Can dogs eat cheddar cheese? Yes, they can. Cheese is not toxic for your dog as it lacks the digestive enzyme lactase. It means that dogs are lactose intolerant. As long as you are feeding cheese to your pooch on occasion it is okay. It also depends on your fido’s sensitivity to whether he can digest the cheddar cheese or not.
Cheese is rich in nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B-12, vitamin K-2, omega-3, etc. It is great for us as well as our canines. A small amount of cheese is okay but sometimes in some cases, it can upset your pooch’s stomach. As they are lactose intolerant, they can suffer from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
What kind of cheese is safe for dogs?
There are different types of cheese that come in different colors, textures, and shapes. With different options, it is difficult to know which cheeses are safe for your pooch. Cheese that contains low fat is best for your fido. Let us see which cheeses are good for your pooch.
#1 Mozzarella
Mozzarella cheese is safe for your fido. It contains less sodium and fat as compared to average cheeses.
#2 Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a low-fat cheese and is best for your canine. It has a bit less lactose as compared to most of the cheeses. Cottage cheese is also a great source of calcium and protein.
#3 Cheddar cheese
Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese of all. As it contains less lactose, it is the best option for your pooch.
#4 Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is also considered to be safe for dogs. It has a low count of lactose.
#5 Cream cheese
The Cream cheese is ok for your pooch if given in small quantities. Cream cheese is high in calories hence, must be fed carefully.
What kind of cheese is unsafe for dogs?
There are these above-mentioned cheeses that are safe for your pooch. But there are other cheeses that are strictly not for the dogs.
Cheese with garlic and herbs
Cheese with vegetables and herbs like garlic or chives are toxic for your fido. Chives and garlic can damage your furry friend’s red blood cells and can cause serious health issues.
Blue cheese
Blue cheese can make your doggo ill with various issues. It contains mold that is toxic for dogs and can cause vomiting and seizures.
Brie Cheese
Brie is high in fats and lactose. It can upset your dog’s stomach.
Goat cheese
Just like Brie, goat cheese has a high amount of lactose and fats. This makes it high-fat and high-lactose cheese which is bad for your pooch.
Can cheese upset a canine’s stomach?
There are some canines who must not consume cheese. Primarily, any dog with a dairy allergy needs not to consume cheese because it will cause an allergic reaction.
If your canine has any of the following, you need to keep away from feeding them cheese or exercising caution while feeding them.
- Lactose intolerance
- Pancreatitis
- Obesity
How does lactose intolerance affect dogs?
Just like humans, a variety of canines be afflicted by lactose intolerance. It is a common food intolerance in canines. If your canine has lactose intolerance, it means that their system cannot digest dairy products.
However, additionally quite like humans, the extent of intolerance can vary. For example, a few doggies won’t be capable of having milk but might be ok to consume a few hard pieces of cheese that are naturally low in lactose.
Meanwhile, an allergy is more serious. In this case, it impacts the immune system so as to cause an undesirable overreaction. The canine’s immune system treats dairy products as toxic substances and assaults them. In, particular situations such as pancreatitis and weight problems will have an effect on what your canine can consume, and how much. This is specifically the case with cheese with high-fat content,
How Much Is Too Much Cheese?
We can consume cheese all day (Assuming we are not lactose intolerant.) But when do we need to stop feeding cheese to your fido? Your canine needs to get small bites of cheese.
This will also rely upon your canine’s lactose tolerance and size. Some doggies can not cope with cheese at all. Larger dogs can handle a bit extra, and small fidos can cope with less.
In general, any meals separate from your canine’s regular meals should not account for greater than 10 percent of their calories per day.
How to feed cheese to your canine?
Go for low-fat cheese
High-fat cheese contains more calories and can increase the risk of pancreatitis in dogs. Hence, always go for low-fat cheese. The quantity of cheese a doggy can tolerate depends on him and the quantity of salt, lactose, and at present in the cheese.
Focus on portion size
Always give a small quantity of cheese to your pooch. Introducing food items like cheese slowly minimizes the issue of stomach upset. Hence, pet parents must be careful while feeding size of cheese to the pets. You can avoid weight gain and gastrointestinal upset just by understanding what quantity of cheese to feed your pooch.
When your dog is on antibiotics, do not feed cheese to the dog
If you are giving antibiotics to your doggy, then you must ask your vet before feeding cheese to your canine. Not only cheese, when antibiotics are going on, do not feed any dairy product. The calcium present in those products can interfere with the working of antibiotics.
10 foods that dogs cannot have.
- Avocados
- Grapes
- Chocolate
- Onion
- Sugar
- Milk
- Macadamia nuts
- Caffeine
- Raisins
- Garlic
Final words
Dogs do not need cheese in their diets in case you are feeding them a whole and balanced commercial canine food. But in case you need to use cheese as a unique treat or high-value praise once in a while, go for it. Just make certain to maintain portion sizes small and screen your canine for any symptoms of intolerance.
The quantity of lactose varies in different dairy products, with milk having the highest quantities of lactose. Yogurt, buttermilk, and Cheese include barely lower ranges of lactose.
Although those products can be better tolerated by a few doggies, they nevertheless have the capability to cause problems, specifically if eaten up in huge quantities.
It is excellent to keep your pooch away from and provide cheese—preferably, low-fat cheese—handiest in small quantities.
Frequently asked questions
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