Why is yogurt good for your dog and cat?
Yogurt has become a very popular food in recent years, and is considered to be one of the world’s superfoods!
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It offers lots of goodness to your whole family and can be a beneficial addition to your pet’s daily diet, or as a nutrient-dense treat. Adding yogurt to your pet’s diet provides him with a valuable source of protein and calcium, along with magnesium, potassium, vitamin D, K2 enzymes, essential fatty acids, and whey.
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Yogurt also contains probiotics to help support the gastrointestinal system and boost immunity. If your pet has been prescribed antibiotics, the probiotics in a dollop of yogurt can help restore healthy intestinal flora, thanks to strains of good bacteria.
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Yogurt with Live and Active or Living cultures may help boost the good bacteria in your pet's gut, promote digestion, and the pet’s ability to better absorb the nutrients in his food. It also helps boost the immunity system and limits the growth of yeast. You should look for yogurt that has lots of live cultures, such as plain, Greek-style yogurt. This yogurt is better because it has lower levels of lactose than regular yogurt.
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A little yogurt can help with upset tummies, but there are cases where yogurt has bad results for your pet:
* Yogurt is made from milk so it may not be suitable for pets that are lactose intolerant. Food high in lactose can cause gas, diarrhea, and vomiting.
*Be sure to carefully read labels when buying yogurt, to ensure it contains no artificial colors or flavors, and that no sugar or sugar substitutes have been added, particularly xylitol, which is toxic to pets.
* How much yogurt you feed your pet should be based on the 10% treat rule. which means yogurt should be no more than 10% of the calories your pet eats every day
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