Cheese is a godsend as this wonderful food product can change any bland and simple recipe into a tasty and enjoyable dish. Therefore, you can find cheese in almost most of our foods, which raises a fundamental question: “Can dogs eat Cheese?”.
It is crucial to find the answer to this question as dog lovers love sharing their food with dogs, which may cause them to give something to dogs that are not fit for dog consumption. Unfortunately, the internet is not much help as it is full of articles that give conflicting answers.
But no need to worry about all this as we are here to provide our readers with all the knowledge, they may require answering the question of “Can dogs eat Cheese?” on their own.
In the following article, we will inform our valued readers about all the benefits that dogs can drive from behind fed cheese. We will also describe some cheese types that we consider the best option for our four-legged best friends.
Caution
First thing first, as the answer to the question “Can dogs eat Cheese?” is subjective and depends on the fact that whether your dog is lactose intolerant or not. Sadly, most dog breeds are lactose intolerant, and if you think that the same is the case with your dog, then you should refrain from feeding him any cheese products at all.
Failing to do so can cause several gastrovascular diseases in your dog, including excessive gas, unbearable stomach pain, vomiting, and Diarrhea. Fortunately, some dog breeds can tolerate lactose present in the cheese and therefore can be safely fed Cheese and Cheese-based products.
Therefore, we recommend that you should consult your vet about all this as he will be better informed on whether your dog is lactose intolerant or not. This will help you a lot while trying to find the answer to “Can dogs eat Cheese?”
Another thing to keep in mind while feeding cheese to your lactose tolerant dog is that cheese is loaded with fats, and therefore you should keep an eye on how much cheese your pooch is consuming. Too much cheese can make your dog extremely obese very quickly. And as you surely know, obesity can cause a long list of severe diseases in dogs.
Benefits of feeding cheese to dogs
Cheese is full of many essential nutrients that are highly beneficial for our canine friends, and therefore there is great merit to the idea of feeding cheese to our four-legged best friends. These nutrients include essential minerals such as calcium and vitamins such as Vitamin A and all vitamins belonging to the Vitamin B complex.
All this clearly shows how beneficial Cheese can be for our canines, and therefore dog owners shouldn’t hesitate to feed their pooches food items containing Cheese, provided that the dog can tolerate lactose. This also helps in answering the question of “Can dogs eat cheese?”
To make the process of understanding the pros of feeding Cheese to their dogs easier for our valued readers, we have included detailed descriptions of all the nutrients that are freely found in Cheese and cheese-based products.
Calcium
Calcium is termed an essential mineral that almost all animals require for maintaining their bodily functions and health. Therefore, it is recommended that dog owners keep a close on their dog’s calcium intake and provide them with excellent sources of calcium such as Cheese. This also answers questions like “Can dogs eat Cheese?”.
Strong teeth and bones
Calcium is mainly involved with bone development, and therefore the largest deposits of calcium in animal bodies are found in Bones and teeth. This clearly shows how essential calcium is for the development and maintenance of bones present in the body. Bones serve to give protection, strength, dexterity, and form to animal bodies, and therefore they should be well taken care of. And the only way to do this is by providing the body with a rich supply of calcium. As mentioned earlier, calcium is an essential mineral, which means that dogs can’t synthesize it on their own, and therefore they rely on their diet for their calcium requirements.
Failing to provide your dog with the required amounts of calcium can lead to several severe and fatal diseases in your friend. The most common disease that is caused by inadequate amounts of calcium in dogs is called Rickets. Rickets is characterized by causing soft bones. These soft bones are highly brittle and are therefore incapable of supporting the dog’s weight. This causes them to bend and, worse yet, fracture due to the weight. This can be extremely painful for your dog, and therefore canine owners should try their best to provide enough amounts of calcium to their dogs.
Although none of it means that dog owners should offer excessive amounts of calcium to their dogs, this can lead to a medical condition known as hypercalcemia in dogs. Hypercalcemia is characterized by excessive amounts of calcium present in the bloodstream, giving rise to a large range of medical conditions and diseases. Some of the diseases caused by Hypercalcemia in dogs are as follows.
- Osteoporosis
- Kidney stones
- Kidney failure
- Nervous system related problems
- Abnormal heart rate and other heart-related complications.
