Can Dogs Eat Strawberry Yogurt - All You Need to Know

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You could give your dog all the dog goodies in the world, but at the end of the day, it’d still want a taste of some wonderful human chow! However, the food we eat can be damaging to dogs, and it can be difficult to tell which foods are safe and which aren’t.

One example is strawberry yogurt. It’s a staple in most homes, and our dogs are often on the lookout when we take it out of the fridge. But can dogs eat strawberry yogurt? Should you share this savory delicacy with them, or should you keep it to yourself? Continue reading this article to know the answers to all of your questions!

Is Strawberry Yogurt Safe for Dogs?

Yes, dogs can enjoy strawberry yogurt as a safe, healthy treat. However, you should make sure that it’s naturally flavored with no toxic additives. If it’s not natural, it may cause them trouble.

Also, we recommend giving it to your dog in small quantities and monitoring your pet if it’s not used to strawberry yogurt. Moreover, it may not be ideal for pregnant or lactose-intolerant dogs.

Health Benefits of Strawberry Yogurt

Strawberry yogurt benefits your dog’s health in a variety of ways. Let’s take a look at some of these benefits.

Protects Teeth

Treating your dog to strawberry yogurt positively affects your canine’s teeth. This is because it contains casein peptides, which help eliminate plaque and tartar from your dog’s teeth. These peptides also reduce the germs that cause tooth decay.

Strengthens Bones

Your dog requires a high-quality, consistent, and abundant calcium supplement to keep its bones strong. And here comes strawberry yogurt with its high calcium content, which helps dogs maintain their bone health and density.

Additionally, calcium strengthens your dog’s teeth and lessens the danger of bone degradation.

Promotes Muscular Growth

Every dog’s diet must include protein, and yogurt is high in essential protein. This protein helps develop bone muscles, increase body mass, and improve neuronal function. It also assists with cell reproduction, which aids in wound healing. Moreover, protein boosts your dog’s metabolism, helping it lose weight.

Boosts the Immune System

Did you know that the gut contains almost 70% of the immune system? And since yogurt is high in probiotic bacteria, feeding it to your dog assists in filling its intestines with restorative bacteria that strengthens its immune system.

Helps With Skin Problems

Yogurt helps with certain skin problems like mange, hot spots, irritation, painful rashes, persistent itching, and yeast infections.

This is because yogurt contains microorganisms that aid in the regeneration of damaged skin cells and provide your dog with a silky, lustrous coat.

For example, when developing puppies transition from their initial coat to a mature one, they undergo excessive shedding and pigmentation abnormalities. You might try feeding your dog yogurt instead of applying ointments and see if it helps.

Which Yogurt Ingredients Should You Watch Out For?

There are a couple of ingredients you should watch out for when treating your dog to strawberry yogurts. These ingredients include:

Lactose

It’s crucial to monitor your dog’s milk consumption because low-fat, non-fat, and regular yogurt are all dairy products. These products can cause diarrhea, gas, and general stomach discomfort. In addition, they may cause more harm to your dog if it’s lactose intolerant. Therefore, as a general rule, you should avoid yogurt if your dog is lactose intolerant or has other lactose concerns.

But if you still want to treat your dog to yogurt, give it greek yogurt instead. It has a lower lactose content and a higher concentration of probiotics than regular yogurt.

However, if you have the opportunity, speak with your veterinarian before treating your dog with any lactose products.

Xylitol

Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol. It’s typically found in vegetables and fruits, such as corn and berries.

While it’s a naturally occurring ingredient that can be utilized for good, xylitol can be exceedingly lethal and dangerous to dogs. Therefore, it’s critical to check labels to avoid strawberry yogurt that contains sugar substitutes like xylitol.

Some common side effects of xylitol are hypoglycemia (a drop in blood sugar), seizures, convulsions, poor coordination, vomiting, fatigue, lethargy, coma, and death.

High Sugar Content

Here’s another thing to remember: don’t feed your dog yogurt with a high sugar level. Dogs don’t require a lot of sugar in their diet, and there’s no reason to offer them anything with a lot of sugar in it.

