Why are dairy products bad for dogs
Human Beings have long considered milk to be a dog’s favourite beverage. But Are dairy products bad for dogs?
Homemade biscuits and homemade meat foods for dogs are now a thing of the past. At present, professional nutritionists produce various types and quality food for dogs.
All these types of food items are made keeping in mind dogs’ health. Produced by professional nutritionists for pets, the quality of the dog food is kept very high to meet your dog’s food needs.
If a family member shares their food with a puppy, you should be aware that many human foods are toxic to dogs. There are many of our human household foods which are poisonous to dogs.
You can also visit our article 40 – Dog food that is killing dogs for this. But in this article, we will give information, especially about food made from
milk which is poisonous for your pup. All your dairy products, milk products, cheese, cottage cheese, and butter come under milk products.
Table of Contents
- Why are dairy products bad for dogs
- Is milk safe for dogs?
- Can newborn puppies drink milk?
- Is cheese ok for dogs to eat?
- Is blue cheese bad for dogs?
- In the final- Are dairy products bad for dogs
This type of high-fat food item is dangerous for your dog or dog’s stomach. Milk and milk products are high in fat, which is not easily digested by the dog’s stomach.
The problem is the lactose content found in dairy foods. The problem, especially for domestic dogs, is that their digestive systems tend to be lactose intolerant.
Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down and helps the puppy’s digestive system process lactose.
Milk is not dangerous for dogs, But the stomach of some domestic dogs is lactose intolerant, which means that their digestive system is not able to digest milk.
What is lactose?
What happens if a dog drinks milk
Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk. As puppies, puppies have the enzyme lactase to help them digest the lactose in the puppy’s mother’s milk.
However, most dogs stop producing lactase. Dogs lose the ability to break down the lactose in milk soon after the puppy is weaned from the mother and began eating solid foods.
The higher the lactose content in dairy products or milk products, the more likely dairy products are dangerous to the dog’s health.
This can result in a dog’s stomach ache, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Is milk safe for dogs?
When it comes to feeding dogs, the answer is not simple; all we can say is that it depends. Most of the time, feeding small amounts of milk to your puppy is not harmful or toxic.
Overfeeding a puppy or feeding dairy products can cause many health problems in dogs. As always, you should ask your vet before sharing human foods or drinks, including milk with your dog.
You should always consult with your veterinarian before sharing milk or milk products with your dog.
The vet will understand the breed of your dog and advise you whether you can or cannot give milk or milk products to your dog.
Can newborn puppies drink milk?
The dog owner has adopted a tiny puppy separated from his mother too soon. This type of puppy needs to be fed special puppy milk. Special milk for very young puppies is available in the market, which is bottle-fed to the puppy.
If your puppy has already given up mother’s milk, then such puppies should not be fed cow or goat’s milk.
This is because the lactose concentration in a puppy’s mother’s milk is about 3%, while a cow’s milk is 5%.
Likely, your puppy may not produce enough lactase to digest milk appropriately and may show signs of lactose intolerance.
Puppies that have been weaned should be fed tiny amounts of lactose-containing products, similar to adult dogs.
Younger puppies have less ability to digest lactose-containing products than adult dogs. Symptoms are Loose stools, Bloating, Diarrhea, vomiting, upset stomach, Abdominal pain and excessive gas.
If your puppy is unable to digest milk or milk products, then you should keep this type of food away from your puppy.
Is cheese ok for dogs to eat?
In today’s time, cheese is eaten by us in many food items. Mainly Cheese Pizza, Cheese Balls, Cheese Cubes, Cheese Puffs, Cheese Popcorns and Cheese Sandwiches.
Before giving these food items to the dog, consult a veterinarian. Dog trainers currently use cheese as a form of dog training, but it contains a lot of calories.
It will be safe to give small amounts of cheese to dogs only if such foods do not upset the stomach of the puppy.
Is blue cheese bad for dogs?
Do not give blue cheese to your dog to eat at all. Blue cheese contains live fungal spores that can be toxic to dogs.
The fungus involved in making blue cheeses like Stilton produces a substance called Roquefortine C, which dogs are susceptible to.
In the final- Are dairy products bad for dogs
You should only give your dog dairy as a rare treat, as it is not a nutritionally complete snack. If dairy is never included in your dog’s diet, he will not suffer.
Generally, dairy products contain lactose, which may be difficult for your dog to digest. Even though not all dogs suffer from lactose intolerance, some breeds are more susceptible.
The best way to determine this is to experiment with your pup’s diet to see what works and what doesn’t.
No matter how well your dog handles lactose, it’s never a good idea to include dairy as the main ingredient in its diet. In addition to being high in fat, dairy can also lead to weight gain and pancreatitis.
Start with a tiny amount when introducing new food to your pup. Do not give your dog dairy if you see any signs of digestive upset or lactose intolerance or milk allergy symptoms.
If your dog is taking medication or undergoing treatment for an existing condition, always consult your veterinarian about diet matters.
Keep the pet poison control number with you, if you found any emergency.
If you know if cat food is poisonous to your dog, you can visit our post “Is it bad for dogs to eat cat food“.
Disclaimer: We are not veterinarians, and this article should not be taken as medical or veterinary advice. If you have any questions about your pet’s health or dietary needs, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local veterinarian.
