Why plain yogurt?

[Stacy]

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but when we talk about yogurt, it's always specified plain, not vanilla or other flavored yogurt. But is there a reason that the dogs can't have strawberry or blueberry or vanilla flavored yogurt? I know my nonfat, Splenda sweetened yogurt isn't good for them. And grapes are bad, but is there an actual reason why other flavors of yogurt aren't good for our dogs? 

I made a special trip to the store today for plain yogurt to freeze in a kong. I was just curious why!

Thanks!

Stacy

[Gina]

Flavored yogurts have too much sugar that the dogs don’t need. Some can have as much as 5 teaspoons of sugar in them (!)

[Stacy]

Ahh, fair enough. I tend to look at calories, not sugar. And my yogurt has less sugar than even the plain, but again the Splenda. I just really don't like plain yogurt (probably because it doesn't have enough sugar!!) But the girls don't seem to have the same complaint!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Exactly. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There's no reason you can't add fruit to the plain yogurt, lol. Lots of people give their dogs yogurt with fruit. Blueberries are a favorite. Dried cranberries work really well, too. 

[Stacy]

Thanks, Karen. I felt like they should be able to have strawberry yogurt. I didn't even think about all the other junk that they add to it. 

Believe it or not, I did take nutrition in college. It's just that we spent 10,000 years talking about the Krebs cycle and neglected the practical stuff that would have helped me in real life.

[c zoomer]

So that's what nutritious study!

i thought the biologists were the only ones.

[Stacy]

I still remember having this dream that that class would turn me into the next supermodel. But alas... Perhaps if someone would measure out my food the way I do for the dogs...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I studied the Krebs cycle in Physiology class; it's a whole semester, lol. I don't remember it from Nutrition.

[Stacy]

The only thing I remember about physiology was not liking it. The only thing I remember about nutrition was not liking the Krebs cycle. Anatomy lab was amazing. Microbiology lab was equally amazing. The lectures, not so much. I need to touch it and turn it over and see how it works. Apply it to something that is meaningful to me and I will remember forever. Otherwise I get bored really quickly and start thinking about butterflies and squirrels. 

[Jon Rascon]

I have had a hard time with plain Greek yogurt with my dogs. I had been adding a teeny tiny dot of vanilla yogurt and mixing it in and that seems to be doing the trick. But I like adding fresh fruit to the mix idea.

I’m actually going to try mixing plain yogurt with some parsley and mint leaves today and see if they will take to that. If necessary, I may add some blueberries.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just be careful with mint leaves; some varieties are toxic to dogs: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/mint-leaves-bad-dogs-71903.html

I get that you are trying to freshen breath, but IMO you'd be better off doing that separately. I'm not sure that adding herbs to the yogurt is going to make them like it any better. Fruit might be more palatable to them.

And it's okay if your dogs don't like yogurt. It isn't crucial to their well-being, and if you need to add probiotics, you can use supplements like Proviable.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Perhaps use not Greek yogurt  - I know I don't like Greek style yogurts - way too thick and creamy and sour for me.