Sour cream can be a delicious addition to many foods, but can dogs eat it? The answer is yes!
Sour cream can provide a tangy flavor and creamy texture.
There are some sour cream alternatives for people with dietary restrictions or allergies.
But let’s talk about the good stuff: can dogs eat sour cream?
What is sour cream?
Sour cream is a dairy product that is made from fresh cream with at least 18 percent milk fat. It has been fermented and then allowed to age, giving it its characteristic sour taste.
Sour cream is used in many ways, such as on baked potatoes or in desserts like cheesecake (see below).
But can your dog eat sour cream? This post will answer the question, “can dogs eat sour Cream?”.
However, other foods could also become contaminated during production if they contact unpasteurized milk products like raw meat juice.
For this reason, it is safest not to let your dog eat any dairy products.
Food family of sour cream
Sour cream is part of the food family cheese, which means that it might contain lactose.
Soured cream is a dairy product produced by fermenting ordinary cream with specific strains of lactic acid bacteria.
Many modern sour creams also contain food coloring to make them white instead of the yellow color that results from the introduction of fresh cream to ferment.
The resulting food has an exceptionally high lactose content (approximately 5%) and casein (approximately 3%), giving it a thick consistency and delicate flavor.
There was no standardized method for producing sour cream; it was defined as “the produced liquid remaining after cultured unpasteurized cream undergoes spontaneous fermentation.”
Can dogs eat sour cream?
Sour cream is a dairy product made from cultured milk. It contains bacteria that make it sour and thickens the texture, giving it more flavors.
Dogs can eat this delicious food if it’s fresh because of its nutritional value but not for long periods of time or in large amounts because some dogs have lactose intolerance which causes stomach upset when they consume products with high levels of sugars such as milk and other dairy products including yogurt, ice cream, and cheese.
This does depend on how much was taken and whether their body has an allergic reaction to these types of foods like humans do, so make sure your dog doesn’t have any symptoms before feeding them anything new.
Best way to feed your dog sour cream
We’ve compiled a list of the finest ways to feed your dogs in a healthy way:
1. Use as a topping
You can give your dog sour cream as an occasional treat or for added flavor to their food.
When adding it to their food, make sure the quantity is small because some dogs cannot tolerate lactose well.
If you choose to use it as a topping, only give the amount they would eat at one time and never leave it out where they can reach it freely.
You don’t want them overeating lactose because this could cause stomach upset or have more serious consequences.
Sour cream is perfect for helping with an upset stomach of your pups, which means you should consider giving some if they vomit or have diarrhea.
It will help soothe their already sensitive stomach since it is naturally anti-inflammatory.
If your dog does not have a sensitive stomach, you can still give them sour cream to help with their upset stomach because this food item contains live active cultures which work to control the digestive system and prevent diarrhea.
Just remember that some dogs cannot metabolize lactose well, so be sure to watch for signs of bloating or an upset stomach after giving your pooch sour cream.
If you notice any of these signs, then take away the sour cream and consult a vet if it continues.
2. Make your own homemade dog treats
Did you know that you can make healthy and delicious homemade dog treats for your pup using sour cream?
If your dog is diabetic, these are the best kinds of treats to give them because they help maintain their blood sugar levels, which are very important for dogs with diabetes.
There are quite a few online recipes, all of which require minimal ingredients and absolutely no baking required!
Just follow one of the many recipes out there, and you’ll have some healthy sour cream-based dog treats in just a matter of minutes.
3. Use as a part of a healthy smoothie recipe
Did you know that there are many health benefits associated with feeding your dog fruits and vegetables?
In fact, it’s possible to add them together when making smoothies for your pup. This will provide them with the necessary nutrients to stay energetic and regulate their digestive system because fiber helps soothe the stomach and control bowel movements.
Reasons why dogs can eat sour cream
Of course, we don’t stop our dogs from enjoying the crispiness of sour cream. Here are some good reasons why your dog may eat sour cream:
1. Sour Cream is good for Their Digestive System
There’s a chance sour cream could help your dog’s digestive system.
So, from a practical standpoint, what does this signify? Well, you might want to keep your furry friend out of any leftover servings in the future!
One scoop or two might be alright, but they shouldn’t overeat because it’s not going to be very nice on their stomachs if they do.
2. They’re pretty Low in Calories
That means that a little won’t harm them and a lot won’t necessarily make them put on weight – which is good news for people with pugs and french bulldogs that have been known to have trouble keeping the weight off.
3. Sour Cream Contains Lots of Protein
As long as your dog can digest it (see above), then sour cream is full of protein, which will help promote muscle development and keep their metabolism running smoothly.
It’s pretty unlikely that they’ll be able to eat enough to gain any significant weight, though, but you might want to stop them if they’re licking around the bowl!
4. Sour Cream Has Beneficial Bacteria
The cultures present in dairy products like sour cream can be perfect for a dog’s digestive system.
Some kinds made from goat milk have even been found to promote immunity – meaning that eating sour cream could protect your dog from catching colds and other such bugs that might be going around.
5. Sour Cream is Loaded With Healthy Fats
Now we’re talking! Your dog’s brain is almost 60% fat, so their bodies need to have the right levels of it to function well.
Without those healthy fats, they can become depressed and anxious, leading to all sorts of bad behavior (like chewing on your favorite shoes).
So what you should take away from this article is never feel guilty about giving them a little dollop of sour cream – as long as you remember not to let them near any real human food.
Possible concerns when eating sour cream
When your dog is allergic to sour cream, there may be a variety of potentially alarming symptoms.
