Cheese for dogs, types, nutritional value, benefits, side effects

Can dogs eat cheese? And if they can, what size of cheese intake is enough or healthy for the dog? Here is more on cheese for dogs: types, benefits and the side effects of giving cheese to your dog.

Is Cheese Good For Dogs?

Dogs are said to be the oldest and most domesticated animal on the planet, and for these, they have adapted to living with humans over the years eventually become adaptable to a starch-rich diet which is not suitable or is insufficient for other Canidae (Canid species).

Cheese is great for the dogs. It has a low level of lactose is a good since most dogs are lactose intolerant. On the other hand, cheese can be used to train dogs as a form of awarding treats. You can use cheese to coat medication and hide bitter tastes.

While it has lots of health benefits for the dog, cheese should not be taken in large amounts. It has been known to cause digestive problems with symptoms such as diarrhea. You should monitor how much cheese your dog consumes.

Cheese Dogs Treats

Dogs like cheese treats. You can buy these or make them at home.

How to Make Cheese Treats for Dogs

Be creative. The crispier the treat the better. Be careful not to add toxic foods such as raisins into cheese treats for dogs.

Recipe 1

This recipe is meant to make cheese treat for a small dog. Increase depending on the size of the dog.

Ingredients

• One teaspoon of parsley
• 30 ml of skimmed milk
• 65 grams whole meal self-rising flour
• 20 grams of shredded cheese” options include Tillamook, Feta or Parmesan, etc.”

Procedure

1. In a bowl and mix all of the ingredients together to make a door
2. Roll your dough on a floured surface, make sure the rolled out dough is 3-5 millimeters thick and into bite sized pieces depending on the size of the dog.
3. Heat the oven up 350 degrees
4. Place on a cookie sheet slightly separated (1/2inch)and put them in the heated oven for 20-30 minutes- it’s good to keep checking them
5. They are ready once they turn golden brown on the edges
6. Allow them to cool to make them crispy

Recipe 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup shredded Cheese
• ¼ cup vegetable oil and three tablespoons water or broth
• 240 grams of brown rice flour
• 135 grams oat flour
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese
• Egg
• 250 ml of chicken broth.

The procedure remains the same.

How to Give Cheese Treats to Your Dog

You can add peanut butter to the recipe if you like. Do not toxic foods such as chocolate, grapes or raisins. Otherwise, you can check online or pet stores for cheese treats such as:

• Fido’s Cheese Nuggets
• PureBites Cheddar Cheese etc.

Note that cheese treats meant for dog training should be tiny. Since they are given regularly. Cheese biscuits for dogs are easy for the dog to chew and they don’t leave a lot of crumbs.  Homemade cheese treats can last for one week if kept in an open. You can keep them even longer by refrigerating them.

You can also cut hard cheese into tiny pieces and give it to the dogs the same way as biscuits. However, this is not advisable because the level of lactose rises when you give dogs 100% cheese. Give them cheese mixed with other food substance to reduce the amounts offered.

Nutritional Value of Cheese for Dogs

Regarding nutrition, cheese is superb for the health and growth of dogs if taken in small amounts. It provides vitamin A and B. It also contains calcium and essential fatty acids that keep your dog’s skin healthy and firm. Calcium, as you know is what builds up bones. It helps in growth, blood clotting and muscle contraction. Cheese is also a source of protein for the dog.

Types of Cheese for Dogs, Best Cheese for Dogs

Dogs can eat all kind of cheese- they love the taste of cheese. Here are some of the cheese types, their calorie and lactose concentration:

Parmesan cheese

It has low lactose levels of 0.1-1% and 122 calories 28.4grams. It is suitable for dog’s digestion because it has small amounts of lactose.

Swiss cheese

It has 1-3% level of lactose in it and a calorie level of 106 calories per 28.4 grams. It’s not commonly used to make dog treats or to feed dogs due the high level of lactose compared to the other times of cheese.

Feta

Having a lactose level of 0.5% and a calorie percentage of 75 calories per 28.4 grams. Feta cheese is good for weight loss in dogs. The low-calorie level makes weight management easier.

Cream cheese

It contains 1 – 3% lactose levels and 97 calories per 28.4 grams, although its cholesterol level is 10% so is also not favorable feeding it to the dog.

Cottage Cheese

Most experts prefer cottage cheese, because of its low level of calories 27.8 per 28.4 grams and also its high calcium content, it’s used for older dogs with no known medical conditions. It has 1-3% lactose levels

Goat cheese

With lactose levels of 0.5% and 103 per 28.4 grams of calories. Its tangy like yogurt making it perfect for hiding dog medicine. You can also put it in the dog’s food, to increase the foods flavor.

