# Goats Milk for dogs?



## catseyes (Sep 10, 2010)

I was wondering if this is safe to give dogs often as grizz has the dog milk cartons a few times a week and loves them but they are made with goats milk and wondered if anyone knew if this is ok for them?


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

Kilo loves a bowl of goats milk!


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

No animal consumes milk post weaning bar man, unless we provide it for them.

Dogs are not really built to digest milk, having either no or little lactase, the enzyme needed to metabolise lactose (milk sugar) which thus may result in the squits. In other words they may be lactose intolerant.

Also some dogs are intolerant to casein (milk protein)

If you are lactose intolerant, it matters not the source of the milk, it all contains lactose. 

So the answer is really, it depends...................


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## catseyes (Sep 10, 2010)

Well he has no squits!! Sure enjoys his milkmilk as we call it lol!! Just didnt wanna be giving him anything that wasnt a good idea. Just because its called dog milk doesnt mean ita great like bakers dog food.. the word dog doesnt make it a good idea.


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## mollymo (Oct 31, 2009)

The breeder of our girls allways gives the pups goats milk


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## Kinjilabs (Apr 15, 2009)

Mine were all given goats milk as pups, but that was in the olden days, didnt harm them tho


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## redroses2106 (Aug 21, 2011)

goats milk is fine for dogs  although cows milk isnt reccomended


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

catseyes said:


> I was wondering if this is safe to give dogs often as grizz has the dog milk cartons a few times a week and loves them but they are made with goats milk and wondered if anyone knew if this is ok for them?


Goats milk is usually fine with dogs as its hypo allergenic. Its cows milk you have to be careful with, a lot of dogs are/can be intolerant to lactose in cows milk. As with anything else though in monderation and not overdone the goats milks fine.


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## Manoy Moneelil (Sep 1, 2011)

Newly born mammals consume and digest milk, from puppies to elephants this is normal. As a mammal grows the need for and ability to digest milk falls, humans that come from European bloodlines still have the enzyme "lactase" to enable adult digestion of the milk from another species rather than their mother's milk, this is a genetic anomaly. Asians (generally) do not consume cow milk. 

Puppies can be given goat milk during transition from mother's milk to real food but there in not a need to fed this to an adult dog. 

However they might like the smell as there is a sugar, fat and protein content that attracts them. 

For adult dogs often the sugar & fat taste is the trigger that they like.


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Mine love goats milk and I know full well they don't need it, a bit like I don't need chocolate biscuits to survive but we like certain treats and goats milk is a harmless treat I give the dogs! 

Add a raw egg to it and a big juicy carrot on the side and "Voila" there you have a nice nightcap! :thumbsup:

We all like a treat don't we?


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## PennyGC (Sep 24, 2011)

Goats and sheep (I get this in powdered form from the agricultural merchants) are fine for dogs as they don't contain lactose (humans who are lactose intolerant can drink these products) and I give these to my pups and also expectant mums when they don't want much else or just because it's nice for them. As with anything, in moderation it's fine


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

Malmum said:


> Mine love goats milk and I know full well they don't need it, a bit like I don't need chocolate biscuits to survive but we like certain treats and goats milk is a harmless treat I give the dogs!
> 
> Add a raw egg to it and a big juicy carrot on the side and "Voila" there you have a nice nightcap! :thumbsup:
> 
> We all like a treat don't we?


That is what Kilo gets very occasionally - loves it :thumbsup:.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Sled dog hotel said:


> Goats milk is usually fine with dogs as its hypo allergenic. Its cows milk you have to be careful with, a lot of dogs are/can be intolerant to lactose in cows milk. As with anything else though in monderation and not overdone the goats milks fine.


I am afraid the claim that goats milk is hypoallergenic is spurious and completely false.

But most people are unaware of the TRUE meaning of the word hypoallergenic as opposed as to how the term has been hijacked by companies (and individuals) to suit their own purposes. It means only that it is LESS likely to cause an allergy than other things, not that it does NOT trigger an allergy. Many people are allergic to all sorts of things. (Hypo means less)

Goats milk contains protein, (casein) ANY protein can trigger an allergy.

So, as I said before in my previous post, some dogs (like some people) can be lactose intolerant (lactose appears in all milks) and allergic to casein (casein appears in all milks).

Hope these facts help.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Mine love goats milk, and are fine with cows milk as well, they get any that's just turning. 

I sometimes do them goats milk lollies in the summer, they love 'em


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

PennyGC said:


> Goats and sheep (I get this in powdered form from the agricultural merchants) are fine for dogs as they don't contain lactose (humans who are lactose intolerant can drink these products) and I give these to my pups and also expectant mums when they don't want much else or just because it's nice for them. As with anything, in moderation it's fine


I am not sure where you get the idea that the milk of some species do not contain lactose, I am afraid that ALL milk contains lactose including that of sheep and goats.