Therefore, we recommend our respected readers to consult their veterinarian about this matter. Your vet knows the best about what’s good for your dog, and therefore he will be able to advise you the best about how much calcium you should give to your dog to keep him happy and healthy for long.
Blood Coagulation
Dogs are highly active animals as they love playing around and running after any moving object. This is highly beneficial for their health, but they are bound to get themselves injured while playing. And it is very common for them to receive deep cuts and bruises, all of which can result in serious blood loss. But fortunately, animal blood has the remarkable capability of clotting itself at the site of any injury or trauma. This protects the body from suffering from too much blood loss. This ability of blood coagulation is responsible for saving countless lives every year, and therefore you should make efforts to boost this capability in your pooch. The ability of blood to clot is ensured by the presence of vital nutrients, namely Vitamin A and Calcium, in adequate amounts. This goes to show the importance of calcium ions for the well-being of your furry friend. Without an adequate amount of calcium present in the body/ the process of blood, coagulation slows down or completely fails to happen, which can seriously jeopardize your dog’s safety. Therefore, we recommend our valued readers provide their canine best friends with good sources of calcium. Once such a good calcium source is cheese, dog owners shouldn’t hesitate to feed cheese to their dogs.
This information will also help dog lovers in answering the question of “Can dogs eat Cheese?”
Vitamin A
If our dogs were a machine, then Vitamin A would have been the oil that kept them running. Vitamin A performs a large number of essential functions in the body. Therefore, dog owners should feed their canines food rich in Vitamin A, and food cheese-based products are on top of all the foods considered good sources of Vitamin A. This also answers the critical question of “Can dogs eat cheese?”. Following are all the significant functions in which vitamin A is required as an essential component.
Prevention from Night Blindness
The eyes are highly complex and vital organs. Therefore, the fact that Vitamin A plays a significant role in preventing night blindness in dogs speaks volumes about the importance of Vitamin A. The visual part of the eyes is composed of two different types of cells, namely cone cells, and Rhode cells. Cones cells are composed of Iodopsin protein and are responsible for detecting colors, and thus they serve to allow vision in the daytime. On the other hand, Rhode cells are composed of a protein called Rhodopsin and are tasked with giving night vision to dogs. Without Rhodopsin, not enough Rhode cells can be produced, and this can cause crippling night blindness in dogs. Therefore, we should make sure that enough rhodopsin protein is produced in our dogs. The most straightforward way to do that is by feeding dogs food rich in Vitamin A as this particular vitamin is required to produce Rhodopsin Protein.
Night Blindness can cause several added issues in dogs as dogs are nocturnal mammals, meaning they are mostly active at night. A dog that cannot see in the dark can easily become isolated from the group due to this. Dogs are highly social animals, and the prospects of being isolated from the group or not being able to participate in group activities can seriously affect the mental health of such a dog, and he can easily fall victim to depression. This condition of night blindness can also cause your dog to miss out on his activities as he will be unable to move and make the most of the night when he is usually the most active. This inactivity can also cause several medical ailments in your dog. Therefore, we recommend that our readers never let your dog’s Vitamin A levels fall below the required amounts.
Helping the process of cell differentiation
The process by which basic, primary cells are converted into more specialized cells such as nerve cells, muscle cells, or cardiac cells is known as Cell differentiation. This process is crucial for the well-being of our canine friends as without cell differentiation, new specialized cells are not formed, and this stops the process of replacing old and dead cells with new specialized cells. This can lead to cellular decay of vital organs and can also cause total organ failure. You must be thinking, where does Vitamin A fit in all of this. Our readers should know that Vitamin A is required for primary cells to start converting to specialized cells, making Vitamin A’s importance clear. Therefore, we recommend our valued readers feed their dogs food rich in Vitamin A, such as cheese, as that’s the best way to replenish a dog’s Vitamin A supplies.
Better Coat Quality
Now, who doesn’t want their pooch to have a shiny and beautiful coat? But sadly, most owners don’t know how to take the best care of their canine’s coat, which leads to poor coat quality in dogs. We are here to tell our respected readers that proper brushing and regular baths are not enough to guarantee a good quality coat. You have to boost the production of keratin protein in your dogs for them to have a shining and show-quality coat. Keratin protein acts as the building block of hairs and furs, and therefore this protein is required to produce and repair hairs in your dog’s coat. Without the adequate production of keratin protein, the coat can get dull and dry. To make sure that enough keratin is being produced in their dogs. We recommend that dog owners offer foods loaded with Vitamin A to their dogs, as Vitamin A is essential for keratin production.