As a result, we’ve compiled a list of the most typical responses your dog could have when he or she is exposed to sour cream for the first time:
1. Potentially Fatal Food Poisoning
Most human food poisoning cases come from undercooked meat. Dogs are just as vulnerable to food-borne bacteria, but they can also suffer from the side effects of sour cream when the cream itself becomes contaminated.
Sour cream could become dangerous for your pet if it sits out where it can spoil.
The same goes for anything else high in fats or sugars, not because these foods will poison your dog but because they will quickly grow bacteria that can.
2. Lactose Intolerance Problems
If your dog ever has digestive problems after eating sour cream, it might not take a trip to the vet to prove his lactose intolerance.
Just like in humans, many dogs are unable to digest certain kinds of sugars well.
Sour cream contains roughly 6 grams of lactose per teaspoon, which even some people have trouble with.
Dogs are worse off because their stomachs are smaller, but lactose intolerance is nonetheless a common condition.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance are similar to the food poisoning your dog might experience after eating sour cream.
But, unlike food poisoning, they will not be caused by toxins but instead by bacteria that have eaten away at the dairy products in your dog’s stomach while decomposing.
These bacteria produce lactic acid that causes mild to severe digestive problems for hours or days later.
3. An Upset Stomach All By Itself
You don’t have to mix up a toxic stew of spoiled cream and bacteria for your dog to eat sour cream and suffer the consequences.
Some dogs get an upset stomach when they eat it – no matter what’s in it or how long it has been sitting out.
Just like people, dogs can experience gas, bloating, or any other kind of digestive problem without food poisoning or lactose intolerance.
This is just another case where you’re better off not feeding your dog dairy products than running the risk of making her sick without a clear cause.
4. A Diet Too High in Fat Content
All kinds of popular human foods are bad for dogs because they are too high in fat.
This includes many types of cheeses, oily meats, and anything else that’s fried.
Sour cream may not be the healthiest food in the world for people to eat either, but it usually isn’t too fatty.
But remember – you are what you eat, so if your dog is getting any significant amount of sour cream in his diet, he will automatically have a problem with fats.
And because fat doesn’t break down well in your dog’s system, this can cause symptoms like bloating and diarrhea even when there is nothing else wrong with him.
Signs your dog is sick from eating sour cream
Although feeding sour cream has benefits, there are also limitations. If these indications appear, it’s time for your dog to see the doctor:
1. Diarrhea
Because dogs can’t vomit up most foods they eat (unlike humans), diarrhea will be the first sign that something doesn’t agree with the pup’s stomach after eating sour cream.
2. Vomiting
If your dog eats a large amount of sour cream and then immediately vomits, it’s another sign that this dairy product doesn’t agree with his system.
He may also vomit up bile along with the sour cream if the mixture is incredibly thick–this is why you don’t want to feed him extra-thick foods like yogurt or ice cream, which can get stuck in his esophagus.
3. Flatulence
A little bit of gas after eating sour cream isn’t uncommon for dogs since they have sensitive digestive systems compared to humans. Still, too much flatulence could indicate that something is wrong with your pup’s stomach or intestines after he ate sour cream.
You should watch for other signs of illness in case the pup has overeaten.
What to do if your dog is sick from eating sour cream
Firstly you need to determine if your dog is sick from eating sour cream. If your dog has diarrhea, exhibits some form of pain or discomfort, vomiting or fever, then she is more than likely overate and needs some medical attention.
Depending on the severity of these symptoms, you may wish to take her in for a checkup at the local veterinarian’s office.
If there are no signs of illness, but it was only a small amount that she had eaten, this probably won’t be necessary unless she begins exhibiting any strange behavior later down the line.
Avoid these similar foods from this family
So, what kinds of foods should you stay away from this family?
Cream cheese
Cream cheese may be dangerous to dogs. Various cheeses can include mold, such as blue cheese or Brie, which doesn’t make the cheese healthy for humans, with much fewer dogs to eat.
The biggest issue with cream cheese is milkfat which accounts for about 80% of the calories in cream cheese.
Milkfat contains a high level of saturated fats, cholesterol, and triglycerides which may be harmful to humans especially if they have heart disease factors.
Therefore it would be best to prevent our beloved pets from eating this food product since cream cheese has been linked to causing pancreatitis in the dog with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
They can ingest dairy products designed for humans, but it is not recommended because it can be very harmful to them.
Cultured buttermilk
A dog should not be given cultured buttermilk because it may have live bacteria that can harm your dog.
However, you could give your dog diluted yogurt instead as the cultures will have been destroyed by the time the milk is pasteurized and homogenized.
Crème fraîche
Dogs cannot eat Crème fraîche is that they do not have milk-clotting enzymes called rennin or chymosin in their body which is essential for making crème Fraiche from milk.
Without this enzyme, lactose in milk will remain in liquid form instead of being converted into cheese due to insufficient lactic acid production during the process of fermentation.
Safe amount of sour cream a dog can eat before getting sick
There is no set amount of sour cream that a dog can eat before getting sick.
The time it takes for the cream to affect your pup varies depending on his size, age, and health condition, among other things.
However, if you are aware of these factors, you should determine whether or not he can have some sour cream without having any adverse effects.
Conclusion
Sour cream is a dairy product that falls in the food family of fermented milk products.
It’s made from souring (culturing) whole or skimmed cow’s milk with lactic acid bacteria, which gives it its characteristic tangy flavor and thick consistency.
Dogs can eat sour cream in small amounts but should not be fed large quantities because they are lactose intolerant animals like humans who do not have enough lactase enzymes to break down all the lactose sugars in dairy foods like yogurt, ice cream, cheese, etc.
If your dog has overeaten sour cream, you need to contact your veterinarian because their stomach may get upset, leading them to vomit or have diarrhea.
One way around this issue is by feeding them with sour cream that has no lactose.