Most dogs love cheese and, if given the opportunity, will eat far too much cheese than is healthy.
Overall cheese is a safe treat for your dog but you do need to remember a few things when feeding:
- Cheese is high in fat and could cause weight gain to a dog if fed too often and in too high amounts.
- There is a risk of some dogs developing pancreatitis – inflammation of the pancreas, the organ that produces digestive enzymes.
- Some cheeses contain ingredients that are harmful to dogs, things such as onions and garlic which are toxic to canines and can be harmful.
- Lactose – many dogs struggle to deal with lactose which is found in products made from cow’s cheese.
When feeding cheese to your dog it is a good idea to consider low fat options such as cottage cheese or mozzeralla.
Good options are cheeses such as Feta, goat’s or sheep based cheeses – all of which are low in fat and contain less lactose than cow milk based cheeses.
Hard cheeses such as Parmesan and Cheddar are also good examples of cheeses that contain lower levels of lactose, making them more suitable for dogs.