Can dogs eat cat food?
Do kittens need extra vitamins?
Can supplements help my dog’s itchy skin?

ASPCA experts answer your pet nutrition questions—and give all companion animal caretakers much food for thought.

Please note: The information provided in this column should not be substituted for advice from your veterinarian.

Most Recent Question

I’d like to bake cheese treats for my dogs, but I've read that cheese is bad for them. Is this true?

- Isabel

Feeding cheese and other dairy products to your pets may not be recommended, Isabel. Pets lack significant amounts of lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose in dairy products. As a result, some may have difficulty with digestion and end up with stomach upset. Cheese, however, has less lactose than milk and some other dairy products, so it’s less likely to cause problems. If you use only a small amount of low-fat cheese in these homemade treats and your dogs don’t have any digestive upset, you can continue.

For a list of foods your dogs should not eat, please read our Top Ten People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets.

Archive

• Cheese Treats for Dogs
• Transitioning from Puppy to Adult Food
• Wet and Dry Cat Food
• Dogs with Finicky Tastes
• Diet for Young Dogs
• Foods to Avoid Feeding Guinea Pigs
• Feeding Mice Timothy Hay
• Is Garlic Toxic to Pets?
• Diet for Old and Young Dogs
• Healthy People Foods for Pets