Health Benefits Of Cheese For Your Dog
- Calcium: This essential mineral builds strong bones and teeth, provides support for blood clotting, wound healing, and maintains normal blood pressure in your dogs body.
- Vitamin A: This is an essential vitamin your dog needs to maintain healthy skin and coat, a stable nervous system, and properly functioning muscles.
- Vitamin B12: Also called cobalamin, your dog needs B complex vitamins to support brain and nervous system health, the formation, and maintenance of blood cells, and a healthy digestive system.
- Zinc: This mineral supports healthy skin and coat, thyroid function, and your dogs immune system.
- Phosphorus: This mineral works with calcium to shape and strengthen of bones and teeth. It also works with calcium to support the growth of ligaments and tendons.
- Riboflavin: This coenzyme breaks down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins to produce energy.
- Glutathione: This is the King of antioxidants. Glutathione supports other antioxidants like Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Its essential for efficient liver function, to support your dogs immune system, and to optimize cell health.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: These are important for your dogs brain and heart health. They are found in cheeses made from 100% grass-fed cows. So not all cheeses have them.
- Vitamin K: This vitamin is also only found in 100% grass-fed cows milk and provides blood clotting ability.
Nutritional profile of 1 ounce of cheddar cheese the most common of dog favorites.
Can My Shih Tzu Eat Cottage Cheese
Can my Shih Tze eat cottage cheese? Cottage cheese is unprocessed, it has a gloopy yogurt-like consistency, its also an unripened cheese so less lactose is removed in the fermentation process.
Lactose, as weve mentioned, can cause stomach upset in some dogs, while normal cottage cheese for dogs should be okay in small amounts.
Some brands of cottage cheese may be cut with milk, the addition of milk raises the lactose content considerably and could upset your dogs stomach. Check the label and avoid feeding your dog cottage cheese with added milk, but is cottage cheese good for dogs?
Cottage cheese typically contains less sodium than harder cheese, which is a big plus. It also seems to be quite easy on the dogs stomachs. A study on treating colitis in dogs used a diet that contained cottage cheese, among other things, and it resulted in no noticeable negative effects.
Unfortunately, cottage cheese is messier than other cheeses, its difficult to dish out in treat sized portions and unless you feed your dog from a spoon, this coupled with the risk of cottage cheese having added milk might rule this one out.
Do Cheese Strings Have Any Benefits For Dogs
Just like humans, dogs can reap the health benefits of small amounts of cheese. String cheese contains protein, healthy fats, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin B-12. So, as far as treats go, there are certainly worse human foods you could be feeding your dog.
Cheese also makes a great treat to hide your dogs medication. Peel off a piece of string cheese and wrap it around his pill or chewy medicine, and you will have an easier time getting him to take it.
He might even start to look forward to his dose of medication if the flavor is disguised enough by the cheese!
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Using Cheese To Help Your Dog Take Medicine
Does your dog dread taking his medicine? Make it a more pleasant experience for you and your pup with some cheese!
Robinson recommends to “pick a low-fat cheese the softer and more malleable, the better so you can place the pill inside the cheese. Then, squish the cheese around the pill so your dog cannot smell it or see it.”
She adds, “It is sometimes best to give your dog cheese without the treat first, and then the second bite, give it with the cheese so they are less suspicious once they’ve had the first one without the medication.”
When To Give Your Dog Cheese
Cheese is full of healthy nutrients for your dog like protein, calcium, fatty acids and vitamins. But as you now know it can have lots of additives that are bad for your dog as well.
So when you share cheese with your dog, dont give him too much. Cheese is best left as a high value reward. If you overshare it, your dog wont be as responsive to it.
Cheese can also be a good way to give your dog pills and supplements.
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Your Dog Might Be Lactose Intolerant
If youre not sure whether your dog can digest cheese well, try feeding them a very small piece of cheese first. Keep a close eye on your dog for the next 24 hours for any signs of stomach upset, or negative bathroom changes. If you know your dog is lactose intolerant, then you should skip cheese altogether or try a very low-lactose option such as goat cheese.
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Can Dogs Eat Butter
For years, humans have been debating whether butter is nutritionally good or bad, with many people choosing the middle ground and having it in moderation. But can dogs have butter, and is butter bad for dogs?
While butter for dogs is technically neither harmful nor toxic, it’s not something that you should intentionally include in your dog’s diet. If your pup makes off with a stick of butter while you weren’t looking, don’t panic. Your pooch may experience some unpleasant digestive issues after consuming so much fat, even if they aren’t lactose intolerant, but these symptoms should pass after a while.
