Is cheese safe for my Chihuahua, especially if she's a new mom?

Cheese is not healthy for dogs, can cause loose stool, provides no nutritional value and also can make your pet overweight. I would not recommend giving cheese to your pet. Instead you can give your pet dog treats or puppy cheese (safe for pets and has less chance of causing loose stool) in a kong toy to keep him occupied. Best of luck with your pet Sakthi moving forward. Take care. : )

I think you might be asking if it is okay to feed your puppy cheese. While cheese is safe for dogs to eat, it is relatively high in fat and I wouldn't recommend feeding much. With any treats it is important to make sure they don't make up more than 10% of the diet for proper nutrition.

Commercial diet of good quality (Royal Canin or Hill's puppy food) is the best option up to twelve months of age. Then you can switch to adult food. Feed her twice daily. As treats it would be ideal to use vegetables like carrots for example. These would be very healthy and not fat at all.

String cheese in small amounts can be a nice treat, but too much could cause vomiting and/or diarrhea. I have often used string cheese as a special treat when my dogs are in obedience training. But too much cheese can lead to weight gain, so I would limit it to a special, occasional treat instead of something that Kieko gets every day.

A small amount of grated cheese may be ok but some animals have digestive issues when eating diary products. If your dog doesnt seem to have a problem with it than a small amount should be ok.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Dogs typically do not have a complete intolerance to dairy, but as it is not a mainstay of their dietary needs, it can cause GI upset. I typically do not recommend giving dogs straight milk, and lower sugar ice creams can have artificial sugars (such as xylitol) which are toxic to dogs. Regular ice cream or cheese can be fine in small amounts but it based on each individual animal. If you want to give your dog anything dairy as a small treat, only start with one thing in very small amounts to see how Brody tolerates it and ensure he doesn't develop any vomiting/diarrhea.

Personally, I really like Royal Canin's line of puppy foods - they even have a breed-specific diet for Chihuahuas :) Other good options would include Purina Pro Plan and Hills Science Diet. Whatever brand you choose, make sure to feed Peaches the puppy version the entire time that she's nursing, since she will need the extra calories to make milk for the puppies.