Remember to always check the labels to tell the number of calories present in the cheese that you choose to buy for your dog. Low fat cheese types include: Feta, Ricotta, Mozzarella and Cottage cheese.

Lactose-free cheese

There is no cheese which is completely lactose free. Here is a list of cheese with the least levels of lactose ranging from 0.1 and 1%

• Brie
• Parmesan
• Gruyere
• Camembert
• Sheep cheese

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How to Give Cheese to Your Dog

When giving cheese to your dog it’s good to know how they like it best. This also depends on the situation. If it is a treat or whether you need to mix it with their food. It also depends whether you want to sprinkle it on top of there their food to hide medicines in the cheese.

Below are different ways on how you to give cheese to your dog.

Grated cheese

To achieve grated cheese, you use hard cheese, a micro plane cheese grater or a box grater

Coat the grate with cooking oil to enable cheese to slide easier. You can switch the size of the micro plane (from one with bigger holes to another with smaller ones) these depend on the size of grated cheese you want.

Grated cheese is not recommended to be used as treats. It has very tiny pieces- you cannot hold it well when giving to the dog. It’s best when served as a flavor to the dog’s food. You just need to scatter it on your dog’s meal to add flavor. It’s easier to spread it across the food. You can also mix with the food.

Melted/liquid cheese

Mostly melted or creamy cheese is the best type when you want to give medicine to a dog. Use this type of cheese to coat medicine so that the dog might not know or notice the taste. Melted cheese can be used to disguise tablets, liquid or powder medicines.

Your dog will willingly eats the mixture which may not happen if you give it the medicine directly.

1. There other foods that can be used to deliver medicine into the dog, e.g., peanut butter works well when mixed with drugs because it bypasses taste buds.

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Benefits of Cheese for Dogs

Cheese has a lot of health benefits for your dog. It contains a lot of nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and also proteins.

Dog Teeth and Bones

Because of its high level of calcium, cheese is good in strengthening and growth of the healthy bones and teeth structures.

Training Dogs

Dogs do love cheese, so the cheese would be an excellent training tool when used as a treat to award a dog when it gets something right.

Cheese for Dog Weight Gain

Some cheeses have high cholesterol and low lactose levels, so this will come in handy if you want your dog to add some weight.

Dry skin

Essential fatty acids and proteins in cheese keep your dog’s skin dry, healthy and shiny.

Diabetic Dogs

Dogs with diabetes require a lot of monitoring, and often diet control is involved to avoid any issues. Cheese has a very low glycemic index (GI) hence, it can fit well in the diet of a diabetic dog, because of its low impact on blood sugar levels. Just choose a low-fat type of cheese so as to have low calories and cholesterol levels.

Lactating Dogs

Lactating dogs need meals with plenty of calcium, protein, and calories. These substances help in preventing diseases while she is nursing e.g. milk fever or eclampsia. Cheese makes an excellent option because it has proteins, calcium, and also some are rich in cholesterol.

Liver Problems

A diet for dogs with liver problems should be rich in proteins. Cheese, especially natural cheese such as feta, pecorino, and cheddar is an excellent choice.

For Dogs with Cancer

The use of non-processed, raw natural food diet for the canine with cancer enables it to get the full nutritional values of the food. The anti-oxidants in cheese with low fat helps a lot in the fight against cancer and contribute to good health.

Side Effects of Giving Cheese to Dogs

A lot of cheese intake can cause some health problems to a dog- some dogs are also allergic, and others are very lactose intolerant thus increasing odds of health issues. Here are some of the health problems that might be caused by cheese intake:

Diarrhea/upset stomach

Giving your dog lots of cheese increases lactose levels. Most dogs are lactose intolerant. Digestion of cheese in such cases is difficult and can lead to stomach upsets and diarrhea.

Allergies

It’s crucial to observe your dog after introducing new foods. Your dog might be allergic to chees which may negatively affect his health. Symptoms of cheese allergy include:

• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Wheezing
• Unusual aggressiveness
• Irritated eyes
• Scratching underbelly, tail area, back leg or neck intensely with teeth or legs

Consult a vet and find out if the cheese is affecting your dog. There may be another reason for your dog’s allergies or illness. Allergies may not be cheese related.

It’s good to monitor how much cheese your dog eats. As you have seen in this article a lot of cheese intake in a short time might be harmful to the dog. Having a strict diet is good for your dog’s health.

Cheese can be easily be fitted into a menu set because it can be cut into small pieces. Lactose and calorie levels can be easily calculated making it easy to fit it into a diet timetable.

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