If you give your dog too much sugar regularly, it can lead to obesity and, in severe cases, diabetes. Some symptoms of diabetes in dogs include cloudy eyes, weight loss, recurring infections, and excessive water drinking and urination.

In that case, a plain yogurt with no added sugar (like plain greek yogurt) is the best option to let your dog enjoy a creamy treat that doesn’t negatively affect its health.

Additional Sweeteners

While the main sweetener to avoid in yogurt is xylitol, there are other artificial sweeteners to avoid. Aspartame, stevia, sucralose, and saccharine are examples.

These, like xylitol, can irritate your dog’s gut and make it feel uncomfortable.

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How Many Yogurts Can You Give to Your Dog?

It all depends on your dog’s size, as well as things like its age, metabolism, health issues, activity level, and calorie intake. Stick to a teaspoon per day if you have a little dog. On the other hand, a large dog may be able to suck up a tablespoon or two.

If you’ve never given yogurt to your dog before, start small and give it only a teaspoon at a time. You’ll want to start carefully to prevent any adverse effects, such as allergies or intolerance. If your dog looks to be doing fine after a few bites, you can give it some more.

How Many Yogurts Can You Give to Your Dog

However, if your dog shows any symptoms, you have to stop giving it strawberry yogurt immediately.

Also, keep in mind that treats should never account for more than 10% of your dog’s daily calories, including yogurt. Instead, healthy dog food should provide the majority of calories and nutrients.

Possible Adverse Effects From Strawberry Yogurt Consumption

While yogurt can help some dogs with digestion, it can also be difficult to digest, thereby producing certain adverse effects in others. The following are some reactions to yogurt that you should watch out for in your dog, especially when you’re still starting to add this new treat:

Loss of appetite
Diarrhea or constipation
Gas
Bloating
Vomiting
Swelling of the face
Itchiness
Abdominal distress
Nausea
Extreme paw licking
Stomach cramps

Also, before you give your dog a lick or a spoonful of your yogurt, talk to your pet’s veterinarian. The vet will tell you the recommended serving sizes before making yogurt a regular part of your dog’s diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can My Pregnant Dog Eat Strawberry Yogurt?

As a general rule, it’s not advisable to feed your dog artificially flavored or sweetened foods.

So it’s best not to give your pregnant dog strawberry-flavored treats except if they’re natural. Otherwise, they can induce diarrhea, vomiting, or gastric upset.

Also, it can be given a tiny amount of plain yogurt (no more than half teaspoon) as a snack.

Is Strawberry Yogurt Safe for Lactating Dogs?

Yes, you can give your nursing dog yogurt as a treat once or twice a week in little amounts (less than a half teaspoon). However, the same guidelines apply to artificial flavors and sweeteners when you’re dealing with a lactating dog.

Will Strawberry Yogurt Harm My Dog?

No, it won’t harm your dog. However, make sure that it doesn’t contain xylitol or other toxic ingredients. Xylitol could strongly irritate your dog’s stomach.

Can Dogs Eat Frozen Yogurt?

It’s not recommended, especially if it’s a commercial product. This is because it may be packed with sugars that are unhealthy to your canine.

Can Dogs Eat Vanilla Yogurt?

Although it has a high sugar content, you can feed your dog a small amount of vanilla yogurt. But keep in mind to give it in moderation; we want our dogs to enjoy the treat without any complications.

What’s the Safest Type of Yogurt for My Dog?

The best type of yogurt to give to your dog is the plain one. This is because it contains no preservatives or sweeteners. So always look at the product’s label to ensure it doesn’t have any toxic ingredients.

Last Words

Strawberry yogurt is safe for your dog to consume as long as it’s free of artificial components, such as xylitol. You can even freeze it to make frozen yogurt for your dog to keep it cool in summer.

However, if your dog is lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy, or diabetic, it’s best to avoid giving strawberry yogurt to it. And even if your dog is healthy and enjoys eating yogurt, you should only give it a few spoonfuls at a time. You can also check with your dog’s veterinarian to ensure that feeding it to your pet won’t create any problems. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Can Dogs Eat Strawberry Yogurt?