“Cheese!” Smile for the camera! Surely you say this when taking pics of that precious pup of yours. However, wouldn’t it be interesting if you could yell, “cheese!” while your doggo eats some cheese? Of course that brings forth the question, can dogs have cheese?

The answer isn’t so simple. In this article, I’ll relay all the cheese info you need to know. Soon enough, you’ll come to understand that cheese makes a ‘gouda’ snack for your furry friend. Without that cheesy treat, your pup’s stomach might feel ‘provolone.’

Alright, before you kill me, I’ll quit with the cheese puns. I think I got them all out of my system, anyways (hopefully!).

Why Can Dogs Have Cheese?

A dog’s ability to eat cheese is similar to a human’s. Like humans, dogs sometimes have lactose intolerance/milk allergies.

Dogs with a lactose intolerance shouldn’t be fed cheese, nor should dogs with an allergy to the proteins in cow milk.

If you’re uncertain about your dog’s ability to eat cheese, feed them a tiny bit of mozzarella or cheddar cheese. According to Labrador Site, these two cheeses contain low amounts of lactose and make for the safest options.

A dog showing any signs of lactose intolerance, like an upset tummy or diarrhea, shouldn’t be fed anymore cheese. However, if your dog doesn’t display any symptoms, then they’re good to chow on some cheddar!

Also, what’s interesting about cheese is it typically contains low amounts of lactose (like mozzarella and cheddar). The low lactose amount allows you to feed your pup small amounts of cheese for a treat.

Small bits of cheese are fine, but avoid feeding your furry friend a full meal of cheese.

So, the answer to “can dogs have cheese” is yes. But, what types of cheese provide the healthiest options?

Cheeses To Feed (And Not To Feed) Your Pup

Not all cheese were created equal. If you doubt this claim, just ask my dad how he feels about bleu cheese, and watch his face contort with disgust.

With that said, let’s take a look at the types of cheese to feed your fur baby.

• Mozzarella
• • This cheese contains low amounts of lactose, and salt. This makes mozzarella one of the top cheeses to feed your pup. By the way, a lot of mozzarella comes in the form of string cheese. Easy to peel, easy to carry, string cheese provides a great treat for your pup when the two of you are on the go.

• Cheddar
• • Probably the most convenient cheese, cheddar makes for a great cheesy treat. While hard cheeses like cheddar tend to have high amounts of salt, cheddar’s salt content is still fairly low. This allows you to use cheddar as a convenient, occasional treat for your special friend.

• Swiss
• • Which is the most religious cheese? Swiss, because it’s holy. Okay, sorry, it appears I had one more cheese pun left in the tank.
  • Not only is the swiss holy, but it also makes for an excellent treat. Like mozzarella and cheddar, swiss contains low amounts of lactose and salt. So go ahead, give your pup a taste of this ‘holy’ cheese.

While the types of cheese above make for great snacks, the following cheeses can be fed to your pup but are not preferable.

• Goat Cheese
• • Goat cheese, believe it or not, comes from goat milk. What’s important about the origin of goat cheese is this: goat milk contains more lactose than cow milk. Therefore, goat cheese contains higher amounts of lactose than cheese derived from cows. The higher amounts of lactose, along with the high price of goat cheese, makes it an unremarkable treat for your pup. Best not to use it as a treat.

• Parmesan
• • While low in lactose, parmesan cheese contains very high amounts of salt. High amounts of salt make parmesan a less preferable, less safe option for your pup.

• Cream/Cottage
• • Cream cheese and cottage cheese both contain very high amounts of lactose. Also, these two cheeses are difficult to feed to your pup, and often end up making a mess. If you don’t mind cleaning your dog’s face and only give them small amounts, then these cheeses can be fed to your furry friend. However, there are better options.

Can Dogs Have Cheese Everyday?

Like many other human foods, dogs can have cheese everyday. Using cheese as a small treat or reward every day is fine, so long as your pup doesn’t respond negatively to the cheese.

Make your dog’s day a gouda one (I’m sorry I had to end on a pun), and give them a delicious cheesy treat!