In another article we previously wrote on this site, we discussed whether feeding regular yogurt to dogs is beneficial to their overall health and well-being or harmful to them, but you may be wondering about whether or not you can feed your dog a different kind of yogurt – Greek Yogurt.
So, what’s the real deal here, is Greek Yogurt as good as they say it is for dogs, or should you keep your precious canine away from this dairy food?
Can Dogs Have Greek Yogurt?
Assuming your dog isn’t lactose intolerant, then YES, your dog can safely consume Greek Yogurt without noteworthy negative side effects on their health or digestive system.
If your dog is lactose intolerant, though, it’s best that you keep them as far away as possible from Greek Yogurt, as well as any source of dairy for that matter, as their digestive systems just can’t handle it no matter.
Why Is Greek Yogurt Good For Dogs?
Protein Content: It’s a well known fact that Greek Yogurt is significantly higher in protein levels than usual yogurt, due to the way Greek Yogurt is produced and has most of the liquid form removed from it.
This could be very beneficial in some cases where dogs are struggling to meet their protein requirements from the dog food they’re eating, and every last bit of protein count consumed from snacks helps.
Healthy Bacteria: Greek Yogurt is also notorious in the levels of healthy bacteria it contains (also called probiotics), and probiotics are just as healthy for dogs as they are for humans.
As a matter of fact, studies have proven time and time again that Greek Yogurt contains significantly higher amounts of probiotics than regular yogurt.
Of course, and this goes without saying, any amount of Greek Yogurt your dog consumes that falls within the realms of moderation and is considered to be a safe enough amount for them to be eating won’t be able to compete with proper probiotic supplementation and won’t benefit your dog’s gut the same way that probiotic supplementation would.
It’s just a nice overall addition to a healthy diet and a noteworthy health benefit, nonetheless.
Do not attempt to feed your dog a large amount of Greek Yogurt in hopes that you can mimic the effect they would get with proper probiotics supplementation, as not only does it not work out like that, your dog’s digestive system will also be very negatively affected.
Infection Fighter: Greek yogurt is also known to contain properties that help dogs get rid of different kinds of infections they may be suffering from, most common of which are ear infections and skin infections.
What Kind Of Greek Yogurt For Dogs Is Best?
If you’re looking to feed your dog some Greek Yogurt as a snack from time to time and on occasions, there are different types you can get, mainly two you’ll most often come across – full fat Greek yogurt and fat free Greek yogurt.
Between those two types, it’s almost always a better decision to give your dog a little bit of fat free Greek yogurt as a snack instead of full fat Greek yogurt, since the latter has much more calories from the fat content that your dog just doesn’t really need, and calories that will add up at the end of the day and lead to unwanted weight gain.
One specific type of Greek Yogurt you should be very sure to completely avoid feeding your dog is any kind of flavored Greek Yogurt, as there’s so many reasons this type is bad for your pooch’s health.
Not only is flavored Greek Yogurt filled with artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners and preservatives, it’s also significantly higher in sugar count than natural Greek Yogurt, and your dog doesn’t need any of the aforementioned in their digestive system.
The last thing you ever want to do is feed your dog sweetened Greek Yogurt which has Xylitol in it, as this artificial sweetener is known to cause severe health problems in dogs and often times even leads to death.
How Can Dogs Have Greek Yogurt?
In case you’re wondering about the best way to give your dog Greek Yogurt to eat, then probably the best and most common method dog owners like to follow is mixing a teaspoon of fat free Greek Yogurt in one of your dog’s meals for the day.
As a general recommendation, it’s advised that you don’t give your dog more than 2-3 teaspoons of Greek Yogurt a day, as more than that tends to be considered overboard and will increase the risk of your dog experiencing different digestive system troubles such as diarrhea.
