# Yogurt: Good or bad?



## Royker (May 3, 2008)

Is yogurt good or bad for dogs? I've been feeding my dogs yogurt every day as part of their dinner. They just love it. Another dog friend of mine recommended it. It has all these healthy active cultures so, it's got to be good for dogs, right?


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## Aggie (Mar 13, 2008)

It is fine; however I'd be cautious about always feeding it with meals. If you are feeding a kibble or balanced food, these are balanced for Ca ratios. Yogurt can skew this.


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## Royker (May 3, 2008)

I feed my dogs twice a day. In the late afternoon meal, I give them one big spoonful of yogurt. They won't start eating until I give them their share. And will complain if I run out.


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

Aggie said:


> It is fine; however I'd be cautious about always feeding it with meals. If you are feeding a kibble or balanced food, these are balanced for Ca ratios. Yogurt can skew this.


Does yogurt skew the Ca ratio in favour of the P? I feed Spunky raw and Honey kibble but they always get about a teaspoonful of plain live yogurt with their Kongs, about every other day.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

Aggie said:


> It is fine; however I'd be cautious about always feeding it with meals. If you are feeding a kibble or balanced food, these are balanced for Ca ratios. Yogurt can skew this.


there arent many kibbles that actually have the right calcium to phosphorus ratio. 

as for feeding yogurt, its not going to hurt them. i would maybe back it down to every other day though. thats a lot of yogurt. and make sure it is fat free (or low fat... do they even make fat free yogurt lol) plain yogurt. none of the flavored stuff.


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## cascabel (Sep 25, 2007)

If you are going to give probiotics for their beneficial effects and not just as a yummy topper, they are most effective when given daily. That being said, I don't give my dog plain yogurt everyday. Most days I just give a probiotic in pill form. 

Yogurt isn't going to hurt the Ca ratio. The Ca ratio in plain nonfat yogurt is about 1.2. That's within the _generally considered_ optimum range of 1.2-1.4 (although I know some believe it should be higher or lower....but that's a whole other post ).


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## K8IE (Apr 28, 2008)

I have always given my dogs yogurt (plain lowfat) with their evening meal, have never had any issues, only benefits. (Boxers are notorious for deadly gas and we have no gas with the yogurt!)


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

My dogs get plain yogurt (small amount) in their frozen Kong almost every day. Yogurt is good at keeping the friendly bacteria in their systems.


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## UrbanBeagles (Aug 13, 2007)

I've been feeding yogurt for years with no problems whatsoever, no skewing of the calhos ratio. Honestly, no supplement is going to destroy the balance of the diet if fed in moderation. There are numerous kibbles that are so high in calcium and have such an unbalanced ratio it will do worse damage than the daily feeding of yogurt. 

I use it to replenish the beneficial bacteria in the gut - it's especially helpful if I've had one on a round od antibiotics and need to restore the good bacteria. It helps with digestion, reduces or eliminates gas, and with Beagles/other drop eared breeds, it's great for keeping those ears free of any yeast.


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## BayouGal (Apr 21, 2008)

Be sure not to give yogurt that contains xylitol...it's toxic to dogs.


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