Can dogs eat cheese?

Cheese is something most people can consume on a regular basis. It’s delicious on pizzas, in sandwiches, with pasta and there are countless more ways to use it. As a result, you might have plenty of cheese laying around in your home and are curious if you can feed your dog a bite of your cheese sandwich.

Dog owners constantly have to worry about what their dog can and can’t eat. This usually isn’t much of a problem, but when your dog is eyeing up your sandwich and you want to give it a bite as a sign of affection, you need to pause and think if any of the ingredients you’re using in that sandwich can have a negative effect on your dog. So this begs the question...

Can a dog eat cheese?

In short, yes. Most dogs can eat cheese and not experience any major issues. However, whether you should or shouldn’t feed your dog cheese is another problem. Although it’s a staple food for many around the world, it’s probably not the best idea for your dog.

Allergy concerns

Dairy is on the list of foods that can give your dog an upset stomach. If you want to be safe, then it’s best not to feed your dog any cheese at all. However, if you know they’re fine with certain types of cheese, then it’s fine to feed it to them once in a while and in very small amounts.

Types of cheese for your dog

Low-fat cheese like mozzarella and cottage cheese are often preferred if you want to feed your dog cheese. These are typically healthier due to the lower fat content, and they’re usually much lower in sodium. These two factors combined will give your dog a reduced risk of obesity and an upset stomach.

Mix cheese with other foods

It can be tempting to feed your dog cubes of cheese or balls of mozzarella, but dogs need a balanced diet so it’s best to add cheese to other types of foods instead of serving it on its own.

Check for lactose intolerance

If your dog is known to be lactose intolerant, then it’s best not to give any kind of cheese to your dog. Lactose intolerance and food allergies can often develop later in a dog’s life, meaning if they used to eat cheese with no symptoms, then it might not be true now.

Possible side effects

• Your dog may gain weight due to the fat content in cheese
• Cheese may cause diarrhea in dogs, especially if they are lactose intolerant
• It can cause an upset stomach in your dog
• If your dog has/had or is at risk for pancreatitis, it’s not recommended to feed cheese to them because it can cause a lot of discomfort

Cheese recipes for dogs

Small cheese snacks

If you find that your dog enjoys cheese and doesn’t react badly to it, then you can feed them small cubes of cheese or balls of mozzarella as a treat. They can also be used as substitutes for dog treats during training sessions.

Cheese sauce

You can create a simple cheese sauce that can be poured over harder foods like kibble. This softens the kibble and makes it a little easier for your dog to digest. However, do keep in mind that you don’t want to use a dairy-based sauce if your dog reacts poorly with dairy. Make sure you let it cool as well so that your dog doesn’t burn their mouth.

Cheese biscuits

You can also add cheese to any kind of home-baked dog treats like biscuits. It can add a bit of flavor and introduce a little extra fat content into the biscuit, upping the nutrients that your dog receives.

The bottom line

Some dogs can eat cheese but there are associated problems which makes it difficult to recommend. So it might be fine to let your dog have a bite out of your sandwich now and then, it’s probably not a good idea to give your dog too much cheese because there are better sources of fat out there that are easier to digest and come with fewer risks.