And since our topic at hand is the question of “Can dogs eat cheese?” we can proudly say that cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and, therefore, it is safe for dogs.
Vitamin B complex
Vitamin B complex is a set of essential, water-soluble vitamins that are essential for dogs. It means that dogs are unable to produce these vitamins independently, and therefore owners should provide their dogs with food products that are rich in these vitamins to prevent them from suffering from Vitamin-B complex deficiency. Fortunately, cheese can help you ensure that your dog receives the required amounts of Vitamin-B complex as it is full of these essential vitamins. Vitamin B complex consists of 12 vitamins, namely
- Vitamin B1 or Thiamine
- Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin
- Vitamin B3 or Niacin
- Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic acid
- Vitamin B6 or Pyridoxine
- Vitamin B7 or Biotin
- Vitamin B9 or Folate
Following is a brief description of all the notable Vitamins belonging to this complex and their role in the upkeep of a dog’s health.
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B is another essential vitamin that our four-legged best friends are unable to produce on their own, and that’s why they rely on their meals to meet their Vitamin B needs. Vitamin B performs a wide range of functions in dogs, and they can range anywhere from Tooth care to providing our dogs with energy and strengthening their immune systems. Following is a brief description of all the important functions performed by Vitamin B1.
Like all the other members of the Vitamin B family, Vitamin B1 is also a water-soluble vitamin involved in various chemical reactions that take part in animal bodies, including dogs. Vitamin B1 is chemically referred to as Thiamine. Thiamine is also termed as “Moral Vitamin” due to its integral role in promoting excellent cardiac health and boosting the functioning of the Central Nervous System.
Also known as the Anti-stress hormone, Vitamin B1 or Thiamine is also characterized by having a stress-reducing effect. This way, it enables your dog to be able to bear high amounts of stress with ease. Vitamin B1 also helps canines to feel and to express their emotions in a better manner. Vitamin B1 is also known to have positive and boosting effects on the learning process of your pooch. Vitamin B1 strengthens the connection between the nerve cells, and through this, Thiamine helps our dogs learn new things easily and quickly.
Vitamin B1 also plays a role in ensuring good Heart condition. Various researches have established a direct link between consuming food rich in Thiamine and having a healthy and well-functioning heart. Consumption of Vitamin B1 can also protect your dog from various heart conditions as it’s reported to reduce the risk of cardiac diseases like Heart block, heart stroke, and even heart attacks.
Vitamin B1 is also quite essential in the breakdown of complex organic compounds like Carbohydrates and fats. These organic compounds are used as instant sources of energy by animal bodies, and therefore the role of Vitamin B1 in the production of energy is quite important.
Above are all the critical reasons why dog owners must make sure that their canine’s diet is full of Vitamin B1, and what better way to ensure that than feeding cheese to your dogs.
Vitamin B6
Belonging to the Vitamin B complex, Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that dogs cannot produce independently. Therefore, they rely on their meals to obtain the required amounts of Vitamin B6. This makes Vitamin B6 an essential vitamin, and that, along with all the essential functions associated with Vitamin B6, makes the importance of Vitamin B6 clear. Therefore, this vitamin should not be taken slowly, and dog parents should try their best to supplement their dog’s meal with Vitamin B6 supplements. Fortunately, Vitamin B6 is also quite common in dairy products like cheese, and therefore you can also give cheese to your pooch to boost his health. Following are some critical roles that Vitamin B6 is known to play in dogs.
Protection from Depression
Vitamin B6 is needed in producing neurotransmitters responsible for regulating moods, and therefore Vitamin B6 can help improve the mood of your furry friend. These neurotransmitters include Dopamine, Serotonin, and Gamma-aminobutyric acid. Another way by which Vitamin B6 serves to protect our dogs from depression is by reducing the levels of depression-causing amino acids such as homocysteine. All this is most likely why many researchers concluded that there was a direct link between low intake of Vitamin B6 and increased cases of depression in dogs.
