Dogs have a hard time digesting dairy products because their stomachs are not designed to break down the lactose in milk and other dairy products. The result is gas and diarrhea for your dog.
Cheese is mostly made from milk, so it has the same problem as milk does: too much lactose. This means that your dog should not eat processed cheese, which contains more than 5% milk fat by weight or volume. Processed cheese also contains sodium nitrite and potassium sorbate, both of which are preservatives that could be harmful to dogs if ingested in large quantities.
It’s best to avoid feeding your dog any kind of cheese altogether, but if you must feed your dog cheese, stick with small amounts of hard cheeses like cheddar or parmesan—or a tiny bit of shredded mozzarella (which is essentially just melted mozzarella). If you’re really looking to give your dog some comfort food when he’s feeling under the weather, try offering him some plain yogurt instead.
So you know that the only truly safe cheese for dogs is cheddar, right? It’s true that giving your dog some cheese can be a benign treat. Adding a little cheese to your pooch’s meal is completely harmless and doesn’t really change its nutritional content or anything like that. Now, assuming it’s not an excessive amount, it’s fine to give cheese as a snack or part of your dog’s meal. And it’s definitely not just limited to cheddar – there are many cheeses that are perfectly healthy for dogs (and cats). But how do you know how much cheese is too much?
How much cheese can a dog eat
Some dogs can safely eat cheese.
If your dog has a taste for cheese, it can be tempting to give him some. But before you hand over that slice of cheddar, know that not all dogs are able to safely eat cheese.
If you’re thinking about sharing some leftover pizza with your pup or giving them a piece of goat cheese as an after-dinner treat, there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost: If you’ve got a picky eater (or any kind of eater) on your hands, don’t expect him or her to like the taste of cheese right away. You’ll need to introduce it slowly and patiently—maybe by crumbling some over their normal food—to get them used to its flavor before feeding it by itself. If they’re already familiar with dairy products like yogurt or ice cream but not fond of those foods either because they’re too bitter or rich for their liking (and yours!), then this stage may not be necessary—but do still take care when introducing anything new into your pet’s diet!
Dogs that are lactose intolerant should avoid cheese.
You may have heard that dogs are lactose intolerant. This is the case with many dogs, but not all of them. If your dog has lactose intolerance, he or she will be able to eat cheese as long as it’s in small doses and isn’t part of a larger meal containing milk products.
Often, when people use the term “lactose intolerant,” they actually mean “lactose sensitive.” While these two conditions are not exactly the same thing, they do tend to go hand in hand. Dogs who are both lactose intolerant and sensitive will likely have more difficulty consuming dairy products than dogs who are only one or the other.
Different types of cheese have different levels of lactose.
Cheese is made from milk, which contains sugar called lactose. Lactose intolerant dogs can’t digest this sugar and it can cause digestive issues for these pets.
The longer a cheese has been aged and the harder it is, the less lactose it will have. Cheeses like cheddar and parmesan contain very little lactose because they’ve been aged for several months or longer, but soft cheeses like brie or ricotta can have up to 50% of their calories come from lactose.
Dogs are individuals and react differently to cheese.
You may have heard that your dog can eat cheese, but the truth is that some dogs can’t. And even if your dog can eat it, he or she won’t know how much to eat. Some dogs can handle more cheese than others. How much? That’s up to you to determine by watching your pup closely after each new type of cheese you offer him or her.
Some dogs are lactose intolerant, which means they don’t produce enough lactase —the enzyme necessary for digesting milk sugars—in their intestines. This makes them unable by nature to get any nutrition from milk products (which include cream, butter and yogurt).
But lactose intolerance doesn’t mean that all dairy products are off limits for these animals! Aged cheeses like hard parmesan and cheddar contain little-to-no lactose at all because bacteria have broken down most of its sugars into lactic acid over time during fermentation processes inherent in making those types of cheeses (and other fermented foods consumed by humans).
So if you believe your pup has some sort of intolerance problem with regular milk-based foods but want him or her anyway because they’re delicious? Go ahead: give it a try! You never know what might work out well!