Yogurt is a common food item in most households and grocery stores. You may have asked yourself if you can share this dairy treat with your dog. Well, we will tell you the answer below.
What to know about yogurt
Yogurt is a dairy (or milk containing) product, which is created by the process of bacterial fermentation in milk. Special bacteria added to milk turns the lactose in the milk into lactic acid. This is what thickens the milk and gives it a sour taste we know in yogurt. Yogurt can be a good source of calcium and protein for dogs.
Probiotics in Yogurt
Yogurt also contains probiotics that may be beneficial to dogs. Probiotics are microorganisms that can live in the digestive tract of many animals, including both humans and dogs. You may have heard of the term “healthy gut bacteria”, which actually describes the probiotics living in the digestive tract. According to petmd, probiotics help to break down food, make nutrients and vitamins, fight off pathogens, as well as strengthen immunity in dogs.
What kind of yogurt can dogs eat?
There are some things to look out for when feeding your dog yogurt. You should follow the below tips when deciding if yogurt is good for your dog.
Make sure the yogurt is:
- Plain without any added flavors or ingredients. Grapes, nuts, chocolate and other dog toxins should be avoided.
- Unsweetened and without any added sugars or sweeteners (xylitol is not good for dogs).
- Low-fat if you are watching your dog’s weight. Plain yogurt can contain around 150 calories per cup.
- Low in lactose, or lactose-free if your dog cannot digest lactose. Yogurts generally contain lactose which can cause tummy upsets, diarrhea or flatulence in dogs. Some animals (dogs included) are lactose intolerant. In this case it’s best to limit lactose consumption to very small amounts or avoid it altogether.
It’s best to read the ingredients list and nutritional info of the yogurt before giving it to your dog. We find that Greek yogurt is often plain and free from any unwanted extras.
Can dogs eat Greek yogurt?
Greek yogurt is regular yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey. Whey is the liquid portion of the yogurt making process. Dogs can eat Greek yogurt, as long as it is the plain kind. Greek yogurt can even be better for dogs compared to regular yogurt as it has more concentrated levels of probiotics and protein.
Can dogs eat Yoplait yogurt?
That depends – if the Yoplait yogurt is plain, unsweetened and without any dog-toxic ingredients then it should be fine. Strawberry or other flavored yogurts should be avoided.
Can dogs eat Activia yogurt?
This is the same answer as for Yoplait yogurts above. Because there are different varieties from this brand, it all depends on the individual type of yogurt. Go for yogurts that are plain, unsweetened and without any dog-toxic ingredients.
Can dogs eat vanilla yogurt?
You should not feed your dog sweetened and flavored yogurts such as vanilla yogurt.
Can dogs eat strawberry yogurt?
You should not feed your dog sweetened and flavored yogurts such as strawberry yogurt.
Can dogs eat sour cream?
Sour cream is made in a similar way to yogurt. Read about whether dogs can eat sour cream here.