Prevention from Anemia
Vitamin B6 is critically involved in the production of hemoglobin, and therefore optimum levels of Vitamin B6 can help prevent our dogs from lack of red blood cells or Anemia. Hemoglobin is a protein that holds central importance in the production of functioning red blood cells. It is also needed when it comes to the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen molecules throughout the body. This makes the role of Vitamin B6 for our dogs extremely important, and therefore dog owners should feed cheese to their furry friends as cheese is full of Vitamin B6. This also solves the question of “Can dogs eat cheese?”
Reduce the chances of Cancer
There is a direct link between the high intake of Vitamin B6 and low cancer cases in dogs. The exact reason for this fantastic co-relation is still unknown, but maybe we should thank the natural capability of Vitamin B6 to fight inflammation. This ability of Vitamin B6 might also be effective on cancer cells, thus contributing to lower cancer risks in dogs.
Boost Eye health
Vitamin B6 can also serve to boost the health of your dog’s eyes, as Vitamin B6 is known to lessen the levels of homocysteine flowing in the blood. Increased levels of homocysteine in the blood are linked with causing various eye-related problems. High levels of homocysteine are especially responsible for causing age-related macular degeneration or AMD. Therefore, dog owners need to provide their furry friends with a meal rich in Vitamin B6 to prevent the risks of eye problems in their dogs. Fortunately, nature gives us an easy and healthy Vitamin B6 supplement in the shape of cheese. Cheese comes loaded with Vitamin B6, and therefore dog owners should not hesitate from feeding cheeses to their dogs. This also solves the question of “Can dogs eat cheese?”
Biotin
Another essential nutrient that cheese is full of is Biotin. Biotin is essentially a variant of the water-soluble Vitamin B and is also known as Vitamin B7. This makes Biotin a part of the Vitamin B complex.
Show quality Fur
This essential vitamin is sometimes called Vitamin H and is vital for ensuring excellent coat and hair quality in dogs. Vitamin is characterized by having the capability to boost keratin production in animals. Keratin is a protein that acts as the building block of hairs and nails. Therefore, if you want your pooch to show quality fur and hairs, then it’s better to supply your dog with Biotin supplements. This will boost the production of new hair follicles and heal any damage in already present hair follicles.
Role in Blood sugar regulation
Biotin or Vitamin B7 is crucial in regulating blood glucose levels as this protein is required to break down complex organic compounds such as fats and carbohydrates. Without the presence of Biotin in the required amounts, the process of breaking down carbohydrates and fats into simpler sugars such as Glucose can’t take place. This can result in low levels of blood sugar or hypoglycemia, which can lead to organs failing to work due to the reduced amounts of energy they receive. Low blood sugar levels can contribute to causing complete organ damage in dogs, and therefore we recommend dog owners maintain their biotin levels by feeding them cheese-based products daily. Following are some common symptoms of Hypoglycemia in dogs
- Extreme Lethargy
- Muscle twitching
- Loss of Appetite
- Blindness
- Trembling
- Loss of coordination between body parts
- Unusual behavior
- Unconsciousness
Folate
Folate is an important member of the Vitamin B complex and is also referred to as Vitamin B9. Being a water-soluble Vitamin, just like all the other members of the Vitamin B family, Folate is exceptionally vital for the well-being of our canine friends. Folate is essential for the production of Red-blood cells as well as white blood cells. And in this way, Folate becomes a key player in supplying oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body, and it also enables the immune system to act against any pathogens. Like in the production of blood cells, Folate also enables the body to produce all the necessary nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA. Other than ensuring the production of these components, animal bodies also require Folate to acquire energy from the food. Folate helps to break down the large molecules of Carbohydrates into smaller molecules. In this way, Folate also helps in the production of energy in dogs and all other mammals.
Healthy amounts of Folate are also required by the body when it comes to receiving medicines against depression as anti-depressants fail to work if not enough amounts of Folate are present in the body of your pooch.
This vital information about Folate will help our dear readers analyze the pros of feeding cheese to their four-legged best friends. And this will also help them in answering the question of “Can my dog eat cheese?”
