Can Dogs Eat Cheese?

Can dogs eat cheese? Plain cheese is not on WSAVA's list of toxic foods for dogs. But the ASPCA warns that because pets do not make significant amounts of lactase, dairy-based foods can cause diarrhea or other digestive upset.

WSAVA advises keeping all extras under 10% of a dog's daily calories, and puts cheddar at 120 calories per ounce. Cheese made with garlic, onion or chives, very salty cheese and moldy food each carry their own warnings, covered below.

Can dogs eat cheese safely?

The WSAVA's guide to treats for dogs names chocolate, grapes, onions, garlic and xylitol among toxic ingredients. Plain cheese is not on that list.

Digestion is the first question. It comes down to lactose, the natural sugar in milk, and lactase, the enzyme that splits it.

The ASPCA puts it directly: "Because pets do not possess significant amounts of lactase... milk and other dairy-based products can cause diarrhea or other digestive upset."

Ask your vet whether cheese suits your dog, especially if dairy has upset their stomach before. Milk raises the same question. Our guide to can dogs drink milk covers it.

Which cheeses have the least lactose?

A 2020 review of lactose in human foods, in the Journal of Translational Medicine, lists typical lactose levels like these:

Food	Lactose per 100 g
Whole milk	4.9 g
Ricotta	3.5 g
Cottage cheese	3.2 g
Mozzarella	0.7 g
Cheddar	0.5 g
Parmigiano Reggiano	under 0.01 g

In the review's figures, cottage cheese carries more than six times the lactose of cheddar. The authors add that actual lactose content varies by product and brand.

Cheddar itself varies. A 2015 study in JIMD Reports tested mature British cheddars and found most samples under 0.05 mg of lactose per 100 g, far below the review's figure.

The study's authors explain that cheese loses lactose as it dries over many months, while cheese matured inside a plastic wrapper doesn't lose it the same way. By their reasoning, a supermarket block may hold more milk sugar than a long-aged one.

How much cheese can a dog have?

WSAVA advises that all extras together stay under 10% of a dog's daily calories, and that they never replace a meal. It puts cheddar at 120 calories per ounce (28 g).

The first two columns below are WSAVA's. The right-hand column is our own estimate, worked from WSAVA's 120 calories per ounce of cheddar and rounded:

Dog's weight	Daily calories for extras (WSAVA)	Cheddar that uses it all (our estimate)
4 kg (9 lb)	24	about 6 g
10 kg (22 lb)	47	about 11 g
20 kg (44 lb)	79	about 18 g
30 kg (66 lb)	108	about 25 g

By WSAVA's figures, one ounce of cheddar is more than twice a 10 kg dog's whole daily allowance for extras.

WSAVA notes the figures are for an average healthy adult dog. Ask your vet for your own dog's daily calorie needs.

Which cheeses should dogs avoid?

A few cheeses carry warnings that have nothing to do with lactose.

Cheese with garlic, onion or chives

Some herb cheeses, spreads and dips are made with garlic, onion or chives, so read the label. The ASPCA warns that these can cause gastrointestinal irritation and red blood cell damage, which can lead to anemia (low red blood cells).

The ASPCA adds that dogs are at risk depending on the amount eaten. Merck's veterinary manual lists raw, cooked, dehydrated and granulated forms as toxic, and rates garlic three to five times more toxic than onion.

Merck notes that signs develop several days after eating it. Our guide to can dogs eat garlic explains the risks in full.

Blue cheese

Its blue veins come from Penicillium roqueforti, a mold that can make a substance called roquefortine C. A 2001 study in the Journal of Food Protection found it in every blue cheese tested, at 0.05 to 1.47 mg per kg.

Merck classes roquefortine C as a tremorgenic mycotoxin, a mold toxin linked to tremors. It also notes that roquefortine C was not very toxic in a mouse study and may not be an important tremor-causing toxin. The evidence is limited, so ask your vet before offering it.

Moldy cheese and food waste

Merck describes dogs becoming ill after eating moldy foods, such as dairy products, nuts and pasta, or after getting into compost or food waste. The molds involved are particularly Penicillium species.

