Your dog gives you lots of love every day, so it’s normal for you to reciprocate this affection. Quite often, many dog owners prefer giving their pooches some food treats. No doubt, dog nutrition is an important thing to do for their wellbeing. You may want to check on dry dog food for picky eaters.
While various factors can play a huge role in the happiness of your dog, nutritious dog food is what your furry friend needs. But you should be careful when choosing the type of food to feed your dog because some of them can be harmful. This page explains if feeding your dog cheese is safe.
Can you feed your dog cheese?
Can dogs eat cheese? Whether your dog can feed on cheese or not it usually depends on the type of cheese and health condition of your dog. You see, cheese isn’t toxic or poisonous to dogs except for blue cheese. Most of the cheeses contain added ingredients that can be harmful to dogs, such as herbs and onions.
The rule of thumb is that you should feed your dog a balanced diet ideal for canines. This means commercially available dog foods but you can give your dog some portions of cheese occasionally as a treat.
If your pooch manages to feed large portions of cheese, they can sometimes vomit. Hence, keep an eye on them, and consider consulting your vet if they become ill. That said, below are some of the dogs that shouldn’t eat cheese:
- Overweight pooch. Cheese has a high-fat content, so don’t feed your dog that needs to lose weight. In such a case, consider feeding your dog leaner foods, such as ham, chicken, and tuna.
- Lactose intolerant canines. Dogs that are intolerant to dairy products or are allergic should not eat cheese.
- Dogs suffering from upset stomachs. Dogs that suffer from running stomachs should avoid feeding on cheese. This is because cheese can sometimes cause diarrhea and vomiting.
- Canines with kidney problems. Most types of cheeses have a high content of salt, making them not suitable for canines with kidney issues.
Using cheese as a treat for good behavior
Many pooches find cheese appealing, making it a suitable option for a reward when training them. In what is known as a high-value food reward, you can give your dog cheese to show that you’re pleased with the behavior that you asked of them. In this case, you should only feed your dog cheese sparingly.
For example, if your dog finds it hard to recall something but loves to eat cheese, you can give them a small portion of cheese when they respond by coming back to you after you call them. This will eventually teach your dog that it’s good to return to you when they are called.
Remember that most of the basic cheeses that you usually keep in your house are pretty safe for your pooch in moderation. To sum it up, consider giving your dog soft cheese like mozzarella, cheddar, and string cheese. Also, you can feed your dog cottage cheese that is low in sodium and plain cream cheese, but the portions should always be small.
