Can Dogs Eat Cream Cheese? Vet Approved Facts & Health Tips

Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s a good chance your pup is hanging out by your side when you’re eating, and they’re just hoping you’ll share. But while your pooch might want everything on your plate, that doesn’t mean you should give it to them.

So where does cream cheese fall? Is it a safe treat or something you need to avoid feeding your dog? The truth is that it falls somewhere in between.

Generally, your dog can eat small amounts of cream cheese, although there are a few things you’ll need to look out for before feeding cream cheese to your pooch. From extra ingredients to the overall quantity, there’s a lot to check out before feeding your dog anything from the table!

Things to Look for Before Feeding Your Dog Cream Cheese

Before you decide to give your dog any cream cheese, you need to be well aware of everything in it. That’s because many cream cheeses contain various ingredients, like garlic or chives, that are toxic for dogs.

Before feeding your dog any cream cheese, go through all the ingredients to ensure it doesn’t have anything your dog can’t eat. Look up any ingredients you might be unsure of, and if you still can’t find an adequate answer, reach out to a vet before feeding it to your dog.

How Much Cream Cheese Is Safe for Dogs?

While a bit of cream cheese is perfectly fine for most dogs, you can definitely overdo it. Cream cheese doesn’t have much lactose, which is good since most dogs are lactose intolerant.

However, cream cheese does have a lot of fat, and it does have lactose. Moreover, it contains a lot of salt, which isn’t good for your dog either. But while none of these things are good for your dog, they only become a problem in larger quantities or if you make cream cheese a regular part of your dog’s diet.

Ensure any treats, including cream cheese, never make up more than 10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake in a single day.

Health Benefits of Cream Cheese for Dogs

While you can certainly give your dog too much cream cheese, you may wonder if there are any health benefits to giving your pup some cream cheese?

Some of the beneficial nutrients that cream cheese contains include calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B2, and protein.

However, the main advantage of cream cheese is that dogs generally love it! It can be helpful to incorporate into treats for training and is also great for hiding medication in.

When in doubt, reach out to your pup’s vet and they’ll let you know how much cream cheese you can safely feed your dog or if you should even give it to them in the first place.

How Often Can You Feed Your Pooch Cream Cheese?

While you should never feed your dog too much cream cheese at once, you can also feed your dog cream cheese too frequently. Cream cheese shouldn’t be a part of your dog’s daily diet. Instead, you should feed it to them as a rare treat.

Don’t feed your dog cream cheese more than once or twice a week without reaching out to your vet and seeing if it’s a good idea for your dog first.

Final Thoughts

If you’re thinking about feeding your dog a little cream cheese, there’s usually nothing wrong with this. Just ensure you know all the ingredients in the cream cheese you’re considering feeding your dog, and especially look out for alliums like chives or onions.

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Featured Image Credit: Brent Hofacker, Shutterstock

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