Merck lists the signs as vomiting, tremors, intention tremors, hyperesthesia (over-sensitivity to touch), ataxia (wobbliness), nystagmus (flicking eye movements), a fast heart rate and seizures, starting within 1 to 2 hours or up to several hours.

Merck notes recovery can take several days to several weeks, and some dogs have stayed wobbly for months to years after exposure.

Very salty cheese

Some cheeses are high in salt, so check the label. The ASPCA warns that excessive salt can cause increased thirst and urination, and sometimes abnormal electrolytes, depending on the amount eaten.

The ASPCA lists the signs of salt toxicity as vomiting, diarrhea, depression, tremors, seizures and even death.

Is cheese good for hiding pills?

Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center lists cheese and cream cheese among foods to try, alongside peanut butter, canned chicken and cooked sweet potato.

Cornell advises using only enough to cover the pill, because with too much, a dog can chew around it instead. Its other tips:

• Hide the pill with one hand and seal and offer it with the other, so your dog doesn't smell the medication.
• Watch to make sure your dog swallows the food and the pill completely.
• Offer the same food at other times of day too, so your dog keeps seeing it as a reward.

Cornell adds that if your dog has diet restrictions for a health condition, check with your vet before choosing a pill food. Our guide to how to give a dog a pill has more on this.

What if my dog ate a lot of cheese?

The ASPCA notes that dairy can cause diarrhea or other digestive upset. If your dog ate a lot of cheese, call your vet for advice, and count it toward the day's extras.

Call your vet promptly if your dog:

• ate cheese mixed with garlic, onion or chives, such as a dip, spread or pizza, even if they seem fine
• ate moldy cheese or got into food waste or compost
• ate a lot of salty cheese
• is vomiting, trembling, wobbly on their feet or having a seizure
• seems weak, pale, unusually tired or collapses, signs Merck lists after garlic or onion

For garlic or onion, call sooner rather than later. Merck notes that signs appear several days after exposure, typically 3 to 5 days, when a dog can seem fine at first.

Questions new puppy parents ask

Can puppies eat cheese?

WSAVA advises a complete and balanced diet, with all extras under 10% of daily calories. Ask your vet before offering cheese to a puppy, since the ASPCA notes dairy can cause diarrhea or other digestive upset.

Can dogs eat cottage cheese?

Cottage cheese is higher in lactose than cheddar or mozzarella, at about 3.2 g per 100 g in the 2020 review. Ask your vet whether it suits your dog.

Can dogs eat cream cheese?

Cornell lists cream cheese as a pill food, using only enough to cover the pill. Check the label of flavored ones for garlic, onion or chives.

Can dogs eat mozzarella or string cheese?

Plain mozzarella is lower in lactose than cottage cheese, at about 0.7 g per 100 g in the 2020 review. It still counts toward WSAVA's 10% limit for extras.

What other foods should my dog avoid?

WSAVA's toxic list includes chocolate, macadamia nuts, xylitol and grapes. Our guide to can dogs eat grapes explains the concern.

Sources

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee: Feeding Treats to Your Dog, 2024
• Facioni MS et al. Nutritional management of lactose intolerance: the importance of diet and food labelling. Journal of Translational Medicine, 2020
• Portnoi PA, MacDonald A. The Lactose and Galactose Content of Cheese Suitable for Galactosaemia: New Analysis. JIMD Reports, 2015
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Garlic and Onion (Allium spp) Toxicosis in Animals
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Tremorgenic Neuromycotoxicosis in Dogs
• Finoli C et al. Roquefortine C occurrence in blue cheese. Journal of Food Protection, 2001
• Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Riney Canine Health Center: How to Medicate Your Dog

This article is for general information and is not veterinary advice. Talk to your vet about your own dog — they know the animal in front of them.

Choolip products are food supplements, not medicine. They are not intended to diagnose or manage any medical condition. If your dog has been diagnosed with a condition, their diet should be set by your vet.