If such a situation does occur, keep a close eye on your dog. If their symptoms look severe or don’t seem to ease, it may be better to get them to the vet to be safe. Dehydration can occur very quickly, especially in smaller breeds.
The problem with butter as a food for dogs is that it’s not suitable for their diet being around 80% fat. As we’ve covered already, a high-fat diet can cause pancreatitis in your dog and will undoubtedly lead to weight gain, not to mention that butter can also contain too much sodium.
So, in short, the butter will add very little to your dog’s nutrition other than saturated fats, which can cause gastric problems and weight gain. So avoid it if you can. Accidental consumption won’t pose any immediate danger, but your pup should be monitored closely.
Can Dogs Eat Cheddar Cheese
Cheddar cheese, while filled with fat, is usually a better option for your dog if youre determined to give them cheese. Look for organic brands that havent been exposed to additives and chemicals. Pet owners often use small chunks of cheddar cheese to slip pills to their stubborn dogs, who wont take their medicine any other way.
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Can Dogs Drink Kefir
Kefir is a powerful probiotic gaining load of press and popularity at the moment. It resembles yogurt but is made from fermenting grains that contain yeast, fungi, and bacteria that are beneficial for the body, particularly the gut.
Kefir can be made using water or milk. Cow, sheep, and goat milk are commonly used, but coconut water can be a substitute as well. The health benefits of kefir are impressive as it contains important vitamins and minerals that are needed for the body’s optimal function not just yours but your dog’s too.
If you want to introduce some kefir into your dog’s diet, start carefully. If your dog has other dietary considerations or any existing health conditions, its always best to chat with your vet before making any changes to your dogs diet.
As a guide, small dogs should only be given around 1 teaspoon to one tablespoon of kefir, while larger breeds can have up to 3 tablespoons. Again, start small and increase your serving size gradually over time.
How To Serve Cheese To Dogs
The essential thing to ensure before serving cheese to dogs is to ensure that it contains less sodium.
Also, avoid cheese with any added ingredients when you buy it from stores. Its also recommended to stick to plain, hard cheese, and cottage cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Serving depends on several factors. It includes the dogs complete diet, how well it handles cheese, and the dogs size.
So, the piece of cheese you feed to your dog should be of a size and shape that wont pose a choking hazard.
Some serving ideas of cheese include
- Use cheese as a treat in reward-based training.
- Pretend to eat the cheese yourself. This will make a cautious dog be curious to pluck it.
- Grate little amount of cheese onto your dogs food, so that it gets the taste of cheese and used to it.
- Warm the cheese and serve it. So, it gives more odor and attracts your dog.
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Can Dogs Eat Cheese Or Is Cheese Bad For Dogs
Can dogs eat cheese? If so, how much? Are any cheeses bad for dogs? The Labrador Site team takes an in-depth look at the truth about dogs and cheese.
Cheese contains a number of nutrients and minerals that are beneficial to dogs. But it can also be high in salt. And some dogs are allergic to cows milk, or cant digest lactose in cheese properly. So whether dogs can eat cheese depends on the dog, and on the cheese! Most low salt cheeses are safe for dogs to eat in small amounts. But lets take a look at why too much cheese isnt healthy for dogs. And find out exactly which cheeses make the best doggy snacks.
Should You Let Your Dog Eat Cheese
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Whether you’re inhaling a slice of pizza or snacking on a few cubes of cheddar, it’s likely your pooch has his eyes set on your cheesy snack, insisting that sharing is caring.
As your furry pal continues to stare, you may wonder, ‘Can dogs eat cheese?’
They sure can! But like any other treat, it’s best in moderation and should be avoided if it poses problems for your pup.
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Can My Shih Tzu Drink Alcohol
Do not give any kind of alcohol to your pets, and make sure your pet doesnt lick up any spilled beer or whiskey. Alcohol can harm your dogs liver and brain like it does to yours. But its worse for dogs because their organs are smaller than human organs.
Also, having alcohol can cause the blood sugar level of your pet to drop. This can be really harmful, and your pet will need to get glucose very quickly to stop brain damage. Very low blood sugar can cause seizures in animals.
Can Dogs Eat Cream Cheese
Cream cheese is unripened, so less lactose is eliminated in the fermentation process. Also, as its name suggests, this cheese contains cream, meaning extra fat in addition to the extra lactose. For that reason, it is best to avoid feeding cream cheese to dogs as it can lead to stomach upset, even if they tolerate other cheeses well.
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Cheeses That Are Bad For Dogs
Processed cheese food: Any processed cheese food, like American Cheese, has too many additives, coloring, and sodium to be safe for your dog to eat. They can lead to sodium poisoning, as well as reactions to artificial ingredients. If its not a natural cheese, its not good for your pooch.
