Can Dogs Eat Peach Yogurt?

The purpose of this research is to explain “Can Dogs Eat Peach Yogurt?“.

I’m sure you do not need me to tell you that peach yogurt should not be a regular part of your dogs diet!

The good news is that the vast majority of peach yogurts on the market are not toxic- though any sugar-free versions with an ingredient called xylitol are dangerous to your dog and should be avoided like the plague. 

Aside from that the overwhelming majority of ingredients in peach yogurt will neither seriously harm nor benefit your dog.

Live bacteria is one of their surprisingly healthy ingredients.

At the end of the day the most damage that your dog can suffer from eating a 6 oz. The container of yogurt is upset stomach.

Having to clean up after your dog eats your yogurt is probably enough to make you think twice about letting him near it.

Peach yogurt is made up of what exactly?

Three brands of peach yogurt: Yoplait Activia Chobani

I will take a close look at Yoplait Activia and Chobani peach yogurts to make sure that I provide a fairly thorough overview.

There is probably more than one type of peach yogurt made by each of these brands.

I will only take a look at one product per manufacturer to keep it simple and to avoid turning this research into a “thesis.”. 

Yoplait peach yogurt

I am looking at Yoplaits “Original Single Serve” peach yogurt. 

The ingredients are reduced-fat milk sugar peaches modified corn starch and water.

The following ingredients make up less than 1% of the contents: Corn Starch Tricalcium Phosphate Pectin Natural Flavor Annatto Extract (for color) Vitamin A Acetate Vitamin D3.

Activia peach yogurt

I’ll move on to Activia which makes a fat-free yogurt thats very popular.

Here are the ingredients:

Yogurt (Milk) Peach (8%) Carrot and Pumpkin Concentrate Modified Maize Starch Pectin Flavouring Acidity Regulators (Sodium Citrate Lactic Acid) Sweeteners (Acesulfame K Sucralose).

Chobani peach yogurt

Lastly Chobani whose peach yogurt is Greek yogurt.

This drink contains milk peaches cane sugar water fruit pectin natural flavors locust bean gum and lemon juice concentrate. 

What are the main ingredients in peach yogurt?

In spite of the fact that the three brands of peach yogurt contain quite a few ingredients many of them are the same.

Live bacteria (probiotics)

I have some good news to share. 

All three peach yogurt brands contain live bacteria.

Dogs (and humans) are believed to benefit from live bacteria in a number of ways.

In addition to aiding digestion and boosting immunity they are also known to boost energy levels.

Microorganisms called live bacteria live in the gut of a dog and help to keep it healthy.

Even though a healthy dog should be able to do all of this on its own eating live bacteria might be beneficial to a dog who is ill or older.

We should point out that peach-flavored probiotic yogurt is not the healthiest choice for feeding your dog.

There are many natural yogurts (without sweeteners or flavorings) that would be just as effective!

Milk

In all of these yogurts milk is the main ingredient and we can be fairly sure that it is cows milk.

Unless your dog is lactose intolerant milk is fine for most dogs.

Lactose the main protein in milk is difficult for dogs to digest. 

There is no way to know exactly how many dogs suffer from lactose intolerance.

However diarrhea and bloating can also occur. 

Despite its fat-free status milk still contains lactose. 

Peaches

The flesh of a peach is perfectly safe for dogs to eat and like all fruits they contain lots of vitamins and minerals.

Perhaps you have heard that dogs can be poisoned by peaches.

Cyanide is found in the pit or stone not in the flesh.

Modified corn/ maize starch

Now lets move on to some of the more undesirable ingredients.

However just because they are undesirable does not mean they are toxic to your dog.

Originally made from corn corn starch is either heated or treated with an acid to thicken it.

Then it is added to a variety of foods in order to thicken them.

In dry dog food corn is a common ingredient. Check the ingredients in your bag to see if it is there. 

Pectin

Another type of starch although it would not poison your dog it isnot exactly the healthiest ingredient. 

Plants produce it and it is most commonly used in things like jellies to give them a semi-solid structure. 

Because of this yogurt is thickened with it. 

Locust bean gum

Yet another “plant extract” is added to food to thicken it!

Sugar

Sugar is widely used in foods and we all know how bad it can affect our health.

Aside from the five side effects which include cavities obesity and diabetes it also has five negative effects. 

The sugar content of each of these yogurts is shown in the chart below.

	Yoplait	Activia	Chobani
Sugar	11%	7.2%	9.3%

The highest sugar content is found in Yoplait yogurt at 11%.

The second is Chobani peach yogurt with 9.3% sugar and the third is Activia with 7.3% sugar.

Sugar is a lot of sugar. 

There is no real harm to your dog in the small amount of peach yogurt found in it.

Besides developing a sweet tooth and wanting more!

Cane sugar is listed as an ingredient in Chobani yogurt. 

This is a bit misleading since some people believe that cane sugar is healthier than processed sugar.

In truth there isnot much difference between them!

Salt

You may be worried because I have not mentioned salt up to this point but do not worry because I will now.

The good news is that most of these yogurts are relatively low in salt.

It is much less than 1%.

Thats good news for your dog. 

Take a look at my chart to see how much.

100 g serving	Yoplait	Activia	Chobani
Sodium (Salt)	.060 g	.25 g	.055 g

Neither Yoplait nor Chobani yogurt contains much more than 1% salt.

In the next section I would like to sound a cautionary note.

Peach yogurt might contain a poisonous ingredient which could kill your dog. 

The dangers of xylitol

A sugar substitute Xylitol is a sweetener.

While it has the same sweetness as refined sugar it contains fewer calories. That is why it is used in some sugar-free or low-sugar foods.

My next step is to search the Internet for sugar-free peach yogurts that contain xylitol to see if I can find any.

I can not and thats good news.

Sweeteners such as aspartame and Acesulfame K are also used but these sweeteners are not toxic to dogs. 

It does not mean it isnot being used at all.

Just look at the list of ingredients on the side of your peach yogurt!

How does xylitol affect your dog?

As soon as a dog consumes xylitol it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

The pancreas is then wrongly triggered to release a huge dosage of insulin which causes the dogs sugar level to plummet to dangerous levels.

It depends on how much xylitol your dog has consumed as to how quickly it will show signs of poisoning.

In most cases however the effects are visible within an hour. 

The symptoms of xylitol poisoning

In the very worst-case scenario if your dog eats xylitol-containing yogurt you should take him to the vet right away.

Time is of the essence when searching for any home remedy

At the milder end of the spectrum you are looking for vomiting and diarrhea while in the most severe cases you could find a lack of balance and seizures. 

Should I feed my dog natural yogurt instead?

If you want to improve the digestive health of your dog natural yogurt that contains live bacteria may be the answer.

As a result it is a healthier choice than flavored yogurts such as peach yogurt since it is free from many of the artificial flavors and sweeteners found in them.

It isnot exactly yogurt that contains living bacteria- disparate bread does as well.

But they tend to be a bit “ alone”. I ’m discoursing about foods like sauerkraut.

An additionally preferably available food that contains live societies is pickles or gherkins.

Add a jar of those into your canine drug press!

If you want to read more about dog food tips read here: Dog Food Tips and Tricks.

Can Dogs Eat Peach Yogurt? (Watch Video)