Can dogs be given milk and how to do it right?

Not light is born, all mammals in the early days and even months of their lives feed on mother's milk. Dogs in this matter are no exception. Little puppies drink mother’s milk 10-12 times 10-12 times a day, and after 30 days from their birth, the daily frequency of dairy meals is reduced to 5-6 times. After a month of age, babies begin to receive the first feeding, but milk still remains in their diet and is a major component of nutrition. As adults, many dogs retain a love of milk and dairy products, gladly eating them.

Since newborn puppies do not have teeth, and their gastrointestinal tract cannot fully process coarse fibers and hard-to-digest fats, they need milk to feed. Besides, drinking mother’s milk, the puppy’s immune systemand calcium and phosphorus, which are part of such food, help to form a strong bone skeleton and teeth for a dog.

For the breakdown of milk protein, the puppy's body contains a special enzyme called lactase, and when the dog becomes an adult, this enzyme is produced little, and sometimes it is completely absent. Therefore, the main indication for the use of milk is the early age of the animal.

For for milk to be absorbed, it’s best for dogs to drink dog milk. Babies at an early stage of development cannot digest foreign proteins contained in cow or goat's whey, therefore, only mother's milk is optimal for them during breastfeeding.If you start to feed the puppy with a milk product that is foreign to him, this will cause various digestive disorders and digestibility of food, the animal will experience a deficiency of nutrients necessary for its life support.

Cow's milk whey contains three times less milk protein, fat, phosphoric acid and iron ions than dog milk. If such a product is given to an adult, then there will be no harm to its nutrition, since the animal also receives other food as part of its diet. But for puppies, such food will be inferior, therefore, they additionally need to introduce raw chicken egg into cow milk - this will increase the calorie content of cow milk and increase the set of nutrients necessary for the development and nutrition of babies. However, due to the high lactose content of this diet, puppies may develop diarrhea.

A contraindication to the use of milk as food for a dog is a digestive disorder accompanied by loose stools, and dairy products are also contraindicated if the animal has acute food poisoning or intestinal infection. Milk in such a situation will only aggravate the pathological processes and will not bring any benefit to the dog's body. A healthy adult animal can drink any milk, but this should be done infrequently, as there is a risk of developing allergies or diarrhea.

Any milk contains an increased amount of calcium ions. There are dog breeds in the body of which there is a tendency to form oxalates when eating dairy products. Oxalates are mineral deposits that form pebbles of various sizes, and they are located in the kidneys of a dog suffering from urolithiasis. Pebbles-oxalates being inside the kidney, under certain conditions, have mobility and cause pain to the animal. In addition, the stones can block the lumen of the ureters, causing acute urinary retention in the animal's body with subsequent symptoms of increasing intoxication. Most of all, Yorkies, Miniature Schnauzers, poodles of dwarf species, Shih Tzu and Bichon Frize are most prone to the formation of oxalates. The use of milk and fermented milk products is completely contraindicated for these breeds after the termination of their breastfeeding period.

Some dog breeds suffer from an allergic reaction after milk intake. This problem most often affects animals with white coat color. The most prone to allergies are considered setters, bulldogs, boxers, terriers, Dalmatians. Pugs, lapdogs and papillons are very susceptible to milk protein.

In certain breeds of dogs after drinking milk, a strong bloating begins due to gas formation. This reaction to milk proteins has a German shepherd. So that the animal does not develop diarrhea and dehydration, these dogs in adulthood, knowing their characteristics of the body, do not give milk at all.

Milk can be ingested in a variety of ways. For example, after 20 days of life, puppies are moistened with milk white bread crumb or boiled milk porridge from crushed cereals for feeding.

Some adults are absolutely indifferent to dairy products and even refuse to consume them themselves, but there are also dogs that have kept a love of milk since childhood. Veterinarians recommend in this case to consider the following points:

• for feeding pregnant and lactating dogs, it is best to use goat milk, and cow - dilute with water;
• if the dog has intolerance or is allergic to dairy products, they can be replaced with lactose-free special formulations;
• if the animal does not tolerate dairy products, the dog must be completely refused to use it.

Veterinarians believe that with a poor digestibility by the dog’s body of milk, it is most advisable to switch to fermented milk products. It is believed that such an addition to nutrition is more beneficial for the animal, but only if the fat content of the products does not exceed 1-3%. Such products can be cottage cheese, kefir, sour cream or yogurt. Sour-milk food improves the beneficial intestinal microflora of the dog and stimulates its work.

It is not recommended to give dairy yogurts or ice cream to dogs at any age, as these products contain large amounts of sugar, starch, dyes and fats. Cream with a fat content of up to 10% can only be used in diluted form when feeding puppies that have just been weaned from their mother. In total, the daily norm for a puppy is 1 teaspoon of whole cream.

An adult dog, depending on its size and weight, gives whole milk from half to a full glass 1 time per day. For puppies up to 2 months old, 80-100 milliliters of milk per day is enough, from 2 to 4 months it is allowed to give 220-250 milliliters of milk, and after 4 months the veterinarians advise babies to drink kefir, but on condition the presence of normal digestion and a properly formed stool.

In the last weeks of pregnancy and already lactating dogs to supplement in their body protein and fat components, and also to enhance the lactation process, you can add milk and dairy products to the main food. Depending on the breed and weight, you can drink no more than 1 liter of milk per day for a nursing dog. Of course, for miniature dogs, this maximum allowable volume is much less. You can correctly determine the daily dose of milk for your pet by consulting your veterinarian.

In the event that you notice a desire for fresh milk in your pet, you can treat it with a special lactose-free product. You can buy such milk in special veterinary pharmacies or pet stores. This product does not harm an adult animal, it can be safely given to a dog for food, without fear of causing vomiting, diarrhea or food allergies.

The line of lactose-free milk is produced by pet food producers familiar to all dog breeders: Canina, Royal Canin, Nutri-Vet, Brit Kea, Trixie. This product is released in sublimated form. Before giving the dog, it should be slightly diluted with warm boiled water. The proportions for dilution for each product are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. Dilution of sublimated powder with water does not impair the taste and aromatic qualities of the milk obtained from it, and dogs willingly consume such a drink at almost any age.

If you cannot find lactose-free products, then choosing natural milk before giving it to your pet, make sure that the product is fresh.It is best to buy whole goat or cow milk from trusted suppliers, so you probably know that their animals do not have mastitis, brucellosis or other serious diseases. Ideally, for the safety of your dog’s health, the milk that she will drink should be pasteurized or boiled.

Next, watch a video with the advice of a veterinarian about the possibility of feeding the dog milk.