Do you often find yourself shredding cheese over your dog’s food to ensure they finish it? Is pasta a regular food in your house? We know Parmesan cheese and pasta go hand-in-hand. While you can get blackmailed by the puppy eyes your dog gives you, you will wonder if dogs can eat Parmesan cheese. If you are interested in knowing what happens when a dog eats parmesan cheese, you are at the correct place.
Table of Contents
Can Dogs Eat Parmesan Cheese?
Maybe. While Parmesan cheese does not harm a dog’s body, it is advised that you do not feed your dog Parmesan cheese regularly. Because a dog’s body does not produce lactase to digest lactose, milk-based products become heavy to digest. However, Parmesan cheese has comparatively less lactose, and you can feed your dog some servings.
What Is Parmesan Cheese, And What Does It Contain?
Compared to Mozzarella and Brie, Parmesan is harder. It originated in Parma, Italy, and is known as Parmigiano-Reggiano. Parmesan cheese is available in plastic containers in America. Unlike organic, Parmesan cheese in plastic containers contains preservatives.
To make Parmesan cheese more delicious to eat, a small amount of sodium in the form of salt is added. Additionally, when Parmesan cheese is made, it contains 0% lactose, and while ageing, the lactose increases from 2.9% to 3%. Parmesan cheese takes about 12 months to age, which is how it gets its taste and popularity. While ageing, the quantity of sodium also increases with time in Parmesan Cheese.
Is Parmesan Cheese Healthy For Dogs?
Parmesan cheese is a safe food for dogs because it contains a low level of lactose. Most dogs that are lactose intolerant will react significantly to any milk-based product. However, it becomes a healthy treat for your dog if you source the parmesan cheese from a local organic farm. Fresh Parmesan cheese contains an extremely low level of lactose, making it a very light form of cheese for dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Cheese In General?
Processed cheese is harmful to dogs and is advised to be kept away from dogs. It contains sodium and fat that can be highly harmful to dogs. In addition, it can cause lactose intolerance and weight gain in them. Therefore, you should be very careful while feeding your dog milk-based products.
What Are The Risks Of Feeding My Dog Parmesan Cheese?
Parmesan cheese is not considered a healthy food for dogs. Since the ageing process increases the sodium content, it becomes highly harmful to a dog. Dogs do not react well to sodium, and therefore, it should be avoided being fed to dogs. In addition, dogs with kidney issues and pancreatitis should never be fed Parmesan cheese because it can cause sodium poisoning.
If allergic to cheese, you will observe symptoms like:
- Upset Gastrointestinal Tract,
- Digestive issues
- Nausea/vomiting
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Disorientation
- A lack of appetite
- Muscle spasms, convulsions
- Excessive drinking and urinating
- Watery diarrhoea
- Fast heart rate
- High fever
Before feeding your dog any human food, do a trial run with them. This means you should feed your dog a small amount of food and observe them for any adverse symptoms for 24 hours. If you want to introduce Parmesan cheese to your dog, ensure that you first consult your veterinarian.
How Can You Feed Your Dog Parmesan Cheese Safely?
If you are interested in feeding your dog Parmesan cheese, source it from an organic farm. Parmesan cheese produced on an organic farm will have less sodium and be fresh. Fresh Parmesan cheese does not contain a high amount of lactose. A low amount of lactose is more manageable for dogs to digest. It is usually store-bought Parmesan cheese with high sodium added as a preservative. It would help if you tried to find parmesan cheese which is not aged much, to ensure that it doesn’t have a high level of lactose and sodium.
Conclusion
Parmesan cheese is safe for your dog in moderate quantities. Because of the low lactose in Parmesan cheese, it is lighter to digest for dogs. However, keep in mind that you source your parmesan Cheese from an organic farm. Organic Parmesan cheese does not contain a high level of sodium and lactose. Keep in mind the following while feeding your dog Parmesan cheese:
- It should be fed as an occasional tree to your dog.
- Parmesan contains some amount of calcium and Vitamin A and B, which is suitable for dogs.
- Ensure your dog is not lactose intolerant before feeding your dog Parmesan cheese.
- Remember, while feeding your dog Parmesan cheese has many benefits, there are similar disadvantages.
FAQs
Can Dogs Eat Parmesan Cheese Rind?
Because cheez rind is hard to chew, you should not feed your dog cheese rind. Unlike other cheese rinds, Parmesan cheese rinds do not contain wax and artificial preservatives; therefore, it is ok if your dog has a piece of it. However, it could hurt your dog’s teeth since it is hard.
Can Dogs Eat Grated Parmesan Cheese?
Yes, dogs can have grated Parmesan cheese. However, keep in mind that you feed your dog grated Parmesan cheese in moderate quantity as it is difficult to gauge the amount of what is going into their food when you grate it. Also, ensure that the grated Parmesan cheese you are getting home is organic and not commercial.
Can Dogs Eat Parmesan Cheese Crisps?
While Parmesan cheese in isolation is not unhealthy for your dog, adding it to chips and crisps makes it very unhealthy. The first reason is that Parmesan cheese flavour might contain harmful chemicals that could be hazardous to your dog’s health. The second reason is that any crisp food is fried in oil. Anything fried does not go well with dogs.
Can Dogs Eat Powdered Parmesan Cheese?
It is advised that you do not feed your dog powdered Parmesan cheese. Since powdered Parmesan cheese is not a natural cheese, it contains a lot of salt and preservatives. Powdered Parmesan cheese also would have gone through different unsafe processes for dog consumption.