Cheeses that your dog would like
Now that we have told you all about the benefits of feeding cheese to your four-legged best friends, it’s time for us to recommend some cheese selection for our furry friends as even our dogs can have preferences when it comes to cheeses and therefore to show your immense love for your pooch, you must take care of his taste buds. We will also try to respond to some frequently asked questions in this matter, such as “Can dogs eat feta cheese?” and “Can dogs eat Mac and cheese?”
But first thing is first as we are here to tell you about all the fantastic cheese types that dogs love eating. This goes without saying that you should be sure that your dog is not lactose intolerant, as feeding a dairy product such as cheese can be extremely harmful to any lactose intolerant dog. There are many dairy-free cheese products available in the market nowadays, and therefore no need to worry if you own a lactose intolerant dog. But for the owners of lactose tolerant dogs, the following are the cheese types you should feed your lovely pooch.
- String Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Colby Cheese
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Swiss cheese
Ensure that you don’t overfeed your dog with cheese, as that can be dangerous for dogs.
But still, the cheeses mentioned above are the safest option for dogs as they have the lowest amounts of lactose in them.
Cheeses that you should never offer to your pooch
As you must be aware, not all cheeses are beneficial for dogs, and some cheeses can be harmful to our canine friends. Therefore, you should ensure that your pooch stays away from those types of cheese. The three most dangerous cheese types for dogs are listed below.
All French cheeses, including blue cheese and Roquefort.
Dog owners should avoid all of the French cheeses as these tend to be extremely high in fat content, and feeding dogs French cheeses run the risk of making dogs overweight and obese. Moreover, Blue cheese is especially dangerous for dogs as blue cheese tends to produce a highly toxic toxin for dogs called Roquefortine.
Cheese with additives in it.
Artificial additives such as flavors, preservatives, sugars, and colors can be highly detrimental to a dog’s health, and that’s why it’s recommended never to feed your dog anything that carries artificial additives. The same goes for cheese, as any cheese with artificial additives is not a good option for our four-legged best friends.
Frequently asked questions
Dog owners often have lots and lots of questions regarding feeding cheeses to their dogs. Following are answers to some of them.
Can dogs eat Mac and cheese?
Mac and cheese are one of the top favorite snack options, and therefore it’s natural for dog owners to wonder, “Can dogs have Mac and cheese?” and whether they can share their food with their furry friends or not.
Fortunately, we are here to respond to this question, and our verdict is that dogs shouldn’t be fed mac and cheese, not because it’s not safe for dogs as it is, but for the lack of nutritional value it has to offer. Mac and cheese is not exactly healthy food, and therefore feeding your pooch mac and cheese might not be a great idea. Mac and cheese have wheat as their core ingredient, and dog owners should be aware that most dogs are allergic to the gluten present in wheat. Most dogs are also allergic to grains which also includes wheat. That’s why feeding mac and cheese to your dog can cause a severe allergic reaction in your dog. Hopefully, this answers the question of “Can dogs have Mac and cheese?”
Another reason why feeding mac and cheese to dogs might not be a good idea is the high sugar value of mac and cheese. These sugars can be stored as fats and can contribute to making your dog obese.
Can dogs eat Feta cheese?
Another commonly asked question is, “Can dogs eat feta cheese?” Unfortunately, the internet is not much help in this matter as it’s full of conflicting information about the pros and cons of Feta cheese for dogs. We are here to end this confusion by telling you all the merits and demerits of feeding feta cheese to your dog. We hope to give our readers enough information on this matter so that they can answer the question “Can dogs eat feta cheese?” independently.
Feta cheese is full of an extensive range of nutrients, most of which are mentioned above. This makes the idea of feeding feta cheese to your pooch highly appealing as your dog can gain a lot of nutrients from this tasty cheese will make him quite happy. But not everything is sunshine and rainbows when it comes to feta cheese as this particular cheese is loaded with fats and therefore can make your dog highly obese in a very short time. Obesity can itself cause several life-threatening diseases, and therefore feeding Feta cheese to dogs is not recommended by us. Moreover, feta cheese is exceptionally high in its lactose content which is too much to handle even for a dog that can tolerate lactose. Due to all these reasons, we think that owners should refrain from feeding feta cheese to their dogs.
In short, the correct answer to the question “Can dogs eat feta cheese?” is a yes, but still, it is better if dogs are not fed feta cheese.