Can Dogs Eat Goat Cheese And Why It’s Controversial?

Last Updated on January 19, 2022 by Griselda M.

Cheese in general is one of the more talked-about human foods when it comes to giving it to your dog. And then, there’s the question of can dogs eat goat cheese and why it’s controversial? Is goat cheese better or worse than other types of cheese for our canine friends?

Is it a “better but still bad” kind of situation? And if you do decide to give your pooch some goat cheese what should you keep in mind? Here’s a detailed breakdown of the whole topic.

Table of Contents

Can Dogs Eat Goat Cheese?

The question of can dogs have goat cheese will probably never be talked about. The direct answer to it, however, is a yes – dogs can eat goat cheese. In fact, a healthy and non-lactose intolerant dog can eat all types of clean cheese (i.e cheeses with no herbs and other additives such as garlic, olives, etc.).

So, can dogs eat goat cheese? Sure. But the more important question is should you give your dog goat cheese or just avoid all cheeses altogether?

Are there different types of goat cheese dogs tolerate better?

Soft, low-fat, low-sodium, and clean goat cheese is the best option when it comes to dogs. Funnily enough, it’s one of the most recommended types of cheese for people too, and for the same reasons.

Goat cheese has lower fat content than most other cheeses anyway which is a big reason why people recommend it. It also has fewer growth hormones compared to cow cheese which is also as good for dogs as it is for people.

Goat cheese is often extra-rich in sodium (salt), however, which is a big No-No for dogs. Sodium-ion poisoning is no joke in canines and salt should be used in moderation. Most experts recommend 0.3% salt to be added to homemade pet food but no more than that. Giving your dog too much salty food can lead to thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, high temperature, tremors, seizures, and then – death.

Of course, it’d be difficult to give your dog that much salty goat cheese. However, if you accidentally leave a big slab of cheese in your dog’s reach or if you give him some cheeses together with some other salty food, problems can follow pretty quickly.

So, if you want to treat your dog with goat cheese, make sure that it’s low on salt as well as low-fat. And, obviously, keep the quantity low and don’t go over a couple or a few small bites.

Can dogs eat cheese in general?

Generally, yes. Most types of cheese are OK for most dogs provided that your dog meets the following prerequisites:

No lactose intolerance – just like people, some dogs just can’t digest dairy products at all.
Good health – your dog shouldn’t have any obesity, heart, diabetes, and other general health problems that can be worsened by the consumption of fat-rich food like cheese.
No digestive issues – cheeses can cause digestive difficulties and diarrhea even in healthy dogs.
Keep the quantities small – even a healthy dog shouldn’t go over a few bites once every few days.
Make sure the cheese is low-fat and low-sodium.
Make sure the cheese is also free of any additives such as garlic, onions, olives, etc. Garlic and onions, in particular, are highly toxic for dogs.

So, cheese can be an acceptable snack for some dogs. However, it should be a very rare, lucrative, and controlled treat – not something you give your dog willy-nilly.

Are there types of cheese that are better for your dog than goat cheese?

The most-recommended type of cheese for dogs is cottage cheese. Mozzarella is also often cited. Both are generally lower-fat and lower-sodium than most other types of cheese. The reason they are put ahead of goat cheese is the lower salt as well as the rarer instances of added garlic and other herbs.

However, if you just make sure to get goat cheese that matches all those prerequisites too, then it is more or less on par with cottage cheese in terms of safety. It just depends on what you get. The fact that goat cheese is generally stigmatized among people too probably also plays a role – many people just don’t like it because of its strong taste.

Pros And Cons Of Giving Your Dog Goat Cheese

Pros:

Goat cheese is one of the three more recommended types of cheeses for dogs.
It’s lower fat than most other cheeses.
It comes in low-salt variants.
Goat cheese is often free of any garlic, onions, olives, and other additives.
It has fewer growth hormones compared to bovine cheeses.
Dogs don’t seem to mind goat cheese’s strong taste as much as some people do.
Like other cheeses, goat cheese can be an exceptional training treat or luxury reward treat because of how much dogs love it.
Cheese is also excellent for hiding pills in – both the consistency and the strong taste will mask most pills without a problem.

Cons:

Goat cheese may be generally low-fat but that’s just compared to other cheeses – it’s still a cheese so it’s still a relatively high-fat content food. That makes it very ill-advised for regular consumption.
Even when low on sodium, goat cheese will still have a not-insignificant salt content. This isn’t great for dogs, especially if you give your pet too much.
Cheeses are one of those foods that can drive some dogs crazy – you must always be careful to keep your cheese away from your dog’s reach if that’s the case.
Lactose intolerance is a thing in dogs too. If you’re not 100% sure that your dog isn’t lactose intolerant, always start with just a single and very small bite of cheese before offering more. Then, monitor your dog for any symptoms of lactose intolerance such as excessive thirst, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, toilet accidents indoors, and others.
All cheeses can cause digestive issues even in healthy dogs.

So, Can Dogs Eat Goat Cheese, And What To Watch Out For?

Dogs can eat goat cheese and it can be a very good training treat or a Trojan horse for pills. In fact, most soft goat cheeses are better than other cheeses when it comes to their overall qualities and nutritional value. However, goat cheese is still cheese so you ought to be careful when giving it to your dog.