how much yogurt is good?

[GsdDiamond]

Hey gang!
The wife and I are trying to beat Diamond's allergies off at the pass. She just started itching again, so we've just started her on her chlor-triplon treatments. But, because of the method we give her pills (wrapped in a little bit of cheese...which she will go nuts for!) she's prone to ear infections...or at least that's what our Vet says.

At any rate... my question is:
How much yogurt should we give her? I don't want her to become fussy... which she's been doing lately. We started her on Wolf King, and she seems to like it pretty good. Terri added 2 tablespoons with her breakfast this morning, but we don't know how much to add.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[BMDLuver]

One of our adoptees uses yogourt and what you are giving sounds fine as she's a decent size dog.

[GsdDiamond]

Thanks BMD! 2 TBLSP per meal....that's ok? How often should we add it? Once a day? A week?

[BMDLuver]

My adoptees do it once a day as they eat yogourt with their breakfast so the dog gets hers then too. Her coat is fabulous, soft, no dander, she glistens. I could not believe the difference.

[GsdDiamond]

Hmmm....ok. We'll start putting one heaping tablespoon in with her food each morning. Since she's at that fussy stage, do you think this might lead to her being fussy at dinner? I know she won't starve, and it's a top quality food.... so I know she's not going to starve to death or anything....just want to keep her from getting "too" fussy.

You're a peach! Thanks BMD!

[BMDLuver]

lol, I have a fussy eater here, she waited two meals for some bonus on her food, when the third meal arrived "sans bonus" she grunted and ate it. I don't think it will be a big deal.

[raingirl]

You can actually feed a lot of yogurt..up to one cup per day my vet said (as long as they aren't sensitive or allergic).

Just make sure you get the low fat or fat free variety and one that has active bacteria in it (otherwise feeding yogurt without the active bacteria has no effect on the body and is worthless).

I found the best ones are the astro 1 litre containers. We get the 1% plain yogurt, and if you read the label it says it has active bacteria.

[Lissa]

Raingirl, is astro really the best? I read that Silhouette is the best on the bacteria end for humans?!? What makes astro the best??

Do you always have to feed plain yogurt!?

Melissa

[BMDLuver]

There's a new one on the market called Activa and it has a good Probiotic content which is what I think you are after?

[LittleLoves]

BMD you're right, and it just happens to be the best tasting yogurt I've ever had!

Does it have to be plain?

[dogmelissa]

Ok, so perhaps I'm over-feeding. I have a Maltese X.... I'm sure Diamond's poops are bigger than my dog! And I give him about 2 tbsp of yogurt every day. Well, mostly everyday (sometimes I forget or get busy). I read another post on here somewhere that someone with Great Danes gives them 8oz of yogurt everyday, so I'd expect that unless Diamond is sensitive to milk products that pretty much any amount would be fine.
Plain yogurt is the best for dogs because it doesn't have sugar (or sugar-replacers if fat free) in it, which is always added when the yogurt has flavour added. I simply keep a container of plain yogurt on hand clearly labelled DOG on the top and side and haven't had any problems with confusing them.

I personally think that yogurt is one of nature's wonder foods. For the amount of fat/calories you get, it's PACKED with so many good things that it's just amazing.

Also, just FYI, my dog also has food allergies (not 100% sure what at the moment). But I wonder... if your vet thinks that the cheese is what's making your dog have symptoms of allergies, perhaps yogurt wouldn't be a good choice, being as it's also a milk product? Have you tried peanut butter? Or perhaps Wolf Pack makes a canned food that you could hide her medication in? Since my dog doesn't *get* canned food as part of his regular meals, I use it as a treat, and it's pretty easy to hide pills in soft food because dogs never chew!

Hope that helps, and good luck.
Melissa

[raingirl]

The reason I say Astro is that a recent test was done of all the commercial yogurts off the shelf, and Astro had the highest count of good bacteria.

You see, the bacterias in the yogurt that is good for you (Acidopholus and L. bifidus or something like that) degrade over time and can die and get less effective, so they ran all kinds of tests on all kinds of yogurt to see which one was the most resiliant, and Astro was the best. It even beat out the organic yogurts!

I wouldn't trust the new activia, because it's a "new unique strain of active probiotic culture". Who says that is any good for us or our dogs? If it's so good, why can't we buy it in health stores? It's all just a marketing hype.

I figure, all kinds of tests have been done on the regular good bacterias in yogurt. THey are the same bacterias that are already present in our gut to help us, so we are just adding to them. THis new one isn't even in our body possibly...and it's supposed to be better?? BS

Astro was rated the best...so I would go with it. Also, when they say it is "unique strain" it's a lie. All yogurts have that strain, they just put it on their label. If you tested other yogurts, it would have the same bacteria as it is naturally in milk products.

[Eleni]

you can buy acidiphilus in caplet form too, I take it to avoid thrush in myself and the baby,


I know zhers[sp] carries it in their supplement sections


Eleni

[Eleni]

btw the caplets need to be refridgerated.


so they are live

Eleni

[raingirl]

Be carefull of the supplements though. They "claim" to be live, but often are old and have no active bacteria in them. They were included in the study of yogurts as well...and they still found yogurt to be the best way to deliver the bacteria to your gut, and you get more from the yogurt than the supplements.

I used to take the supplements until I did a lot of reading on it. I still have some in my fridge which I plan on putting on Odin's food while he is on the elimination diet...they are probably mostly dead, but may as well try and use them.

[Eleni]

yeah I cant eat yogurt personally, lactose intolerant well I could but because ive always avoided it ive never aquired the taste for it.


the supplement form seems to be ok for me.

I however never gave it to sam, never even given him yogurt.

I want too but now that we ahve his tummy troubles under control im lery to start anything new heh


Eleni