6 Reasons Why You Don't Want To Feed Yogurt to Your Pets

• Posted on 19 March 2013
• By Dr. Jill Tack
• Posted in lactose, live bacteria, probiotics, sugar, yogurt not for pets
• 0

There are many reasons why yogurt is not the best for your animals.

Many of our customers want to feed their pets yogurt to help their animals gut health. While the intention is good, the result is not always the best. There are many reasons why Yogurt is not the best for your animals.

6 Reasons NOT to Feed Yogurt to Your Pets

1. In order for probiotics to be effective, there needs to be a particular number of live bacteria reaching the intestines, and the bacteria should be specific to the species receiving the probiotic. For this reason, yogurt is not a good choice. Better options are probiotics formulated for either cats or dogs (not people) that have undergone testing to validate the numbers of live bacteria in the product.

Many dogs like the taste of yogurt, so it can be given as a treat (if no dairy allergies), but there are no real health benefits to feeding your pets yogurt.
-The Animal Hospital of Nashua - AAHA member

2. Yogurt can contain very high amounts of sugar. Sugar is not necessarily good. Too much sugar can cause a bacterial imbalance in the digestive system, as bacteria thrive in an environment rich in sugar. Yogurt with artificial sweeteners or alternate sweeteners can also produce painful side effects such as depression, seizures, and disorientation.
-Read more: The Case Against Feeding Dogs Yogurt - VetInfo

3. The other danger in yogurt is similar to every other dairy product: lactose. Lactose is a type of sugar that requires the enzyme lactase to break it down. Many dogs do not produce enough lactase or cannot produce it at all. A lactose buildup can cause flatulence, diarrhea, bloating and pancreatitis. Some cats are lactose intolerant, then it is advised to avoid milk products altogether.
However, pasteurization does alter the chemical structure of protein and can destroy beneficial enzymes and bacteria found in milk, making it less digestible.
-Read more: The Case Against Feeding Dogs Yogurt - VetInfo

4. Many kinds of yogurt contain cooked bacteria cultures, rather than live cultures. These cooked cultures can cause even more harm to your dog than the lactose. It can kill the bad and good bacteria needed for digestion, resulting in yeast infections, more digestive problems and the possibility of recurrent infection.
-Read more: The Case Against Feeding Dogs Yogurt - VetInfo

5. A single strain product cannot colonize all the various niches in the G.I. tract, it takes a multi-strain product to do that.
For example, Lactobacillus strains are largely effective in the small intestine while Bifidobacterium strains work best in the colon. There is some overlap but a location preference exists. Also, some strains colonize the cells lining the wall of the intestines and/or their mucous surfaces better than others while some strains best colonize the cecum (that dead-end sac above the appendix) while still others better colonize the food itself as it moves through the digestive tract.

6. Digestive enzymes do stimulate and benefit the digestive system with probiotics. The Pet Beastro carries several different types of digestive enzymes and probiotics based on your pets needs. These are a complete answer to the probiotic need than yogurt alone. Just stop by or call the store at 248-548-3448 for more information.

So the next time you want to feed your dog or cat milk or yogurt think about what else you can do to give them the essential digestive enzymes and probiotics necessary for a healthy gut and digestion system.