogs are one of the lucky ones who have issues digesting dairy products. 

There are essential things to be aware of when picking the types of yogurt you can give your pup. It’s necessary to avoid some ingredients that are bad for dogs, like with most human foods. In this post, we’ll cover the risks, benefits, and how much is safe for your dog to consume. So grab your yogurt and scoop away as you read everything you need to know about yogurt. 

How Do Dogs Handle Dairy Products?

The health of your dog can benefit significantly from yogurt. However, if your dog has a dairy allergy or is lactose intolerant, it can cause them too much discomfort. Most dogs cannot tolerate lactose. Some may be allergic to dairy. Given that puppies consume their mother’s milk, you might be puzzled as to how this is possible. However, because milk contains the natural sugar lactose, most dogs are lactose intolerant. 

Dogs cannot metabolize this sugar because they lack the digestive enzyme lactase. Puppies still nursing have enough lactase in their bodies to digest the lactose in their mother’s milk, but when they move to solid food and wean themselves off the milk, their lactase output falls, rendering them lactose intolerant. Some dogs are allergic to dairy foods. Your veterinarian can make the distinction between an allergic reaction and lactose intolerance. When you feel your dog may be experiencing allergic symptoms due to a dairy product, speak with your veterinarian immediately.

Benefits of Feeding Your Pup Yogurt 

The gut of a dog houses 70% of its immune system. Additionally, heavily processed diets, foods intended for humans rather than animals, and drugs that impair immune function severely damage the immune system. 

These make your dog more vulnerable to illness, environmental stress, cell oxidation, and the adverse effects of aging. Beneficial bacteria that reside in the body are known as probiotics. They provide health advantages and fortify a compromised immune system when taken as supplements or in meals like yogurt. We also know that calcium helps healthy bones, teeth, heart, and nervous system development.

Protein, Calcium, and More

Dietary protein is a necessary nutrient for the development and upkeep of nearly all of your dog’s bodily tissues. It provides the amino acids to develop muscles, cartilage, skin, and hair. It can help your dog lose weight because protein boosts metabolism. Yogurt might make your dog feel better if they have hot spots, ear infections, or chronic itching. The yeast, or candida, that causes these illnesses is combated by probiotics, which lessens the symptoms and frequency of infection. 

Yogurt contains casein peptides, which help fight plaque and tartar on your dog’s teeth, protecting against tooth disease. Additionally, these peptides reduce the decay-causing microorganisms. A doggie’s digestive system is very different from a human’s. Therefore you must use caution while giving your dog food intended for humans.

What Are the Risks?

Yogurt is not poisonous, but your dog can have difficulties digesting it. After they leave the puppy stage, dogs’ bodies are not built to process lactose. Therefore a food high in lactose might result in flatulence, diarrhea, and vomiting. Be sure to visit your veterinarian if your dog exhibits any of these behaviors. Feed your dog a small bit and see how they respond, as you should with any treat.

How Much to Feed Your Dog and How to Pick the Best

Remember that while your dog will appreciate this serving of yogurt, probiotics won’t provide any health advantages. If your four-legged friend needs a nutritional boost to their digestive system, veterinarians advise taking a suitable probiotic supplement made exclusively for dogs. How much can dogs eat? One spoonful for each size your dog goes up. Small is one, medium dogs get two, and large dogs get three spoonfuls. 

Pasteurized Yogurt

Giving your dog yogurt won’t help if itchy skin, loose stools, or a dull coat are your dog’s problems. You should give your dog some canine-specific probiotic supplements (not human ones). The live cultures included in some yogurts, but not all, are what give it its health advantages. 

The enzymes and microorganisms that provide yogurt with probiotic qualities are destroyed during pasteurization. Search for yogurt with live cultures listed in the ingredients. Live, active cultures in yogurt will make it easier for your dog to digest because it contains less lactose than conventional, pasteurized yogurt.

Sweeteners

To make yogurt more palatable, many brands add sugar. Because a dog’s digestive system cannot break down these sugars, feeding them to your dog puts them at risk for dental problems, diabetes, and obesity. Dogs should never eat sugar-free yogurt. These yogurts frequently include xylitol, which canines find to be exceedingly poisonous. 

It is well known that xylitol can cause dangerously low blood sugar levels, which can cause liver failure and even death. Because xylitol sweetens food products, we find it in high quantities in meals suitable for diets. When buying yogurt for your dog, always check the ingredient label.

Fruit and Fats

Most fruits added to yogurt have a lot of sugar or syrup in them. The healthiest approach to providing yogurt and fruit to your dog is to buy plain yogurt and add your fresh fruit. Your dog is OK eating low-fat or fat-free yogurt. High-fat yogurts can lead to pancreatic inflammation and pancreatitis, which can be fatal. Dogs are not permitted to consume low-sugar yogurt.

Conclusion 

You can feed your dog yogurt as long as it’s not heavily processed. Please avoid sugar-free yogurt because it can have artificial ingredients that are poisonous to dogs. Sugar is less harmful, but too much can also have adverse effects. Make sure to give them great daily dog food as well.

It’s always best to start small with servings to see how your dogs react to it. If dogs have issues like diarrhea or excessive gas, they probably can’t handle yogurt. Share this with other doggie owners who love their morning yogurt. Check out more articles about dogs eating human food to know what’s safe and what’s not!

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