What Are the Benefits of Plain Yogurt for Canines?

Plain yogurt offers a host of benefits for canines. It contains healthy bacteria, called probiotics, which play an important role in maintaining the balance of bacteria in a dog's digestive tract. If you'd like your dog to reap all the benefits from this food, it's important that the yogurt you select not have added sugars or fillers.

  1. Promotes Good Digestion

    • A dog's digestive system is populated by millions of friendly and unfriendly bacteria. Both are necessary for healthy digestion. The live cultures in yogurt, called lactobacillus acidophilus, help inhibit the growth of bad bacteria that can cause digestive upset such as loose stools and excessive gas.

    Helps Reduce Yeast

    • Every dog has yeast in his body, and it's generally harmless. When it multiplies out of control, it becomes problematic to a dog's health. Too much yeast in the system can lead to ear infections, skin issues and problems with digestion. Plain yogurt helps keep the yeast at manageable levels. Yeast feeds off of sugar, so it's important not to use products with added sugars or flavorings.

    Supports Immune System

    • A healthy immune system can fight infection, but when bacteria and fungi overpopulate the digestive tract, even the healthiest system can be compromised. When this happens, the body's ability to ward off infection and heal itself is suppressed and it becomes vulnerable to attacks by harmful organisms. A weakened immune system can make it easier for your dog to contract illnesses, and more difficult for him to recover. Adding a small amount of yogurt (1 tbsp.) to your dog's diet can help keep dangerous bacteria at bay.

    Helps Ease Effects of Antibiotics

    • It's not uncommon for your vet to prescribe antibiotics for a number of canine health issues. They help fight infection. In doing so, they not only kill harmful bacteria, but the good bacteria too. By adding yogurt to your dog's diet during and after a round of antibiotics, you're helping to restore the delicate equilibrium of different strains of bacteria in his system, and help him recover faster. This also helps prevent diarrhea and other digestive problems that can be caused by antibiotics.

    Calms Upset Stomach

    • Yogurt is easy to digest and soothing on the stomach. When your dog is sick, the environment in his stomach is out of balance. By feeding yogurt, it helps maintain the correct levels of bacteria to keep your dog healthy. It's a high-protein food and it helps with nutrient absorption, so when your dog is vomiting or has diarrhea, this food helps provide nourishment without the added ingredients that can irritate your dog's stomach.