Plain Unsweetened Yogurt

Yogurt is the dairy product dogs handle best. A dog that gets diarrhea from a bowl of milk will often do fine with plain yogurt, because fermentation has already consumed much of the lactose and the live lactic-acid cultures, along with residual lactase, keep digesting lactose as it moves through the GI tract. That is a real mechanism, not marketing. Portion is small: about a teaspoon for a small dog, one to two tablespoons for a large one, with all treats staying inside 10 percent of daily calories. Dogs that are especially lactose-sensitive, or that get a big serving at once, can still end up with diarrhea and gas, so start with a much smaller amount than you think and watch what happens. The danger is on the label, not in the yogurt. Four categories are off limits. Flavored and sweetened yogurts, which are sugar-heavy. Anything marked sugar-free, light, keto or no-sugar-added, because those are sweetened with sugar alcohols and xylitol is the one that matters — the FDA warns specifically about xylitol in sugar-free products because it causes rapid, dangerous hypoglycemia and liver damage in dogs. Yogurt drinks and smoothies, which are essentially sweetened milk. And anything with chocolate, coffee or raisin toppings and mix-ins. Read the ingredient panel before you buy a tub you intend to share. Xylitol is also sold and labeled as birch sugar, so both names matter, and it turns up in Greek-style and protein yogurts marketed as low-sugar. If either name appears, that container should not be in reach of your dog. If your dog ate a sugar-free yogurt or anything containing xylitol, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately, even with no symptoms — hypoglycemia can develop very quickly. Do not induce vomiting at home; that is a veterinary decision. A little loose stool from plain yogurt, by contrast, usually settles once you cut back or stop.