HI Everyone and Happy Holidays,

I was at a family function yesterday and someone just adopted a beautiful beagle from a rescue home.

Their vet told them it is good to give the dog cottage cheese mixed in with her food for protein. Is this good?

I am asking as I would love to mix something in for my little one. Right now, I give her boiled chicken mixed in with Science Diet. But sure would love to give her a little more vairety.

Is cottage cheese okay? My baby is a little maltese.

I thank you so much in advance and again Happy Holidays :)

I am very disappointed any vet would suggest messing with the dog's diet. I am lucky enough to know a few top ones. They would forbid it.

What is good for dogs and people is a complete and balanced diet and not too much of it. Even is somebody made a people food as good for them as dog chow is for dogs, it would never sell. People demand a verity and often insist on eating too much carbohydrates and fats rather then veggies and cheese that has things they need too. So the things we don't eat enough of are ''good'' for us. If your puppy was eating a diet short in fat, protein, and whatever else is in cheese, then cheese would be ''good'' for it. If your puppy is eating a complete and balanced puppy chow, then cheese or anything else that isn't a complete and balance diet really does not improve its diet. If fact it throws it out of balance. Adding cottage cheese could result in excess calcium. That is one of the worst things you can do for a growing puppy, because too much calcium interfers with the body absorbing what it needs.

The only safe thing for an ordinary dog owner to feed is a regular puppy chow. It is almost impossible for anybody to improve on a dog's diet over dog chow.

Thank you so much Labman.

Sorry, my "baby" is actually 7 years old. I guess this still applies though. The beagle I was asking about is about 1 1/2 yrs. Old. But still not good is it?

Thank you again so much.

AllHeart,

I never heard of that one before. Feeding cottage cheese mixed with regular food. Although when I was growing up with my lab. I used to feed her chedder cheese slices. My little puppy lived until she was 18 years old. We gave her regular food as far as the cheese slices my mother never new.

Joe

:) Thank you JH.

I know, I never heard about the cottage cheese thing either. That is why I just had to ask.
I felt like I was depriving my little one. I just want what is best for her.

Hubby gives her sooooo many treats. Oh my, the poor little thing. It is just not good for her. I can not even remember that last time I gave her at treat, as he does enough for 10 people. I keep a good eye on her and make sure she eats her Science Diet meals though.

Thank you again, I can just picture all of you sneeking the cheese slices to your lab. Labs are great dogs... :)

Happy Holidays JH :) and thank you again.

Do you know old that vet was? Could he still be solving problems of the 50's? I know that even as late as 1980, there were still cheap chows that failed to provide a good diet. In the past everybody had there own little way of doctoring up the poor quality chows, but now that does more harm than good.

Likely the biggest mistake now is over feeding the dog. It not only can lead to early joint problems, but shorten the dog's life. For a good way to determine the proper weight for your dog, see http://www.puppychow.com/products/po...condition.aspx

Labman,

Thank you so much for your time and sharing your knowledge. I so appreciate it.

I will take a look at the link. My little one is about 10 pounds, closer to 11, but should only be 8. I know only a couple of pounds difference, but in can make a difference, and not in a good way.

I don't know why hubby is so insisitent on giving her so many treats. But he has cut back, so that is a start.

No, I don't know how old the vet was to advise that. I just struck me, as I never heard that. So glad I asked you.

Thank you again.

If you feel compelled to treat your dog - as opposed to actually supplementing the food which is not necessary - a teaspoon of plain low fat yogurt is a good treat that does not have a lot of added calories and fat... stay away from the flavored ones though because the sugar is not necessary either.

(tablespoon for a large dog) and I wouldn't recommend more than 1 time a week. So very many dogs are kept overweight and it is just so bad for them.

-Beth

Your welcome, Allheart.

Anytime. I am happy that you enjoyed my little story about my lab. Beautiful animal. Very smart and loving and caring. She was well taken care of. Like one of the family. Like many animal lovers they tend to treat their little ones. It is good that your not doing it too much.

Christmas wishes to you and your family.

Joe

Most vets will recommend cottage cheese and white rice for a temporary diet for dogs with digestive problems and some dogs with certain allergies. It sounds like your dog might be overweight already and cottage cheese would be adding a lot of extra calories that she doesn't need.

Being a maltese and being overweight are not a good combination. Many maltese have genetic problems with their knees and any extra weight can make it worse. Also being overweight is the same for dogs as it is for people and can lead to heart problems, diabetes, pancreatic cancer etc.