Blue Cheeses have mold cultures in them. They can contain penicillium, similar to roquefortine, a mold culture that would make your dog sick.
Roquefort: When this cheese is ripe, it can contain roquefortine, a toxic component that can make your dog very ill.
Herbs, garlic, flavoring additions: Any additions to natural cheese are not recommended for your dog. Flavorings or added sweeteners can be toxic, as well as garlic, onion, chives, and some herbs. Only offer your pup natural cheeses.
Can My Shih Tzu Eat Wild Mushrooms
Eating wild mushrooms is dangerous for dogs, although common white mushrooms seem safe for dogs to eat.
If eaten, wild mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting, restlessness, diarrhea, convulsions, excessive urination, salivation, coma, or death.
If not treated right away, the toxins will gather in the body and can lead to kidney or liver failure. As with most poisonings, the best way to control the poison of mushrooms is not to take it in at all.
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Health Benefits Of Cheese For Dogs
As we mentioned, there are some beneficial nutrients in cheese. However, your dogs nutritional needs can be easily met without including cheese in his diet. On the other hand, if you want to use it as a special treat or reward, or to hide a pill in, the nutrients hell receive are a fine complement to regular dog food.
Can Dogs Eat Blue Cheese
The fungus used to make blue cheese and other moldy varietals, like Roquefort and stilton, produces roquefortine C, a substance that is toxic to dogs and can cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and even seizures. If you notice any of these symptoms after feeding your dog blue cheese, contact your vet immediately.
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Limit The Amount Of String Cheese Your Dog Eats
Plain string cheese should be safe for dogs to eat as long as its only a tiny amount and its given infrequently. Like any other types of cheese, there are certain risks associated with string cheese that dog owners should be aware of.
The first risk is the amount of fat string cheese may contain. Dogs that are allowed to eat too many pieces of string cheese would be at risk of developing temporary digestive upsets as they may not have the stomach to suddenly process the large amount of fat. Over the long-term, dogs that are consistently fed a high-fat diet are also at higher risk of developing serious health conditions like pancreatitis.
There is also a risk with lactose intolerance which many dogs suffer from. This could be avoided if you are able to get your hands on lactose-free string cheese but its very likely for regular string cheese to contain a certain amount of lactose. Dogs that dont tolerate this well will suffer from further digestive upsets.
The above is only referencing plain string cheese. Please make sure you dont give your dog any string cheese products that contain additional ingredients that are considered toxic to pets, including onion and garlic.
Disclaimer
Can My Shih Tzu Eat Apple Cores
The core and seeds of an apple have toxic cyanide, which can be bad for your pet. Cyanide stops blood from carrying oxygen through the body, and many bodily functions will stop if they dont get the right amount of oxygen.
The poisonous apple core will cause a few things, like apprehension, dilated pupils, drooling, breathing problems, dizziness, collapse, seizures, hyperventilation, shock, and coma.
You can give your dog an apple as a treat, but only after taking out the seeds and core. Also, dont give a rotten apple to your dog.
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Can Dogs Eat Cheese Puffs
Can dogs have cheese-flavored snacks? Its so hard for humans to turn down bright-orange, crunchy snacks even though we know theyre not good for us! Imagine how much harder it is for a dog to walk away from the cheese puff you just dropped on the floor!
Cheese puffs and similar snack foods are very highly-processed foods, with high levels of sodium and other factors that are unhealthy unless eaten in strict moderation and even then, theyre just not that great for you! Ironically enough, cheese flavoring is often fairly skimpy on the actual cheese-related ingredients. That doesnt mean it doesnt taste good, but it does mean that, overall, cheese puffs are not a good choice for your dog.
Can My Shih Tzu Eat Apples
It might come as a surprise thats something we humans should be eating once a day to keep the doctor away, can be bad for our pets. But alas, here it is on the blacklist.
Its red apples in particular that are a no-no for your dog, because they can cause an allergic reaction and its not really the Apple itself thats dangerous, its the seeds.
They contain cyanide which is perfectly safe for people in small doses, but extremely harmful for animals.
Vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration are the first signs of poisoning, and its not just apples though. You can find such seeds in cherries and apricots too.
If your pet ingests these cyanide filled seeds, take it to the vet immediately.
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The Best Training Treats Are Stinky And The Smellier The Better
As far as your dog is concerned, smelly treats are usually yummy treats.
When youre working on difficult tricks or training in distracting situations, you want the treats to grab your dogs attention quickly and effectively. While some dogs will work for kibble or Cheerios, youll want to rely on the really good, stinky stuff for training.
The more challenging your goals, the better the treat should be. Stinkiness for humans is often a good indicator of tastiness for dogs!
