Tofu or bean curd is a vegan substitute for cheese. While tofu can replace dairy protein for humans, it cannot replace animal protein for dogs. Feeding your dog tofu will not harm your dog. Your dog needs animal protein for strength and overall good health.
Giving your dog tofu and soy-based food in addition to animal protein is good for its health. Giving your dog a vegan tofu-based diet will not suit its health.
Can Dogs Eat Tofu?
The answer to the question, “can dogs eat tofu” is yes. The answer to whether a plant-based diet is good for your dog is no. The dietary needs of dogs are different from that of humans. Tofu will benefit your dog in some cases. Your dog needs animal protein to stay strong and healthy.
Animal protein provides a complete source of protein in a dog’s diet. Dogs are omnivorous and require a diet rich in animal protein.
Since tofu is not likely to cause toxic symptoms to your dog, you can try feeding your dog with tofu. If your dog takes a liking to tofu, you can give tofu-based snacks without making tofu-based food the main ingredient in your dog’s diet.
Benefits of Tofu For Dogs
Tofu can be beneficial to your dog if it has some health conditions. In such cases, the answer to whether dogs eat tofu is they should eat tofu. If your dog is overweight, you can add tofu to its diet. Soy protein and tofu are rich in fiber and easy for your dog to digest.
If your dog is allergic to other forms of protein, tofu will provide the required protein for its diet. If your dog suffers from liver disease, tofu will provide liver-friendly protein, and your dog will not suffer side effects.
And if your dog breed is prone to developing urate bladder stones, it requires a low-purine diet. Soy protein and tofu are low-purine foods compared to animal proteins like beef and chicken.
Potential Allergies
While tofu is not toxic when fed to dogs, some dogs develop allergies to soy-based food. Your dog can develop hypersensitive reactions after eating tofu. These reactions will make the dog uncomfortable and unhealthy. Symptoms to watch out for include self-trauma, eyelid inflammation, vomiting, diarrhea, continuously shaking head and scratching ears indicating ear canal infections, excessive scratching, excessive licking, hair loss, skin eruptions with pus oozing, sebum discharge and, yeast or bacterial infections.
When you notice these symptoms after feeding tofu to your dog, you need to take the dog to the vet. The hypersensitive reactions may not be the result of soy allergies. The vet will do blood tests, fecal sample tests, and urine tests before diagnosing an allergy to soy-based food.
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Treatment
The first treatment when dogs develop hypersensitive reactions after eating tofu is to eliminate tofu and other soy-based food from their diet. This is important to establish that your dog has an allergy to soy-based food, and the symptoms were not caused because of any other condition. If the symptoms include bacterial and yeast infections, you need to give the dog antifungal treatments or antibiotic treatments.
Food allergy in dogs cannot be effectively treated using corticoid steroids. If your pet suffers from excessive itching, you can help it get relief after seeking the advice of your vet by adding Omega-3 fish oils. You can also feed the dog with oatmeal products till the symptoms subside. Your vet may prescribe special shampoos to give the dog relief from itching.
Is Tofu Safe For Dogs?
Dogs can eat tofu if they can tolerate soy-based food. Dogs with certain health conditions and allergies should eat tofu to reduce symptoms and get the required protein in their diet. Asking your vet before feeding soy-based products and tofu to your dog is prudent because they will be able to establish whether tofu is beneficial for your dog based on its breed and health conditions.