So if you really love her put her on a diet (I know it's difficult when you look into those eyes. Plus I have a husband that does the same thing) but it's best for her. Talk to your vet about a safe way to reduce her weight.

Also, if you can't get your husband to stop with the treats, give him little pieces of carrot to feed her instead. They are good for her, don't have many calories and help clean her teeth.

Hope this helps.

For all animals,
Molly

Oh Molly,

Thank you so much! I will try the carrots. Yes, when one of my dogs was ill (vomit/diahreaa) The vet recommended boiled rice and chicken.

And yes Molly, I do love my little one so much that's why I don't have a problem in not given her any treats due to the over abundance hubby does. He has cut back, but still needs to cut back more. Hopefully, the carrots will do the trick.

Currently, she is about 8 to 9 pounds, but actually should be 6 to 7. So yes, I am going to focus on getting that down. And you are so right about maltese and their knees. Both of her little knees are out and about a year or so, she tore her ACL on the right side. Molly, I never heard her cry the way she did and we rushed her right away to the vet. Thankfully, with rest she was able to bounce back without an operation. She now is on cosequin to build up cartlidge. And we have covered up every floor in the house with carpet (even the kitchen.. ugh!) just so she does not reinjure herself.

Speaking of the cosequin, any tips on how to best give her the pill. I chop it up in bits and pieces and hide it in chicken pieces, but she sometimes is on to that. She turns he nose up to liverworst. The vet had this little treat that you could put the pill in, but she didn't like that either.

Thank you all again so very much for all the wonderful advice.

Allheart

Dear Allheart,
Pills can be tough. Have you looked online to see if there is a flavored one for dogs? You might try putting it in a piece of cheese, peanut butter or strained baby food meat
(it smells really strong) or even an Alpo Bite works sometimes. The trick is to get the pill into whatever you are using without touching the outside of the pill with the hand that touched the pill. I know this sounds crazy but dogs have a sense of smell that is so incredible that if you have touched the pill then touch the outside of say the piece of cheese she can smell that. So put a piece of cheese or whatever you are using on a plate, make a dip in it with your right finger, drop the pill in with your right hand, then close it up with your left hand and offer it to her with your left hand. Don't touch it with the hand you used for the pill. I swear it makes a difference. I just learned this myself.

Your dog has a great home with people that really love and care for her. She is a very lucky little girl.

Hope this helps.

For all animals,
Molly

Molly,

Thank you so much again. I will defintely try what you said during the pill feeding time. It actually makes sense.

Bless you for your time and advice.

Oh she is our heart. As I know all little four footers are to animal lovers.

Thank you so much again!!

Allheart

I am not sure about small dogs, but I know that it helps keep big-boned (bigger) dogs from having hip trouble when they get older. Seeing that it is good for big-boned dogs, I don't see why smaller dogs could not eat it as well (maybe just not as much). Bigger dogs can have about one large spoonful a day, so little dogs could probably have a regular sized spoon worth. Hope this was helpful! :)

No vet has ever told me to mix cottage cheese with my dogs food for protein, BUT my Pit ate something like an entire happy meal from McDonalds and it really upset his GI tract to where he was pooping nothing but blood every half hour, it was very serious. My vet told me to feed him what he called a "bland diet," which was a couple of things, either Cottage Cheese and white rice, hamburger and white rice, or boiled chicken and white rice, then after a week I was supposed to start mixing in his normal food little by little until he was completely off the bland diet.

So I don't think that it is a terrible idea, basically haha.

I don't know what is right for your dog, and I understand labman's arguments, but I will tell you that I have seen cottage cheese recommended for puppies in puppy training books. There are people who are in favor of an all dog food diet, there are people who are in favor of never giving their dogs commercial dog food, and there are others who use both (obviously working out the nutritional elements themselves). In addition to extra, easily digestible protein, cottage cheese can also add extra calcium to the diet of dogs that need it. It's considered a nutritional extra or a supplement. My favorite puppy training book recommends adding a small amount to the puppy's food up to three times a week. If a puppy is ill, it can be fed daily. Keep in mind that some pooches do not have the enzymes needed to digest milk products. If this is the case, they shouldn't be given dairy. Like I said, I don't know what's best for your dog. Personally, I would trust your vet's recommendations.

