 The Short Answer is: |
Frozen yogurt is safe for dogs, so yes, you can feed them frozen yogurt. Unless it contains the artificial sweetener xylitol or whole cherries. |
The purpose of this article is to explain “Can Dogs Eat Frozen Yogurt?“.
Having two spoiled rotten dogs who have recently added “begging at the table” to their repertoire of manipulative behaviors I understand how hard it can be not to feed your dog scraps from the table.
Some people feed frozen yogurt to their dogs but I have never done so.
I suspect it is mainly because they feel guilty when they are eating frozen yogurt and the dog has nothing and this is coming from the house where my wife watches TV almost on top of one of our dogs.
We all know that frozen yogurt isnot the healthiest treat to give our dogs but how bad is it?
Is it made up of any ingredients that might harm our dogs or even poison them?
Thats what I intend to find out in this article.
What are the ingredients in frozen yogurt?
Milk sugar corn syrup guar gum locust bean gum carrageenan and natural and artificial flavors are the main ingredients in frozen yogurt purchased at the store.
While none of these ingredients are known to be toxic to dogs many of them are unhealthy and would not benefit your dog in any way except to encourage their “sweet tooth”.
Sugar is a common ingredient in frozen yogurts (including sugar and corn syrup) and it is usually one of the main ingredients.
In addition to causing tooth decay sugar can cause weight gain.
You should also be aware that your dog may be sensitive to milk or suffer from lactose intolerance if you feed him dairy products.
Finding out the percentage of people who suffer from lactose intolerance is hard enough.
It has been estimated that 5% of Europeans suffer from it whereas this website suggests that up to 75% of the worlds population might suffer from it.
Unfortunately I could not find any exact statistics about how many dogs are lactose intolerant.
In one of the most popular vet blogs however the condition was described as “fairly common”.
Lactose intolerance symptoms include diarrhea and bloating so be on the lookout.
Although none of the ingredients in ice cream could be described as healthy none of them are toxic or poisonous to dogs.
My mistake here needs to be corrected.
Your shop-bought frozen yogurt might contain two ingredients that are poisonous to your dog.
Cherry and xylitol are the two ingredients.
Xylitol
Sugar-free and low-fat foods commonly contain xylitol.
The artificial sweetener xylitol is used as a sugar substitute in products to make them less calorific.
When I searched online for some top brands of frozen yogurt I could not find any that contained xylitol.
However there are many sugar-free frozen yogurt recipes using it that I found online.
A good example of this is the recipe here for blackberry sugar-free frozen yogurt.
Lets talk about another ingredient that you need to be cautious about and that is cherries.
Cherries
A dog can be poisoned or killed by the cyanide in the seeds or pits of a cherry. Cherry flesh is safe for dogs to consume however.
You do not have to worry about this if you buy cherry-flavored frozen yogurt from a shop.
You just need to make some frozen yogurt at home and garnish it with whole cherries just make sure you do not share it with your dog.
What nutrition does natural yogurt provide?
Although the exact nutritional content of each product varies I can provide a rough estimate.
100 grams of frozen yogurt contain the following:
65 grams of water
A 159-calorie diet
Fat content: 5.6 g (7%)
Sugars: 24 grams
Approximately 8 grams of protein
The amount of calcium in this sample is 143 mg (11%).
The phosphorus level was 129 mg (18%)
Is frozen yogurt healthier than ice cream?
Should you serve ice cream or frozen yogurt to your dog?
In order to answer this question I have created a chart that compares the nutritional value of frozen yogurt and ice cream.
In order to make the comparison as fair as possible I compared vanilla yogurt with vanilla ice cream. Both are not low-fat varieties.
For those of you who like to scan charts quickly for information I have color-coded the most healthy option in green.
Ice cream is not as nutritious as frozen yogurt and that should come as no surprise.
Both frozen yogurt and ice cream have the same “carbohydrate” content (24 grams per serving).
The sodium content of ice cream is lower than that of frozen yogurt.
| Yogurt | Ice Cream | ||
| Calories | 159 | Calories | 207 |
| Fat | 5.6 g (7%) | Fat | 11 g (14%) |
| Cholesterol | 2 mg (1%) | Cholesterol | 44 mg (15%) |
| Sodium | 87 mg (4%) | Sodium | 80 mg (3%) |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g (9%) | Carbohydrates | 24 g (9%) |
| Protein | 4 g (8%) | Protein | 3.5g (7%) |
| Calcium | 143 mg (11%) | Calcium | 128 mg (10%) |
Nutritional comparison between frozen yogurt and ice cream
Alternatives to frozen yogurt
I have started thinking about alternatives to frozen yogurt after seeing the number of calories it contains.
Other than frozen yogurt (159 calories) or ice cream with your dog (207 calories) what else can you do with 159 calories?
Take a look at a can of Pedigree dog food for example.
You could feed your dog about 12.5 cups of dry dog food for the same amount of calories as 200g of wet dog food.
Frozen healthy dog treats
If your dog enjoys frozen treats there are lots of alternatives that will provide your dog with that icy touch but with fewer calories and more nutrients.
The use of frozen fruits and vegetables by dog owners seems to be quite popular.
Besides writing about frozen carrots I have also written about frozen strawberries and frozen peas.
I created a comparison chart with this frozen fruit and vegetables to compare with frozen yogurt.
There are 100 grams in each serving.
| Yogurt | Carrot | Strawberry | Peas | ||||
| Calories | 159 | Calories | 41 | Calories | 32 | Calories | 81 |
| Fat | 5.6 g | Fat | .2 g | Fat | .3 g | Fat | .4 g |
| Carbo | 24 g | Carbo | 5 g | Carbo | 7.7 g | Carbo | 14 g |
| Protein | 4 g | Protein | .9 g | Protein | .7 g | Protein | 5.4 g |
| Calcium ` | 11% | Vit. A | 334% | Vit. C | 65% | Vit. C | 44% |
As a result there are no surprises in this chart.
The study shows that vegetables contain far fewer calories fat carbohydrates and protein than meat.
It is surprising however to see peas have such high values.
The chart fails to show the other nutrients and vitamins that carrots strawberries and peas provide that frozen yogurt cannot.
I have also tried to identify a “highlight” for each of these products in the final row.
In terms of calcium frozen yogurt provides 11% of the recommended daily allowance.
On the other hand frozen carrots are a great source of vitamin A
You should not worry about your dog overdosing on vitamin A from frozen carrots.
As are frozen peas and strawberries both of which are excellent sources of vitamin C.
Can dogs eat frozen yogurt?
Frozen yogurt is safe for dogs so yes you can feed them frozen yogurt.
Unless it contains the artificial sweetener xylitol or whole cherries.
Do they need to eat frozen yogurt? Not likely.
As owners consume more sugary treats and as we treat our dogs more like children more sugar will be consumed by our dogs.
If you want to give your dogs frozen treats – and it is great to give them a variety of tastes and textures – you might consider freezing some vegetables or fruits instead. Both your dogs waistline and your wallet will benefit!
Amanda (Author)
With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.
Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)
Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.
