Can Dogs Eat Cream Cheese?

Have you been there in the kitchen making yourself a sandwich and wondered can you feed your dog cream cheese? Well, today we are talking about can dogs eat cream cheese. Now first off, cream cheese is a dairy product, so if your dog is lactose intolerant then that is a straight no sorry. If they are not, then we have further information below for you.

Can Dogs Eat Cream Cheese?

The answer is yes, dogs can eat cream cheese, just like they can eat normal cheese as well. They do not have any toxic effect on your dog, as long as they are not lactose intolerant.

If this is your first time feeding your dog anything dairy. Then we would recommend you speaking to your local veterinarian first. Where you can discuss the best approach for you and your little best friend.

Now let us be honest, it does not matter if a human food product is not toxic to your dog. The matter should be is it actually healthy for your dog to eat? Why would you want to feed your dog something that will give them problems later in their life.

Well, cream cheese is one of them, it is unnatural and is actually a processed food. Which can cause digestive issues with their digestion system.

You might not think it, but cream cheese is unremarkably unnatural and largely processed. For these reasons alone it should not be in your dogs’ diet. If you must include it in your dogs’ diet, then it should only be in very small portions, on a very rare basis. Anything more and you would be risking your dog’s health long term.

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose is the sugar molecules that chemically link the milk together, so the milk or dairy can be digested properly. This needs to be split apart into a few different components. The one we are talking about is the enzyme lactase, which is the one that is responsible for breaking. If there is not enough enzyme lactase, the dog will become lactose intolerant.  

The signs of lactose intolerance can be confused with an allergy to dairy products, when in fact, these are two different adverse reactions. An allergy can occur from a food or food additive found in dairy products and has an immunological (immune system) component to it with systemic consequences.

An intolerance, on the other hand, is not immunological, but rather an abnormal physiological response to a food or food additive and can occur after the first ingestion of the food.

Read the original article – Rover.com

So, How Much Cream Cheese Can I Give Them?

It can be tempting just to feed your dog anything you are eating. Especially when you open the fridge and just pass them a little something, but this can easily build up and cause your dog health issues.

We say this because, everything needs to be in moderation. Especially foods that we should not be giving dogs anyway, but we insist on it.

Cream cheese is in this group, cream cheese has hardly any health or nutritional benefits for a dog. There are three main things that are healthy for dogs, Vitamin A, Protein, and Calcium. We talk about them below, but it does not out way how unhealthy it still is.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an essential vitamin which is found in cheese, vitamin A can help them stay healthy and fit, helping their muscles, skin, and nerves function flawlessly.

If your dog does not have a decent level of vitamin A it can cause your dog to have an unhealthy skin and coat. If you feel this is the case, you should speak to your veterinarian. As there are better options for Vitamin A than any cheese.

Protein

Protein is basically an all-rounder; it helps your dog’s bodywork and function properly. There is something called amino acids that are found inside the protein. These help your dog with their healthy skin, tissue repair, and muscle development.

Protein can also help develop and build a better and robust immune system. As mentioned above, proteins are important for repairing and maintaining cells and tissues in dogs.

Not to forget that proteins can help the creation of hormones, enzymes, and antibodies.

As you can see having enough protein in a dog’s diet, is very important to their health.

Calcium

Calcium is probably the healthiest thing you will find in cream cheese. Dogs need the right combination of magnesium and calcium; this is important for their bone mineral. If your dog does not get the right amount of calcium in their diet, it can lead to a condition called dysplasia. Which can make your dog more prone to accidentally breaking their bones or having a fracture.

These three things are something you do not need to worry about though. As long as you are feeding them the correct dog food for their size and breed. Dog food is created to give a dog everything they will need and help them to be as healthy as possible. Giving them human food is just a luxury or treat for them.

Check out the below table that we have taken from USDA FoodData Central Database. You can see the fat, sodium, and sugar are very high for a dog. The fat content is at least one-third of it, which is not good at all.

Cream Cheese – 100g

Can Dogs Eat Cream Cheese and Chives?

No, they cannot! Chives are part of the Allium family, along with onions and garlic. All of which are very toxic to dogs. Any Chive based product is toxic, even if it is only a “flavored” type. The Allium family should be avoided at all costs.

The Consequences of Giving Cream Cheese to Dogs

Giving your dog large amounts of cream cheese can lead to them having multiple problems with their health. Firstly they could get a really bad case of diarrhea along with digestive problems. You do not want your dog having problems with their stomach, it really is an upsetting sight.

Cream cheese has an amazingly high amount of fat in it, to the point where you should not be feeding it your dog anyway. Adding that type of fat to your dogs’ diet regularly will cause your dog to become overweight and obese. This will then lead to more serious health issues like diabetes, heart problems, joint issues because of the weight, along with serious pancreatitis issues.

Let us not forget that cream cheese is also heavily processed, you should not be feeding your dog anything processed. This should be a general rule you keep because you can never truly know what ingredients have been used.

You also need to keep an eye out in case the cream cheese you have bought has anything added to it or has any extra flavorings. A lot of cream cheeses like to add onion and garlic as a flavoring. Which from a human’s point of view really does make it a lot better.

But not for a dog, onion and garlic are toxic to dogs and must never be given to them. If you find your dog has eaten onion or garlic, you should go to your local veterinarian straight away or emergency clinic. You can also ring the ASPCA on (888) 426-4435 but there will be a $60 fee for the phone call.

So now we have mentioned all the above and you are aware of what is good. What is bad and what can happen, you should only be feeding your dog a very small amount, on a very rare basis. This is not something you want your dog expecting, as that can be another separate issue.

Check out the below video showing how a YouTuber created homemade cream cheese.

Summary

If you truly must feed your dog cream cheese, please take the advice above very seriously. If you are willing to consider a different type of cheese then cottage cheese, would be your better option.

Cottage cheese is one of the lowest types of processed cheese out there, along with lower fat levels too. You will find that cottage cheese will be all-around healthier for your dog as well. If you insist on feeding them something like this, I would get rid of the cream cheese and go for the cottage cheese.

Please understand that cottage cheese is still not the healthiest thing in the world. So do not go overboard because you think its healthier. You should still be sticking to small portions and not on a regular basis, but as a treat.

You should not be replacing your dog’s daily food with any human food. Your dog’s food has everything it needs to live a happy and long life.