Yogurt. Good or bad?

[Zach'smom]

Every once in awhile I hear of people giving their dogs yogurt.  They give it for a healthy treat, digestive issues or other reasons.  Then I have read conflicting reports on whether it is good or bad for dogs to have.  So is it good or bad?  What are some good healthy treats for dogs?  It seems that every time I read that xyz is good for a dog someone else issaying that xyz is bad.

[ollyoxenfree]

Our dog has a very sensitive digestive system. Last year, he woke us in the middle of the night, yowling in pain and vomiting blood. Extensive testing didn't discover the cause of the problem. It seems to have resolved generally, although we keep him on a special diet from the vet. Every time we try to switch him off the special diet (with the vet's encouragement, btw), his system acts up (flatulence, diarrhea, vomiting). 

We rarely gave him "people food" before that incident, except for plain yogurt. He was on antibiotics when we got him (he was a pup from rescued litter and had a few problems). I started giving him yogurt on the advice of a naturopath, who suggested that dogs on antibiotics, like people, would benefit from yogurt. He loved it, so even when he finished the antibiotics, I continued to give him a little a few times a week as a treat. When we reviewed his food intake with the vet, after the blood vomiting incident, she told us that dogs don't digest yogurt well and that we should stop. She didn't think it contributed to the bloody vomit, but she didn't think it helped him either. 

Just our experience - I'm interested in the other responses you get. 

[Mirzam]

Neither. Its pretty much useless because a dog's GIT is too acidic and it will kill off the bacteria. If you want to give it as a treat, that's fine, but dogs are lactose intolerant and milk coats their teeth which you don't want. As for healthy treats, I guess it depends on what you feed your dog. Mine is raw fed, so I guess you could call a treat a chicken's foot (he loves them) or a ball of ground beef. If you feed dried food, I would give raw meaty bones often as a treat and to help give your dog a teeth cleaning. If you are concerned about probiotics, you might want to consider a supplement, but I am not convinced it would be of much benefit.

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by Mirzam 

If you are concerned about probiotics, you might want to consider a supplement, but I am not convinced it would be of much benefit.

Quoting myself, I just found this article about dog probiotics which might be of interest to you.

The Nutrition Bridge and Probiotics for Dogs and Pets

[Zach'smom]