Doggos love cheese. That is fact. But are all cheeses actually safe for your best friend? Read on to find out the answer to the question you’ve been asking yourself: “Will cheese make my dog sick?”
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Are dogs lactose intolerant?
Let’s first touch on lactose intolerance in canines. Unlike their hoomans, the majority of dogs don’t produce enough lactase enzyme to be able to digest dairy products. The symptoms of this intolerance are actually identical to what humans experience, that is, stomach pain, diarrhoea, bloating and flatulence.
Which cheeses are safe for my doggo?
The good news is that most cheeses are actually either very low in lactose or completely lactose free. Indeed, pressed cheeses like Cheddar, matured Gouda, Parmesan, Gruyère and Comté have virtually no detectable levels of lactose and are a safe treat for a good doggo.
Types of cheese that will make your dog sick
Soft & fresh cheese
Soft white mould cheeses like Brie and Camembert are relatively high in lactose and are more likely to elicit an unpleasant response in dogs. Moreover, the same can be said for fresh cheeses like Ricotta. And the famous pasta filata cheese Mozzarella. Our advice would be to avoid them.
Blue cheese
There is one category of cheese that is to be avoided at all costs. Blue cheese. The reason for this is Penicillium roqueforti. The mould creates a substance called Roquefortine that can be toxic in dogs. Some of the signs of this toxicity include seizures and extreme vomiting.
Not only should you never feed your dog blue cheese, you should actually make sure that you keep it at a safe distance from them.
Annatto cheese
Annatto is a red seed extract that is often added to cheese to produce an orange colour. Some examples of cheeses containing annatto extract are Mimolette, Red Leicester and Shropshire Blue.
Unfortunately, annatto contains a chemical called bixin which is toxic for dogs. Indeed, ingestion of annatto can also cause seizures in some canines.
Flavoured cheese
Furthermore, there are some flavoured cheeses that should be avoided. Any cheeses that have grape skin on their rind (e.g. Ubriaco) can cause kidney damage in dogs. Among other things, dogs do not have the ability to metabolise tannins, flavonoids and the sugars (monosaccharides) in grapes.
One other example is cheese with chocolate on its rind. One such example is Carr Valley’s Cocoa Cardona. Cocoa and chocolate are toxic to dogs because of a substance called theobromine. Signs of this toxicity include vomiting, diarrhoea and muscle spasms. Having said that, the amount of chocolate it takes to produce those reactions are quite high and vary from one dog to another.
Do you give your dog cheesy treats?
Now that we have discussed safety, tell me. Do you give your dog cheesy treats?
In particular, I’d love to hear from cheesemakers here. Would you be offended if someone gave your cheese to their dog?
Jonah is a a hipster, eco-warrior and slow food afficionado. Coming from a scientific background, Jonah has a particular interest in cheese science. And yes, he loves a good cheese pun!