All right, the people who keep mentioning puppy chow, are you guys working for a particular dog food company? Unfortunately, most people have a slightly skewed opinion about various dog foods and their true nutritional values. Nutritional levels depend upon the suggested dosage on the back of the bag. Most people do NOT feed their dogs those amounts because of individualized diet needs; this is where the problem lies, if you feed exactly what they say then your dog is receiving all of the necessary nutrients. If not, then it may need supplementation of select nutrients.
Also, do not confuse nutritional NEED with nutritional QUALITY. Each brand does not necessarily give what is optimum, as much as they give what is the minimum. NOT TO SAY ALL BRANDS, THERE ARE SOME GREAT BRANDS OUT THERE.
If you check out some of the higher quality (AGAIN, NOT Necessarily HIGHER COST)brand foods, that only your veterinarian can recommend, you'll find that there are differences in content. Some of these differences can be supplemented by you simply adding them yourself daily/weekly to your pet's diet.
Finally, many breeders of large breed dogs highly recommend COTTAGE CHEESE as an ADDITION (NOT REPLACEMENT) to your dogs regular food, either separately or in the food, about 3 times a week. Generally they say 1 cup 3x's/week for large breed pup's BUT THIS IS A QUESTION BEST LEFT ANSWRED BY YOUR VETERINARIAN, not an internet source. THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR ALL LARGE BREED DOGS!!
Each dog has different nutritional needs and the answer to your questions can only be answered by a veterinarian. You don't want to hurt your dog, but you don't want to deny him/her anything beneficial either! If cottage cheese will be beneficial for your particular breed of pet, your vet will let you know. My dogs love it, but I called 3 vet's, 2 breeders, and did research on my particular breed of dog before giving it to them.
Hope this helps :D

My family used to have a lab that we gave cottage cheese and rice to because he had stomach problems. It is totally fine for your pet, he was on and off it when he got sick. Cottage cheese has protein and stuf fin it that rice alone does not and it is easy on their stomach. My mom has worked with vets for years and years and very good vets put dogs on this diet so don't worry, your baby will be fine :)

In the original post it was stated that the dog that was being given the cottage cheese was a new rescue. Cottage cheese is good when you have a very thin or emaciated dog that needs that extra boost. Yogurt is also good to straighten out diarrhea. I use it on all my animals. My foals do not get the foal heat scours because I give them 30cc of yogurt starting about day 4 of life and continue through their mother's first heat cycle.
I agree you should not add anything new to your dog's diet unless you know what you are doing from a nutritional sense or if you discuss it with your vet first.
I have a new rescue Doberman that is very thin and he gets a heaping tablespoon of yogurt in the morning and a heapng tablespoon of cottage cheese at night. I introduced this slowly over a week, starting with a smaller amount and building up. He had diarrhea the whole time he was in the shelter, but cleared up after two days of yogurt, even with being in a new home and getting a new food.
I also put all my dogs on NuVet Plus and see a major difference in just two weeks from starting it. Even seems to ward off mosquitos and fleas, but then maybe the last few years have just not been as bad?

Natural Protein Sources for Dogs
In light of the messy dog food recall, it's important to consider some natural protein sources for your pet. New brands are getting added to the recall list every week, so it might be better to be safe than sorry.
There are five common foods that are great sources of protein for your dog that you can find at the grocery store. Some of these sources will require a little more work and money than others, but they are all great sources of protein for mans best friend. Keeping an adequate amount of protein in your dogs diet will help them stay healthy and active.

Protein Source from Eggs

The first food that is a great source of protein is eggs. Eggs are very cheap and are a great source of protein for both humans and dogs. You do have to cook the eggs for your dog as well. Dogs cannot eat raw eggs due to its reaction with vitamins. Cooked eggs are an easy and cheap way to get protein in your dog’s diet.

The Right Balance of Milk

Another great source of protein for your dog is whole milk. You do need to be careful though, as too much milk will cause digestion problems, and upset stomach. An excessive amount of milk could also give you dog diarrhea. You want to make sure you measure the amount of milk your dog is getting and do not exceed two ounces of fluid milk, and two tablespoons of dry milk in each pound of dog food. This amount will prevent your dog from having trouble digesting milk.

Cottage Cheese Has As Much Protein as Horse Meat

Cottage cheese is another cheap, and easy way to get more protein in your dog’s diet. The protein in cottage cheese is different than that of the whole milk, so you don’t have to worry about digestion. Cottage cheese does not have to be cooked or measured exactly, so it is an easy way to give your some extra protein.


I have 150 pound rotts never had a problem with cottage cheese.. amazing forums like this bring out all the vet experts eh?