Have a look here for the composition of milk, including

Cow
sheep
goat
buffalo

I find it extremely frightening that basic nutrition knowledge is conspicuous by its absence by those who "advise" others on factual information?!

And these myths are being regurgitated by purchasers who say such things as "My breeder says x and they have beeng doing it for (insert relevant time frame)"

Scary


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## PennyGC (Sep 24, 2011)

From when I was looking at lactose intolerance for myself actually and apparently goats milk doesn't contain the stuff that causes lactose intolerance (in humans) and also it's widely given to dogs and as far as I'm aware doesn't cause the problems that 'dairy' ie cows milk does.

The many thousands of lactose intolerant humans who drink goats milk can't be wrong surely!


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## redroses2106 (Aug 21, 2011)

PennyGC said:


> From when I was looking at lactose intolerance for myself actually and apparently goats milk doesn't contain the stuff that causes lactose intolerance (in humans) and also it's widely given to dogs and as far as I'm aware doesn't cause the problems that 'dairy' ie cows milk does.
> 
> The many thousands of lactose intolerant humans who drink goats milk can't be wrong surely!


your right when i was a baby i was lactose intolerant (grew out of it) and doctors told my mum to give me goats milk and i was fine with it.

sleeping_lion what a great idea i think ill make some of them up for sophie this summer


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

smokeybear said:


> I am afraid the claim that goats milk is hypoallergenic is spurious and completely false.
> 
> But most people are unaware of the TRUE meaning of the word hypoallergenic as opposed as to how the term has been hijacked by companies (and individuals) to suit their own purposes. It means only that it is LESS likely to cause an allergy than other things, not that it does NOT trigger an allergy. Many people are allergic to all sorts of things. (Hypo means less)
> 
> ...


well I know a lot of breeders that use it and the pups have always been fine.
I suppose you can say the same for every commercial dog food biscuit and anything else on the market true they all can causse an allergic reaction in some dogs you dont know until you use it.

Come to that certain dogs are allergeic to certain meat protein ie beef pork even chicken, so even a raw feeder I suppose you can argue there is a risk.

I did actually say also, That Goats milk is usually fine, and mentioned moderation and not over done too btw. Usually being the operative word, not gospel and according to the numerous testimonies of people giving goatsmilk without problems it seems to support the theory somewhat.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

PennyGC said:


> From when I was looking at lactose intolerance for myself actually and apparently goats milk doesn't contain the stuff that causes lactose intolerance (in humans) and also it's widely given to dogs and as far as I'm aware doesn't cause the problems that 'dairy' ie cows milk does.
> 
> The many thousands of lactose intolerant humans who drink goats milk can't be wrong surely!


The stuff that causes *lactose *intolerance in humans is *lactose*.

This is a scientific fact.

Goats milk contains lactose (unless you know better) 

This is a scientific fact.

Yes they can be wrong, unless they have actually been DIAGNOSED with lactose intolerance they may be intolerant to milk protein. 

Correlation does not = causation....... (apart from those who jump to conclusions and who enjoy masquerading fiction as fact)


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Whether it contains lactose or not it's always been fine for my dogs and my 
Mal litter had it from three weeks of age with no probs. No need for nit picking, though I saw a pretty uncalled for post from a certain member yesterday - nice to see some haven't changed in the New Year. 

I add a spoon of active Manuka honey to Kali's as she sometimes has a sensitive tum but if Flynn detects any honey in his he gets as far away from it as possible!


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## Leanne77 (Oct 18, 2011)

Since my dogs cope fine with the odd bit of cows milk now and then, I dont bother spending the extra to buy goats milk.


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## PennyGC (Sep 24, 2011)

smokeybear said:


> The stuff that causes *lactose *intolerance in humans is *lactose*.
> 
> This is a scientific fact.
> 
> ...


All the lactose intolerant people who can drink goats milk must be wrong then... they'll be gutted!

For myself I turned out not to be lactose intolerant, but instead high GL carb intolerant....


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## PennyGC (Sep 24, 2011)

Interesting... this is what a producer says about their product

Love goats' milk
******** Farm goats&#8217; milk is a great nutritious alternative to regular cows' milk and has a deliciously mild taste.

Many people report health beneifits when they change from ordinary milk to goats' milk. The most common reported benefits are:

improved digestion (such as irritable bowel, bloatedness)
reduced catarrh (blocked or runny nose)
reduced eczema (particularly in young children)
and even help with asthma symptoms. 

Others choose goats' milk simply because they enjoy the taste. In a recent survey, these were the words most people used to describe the taste of ******** Farm goats' milk:

DELICIOUS - MILD - SMOOTH - LIGHT - CREAMY - CLEAN - NICE -
SWEET - REFRESHING - PLEASANT - PURE -

Nutritionally, goats' milk is very similar to cows' milk, except that the proteins in goats' milk are slightly different and this is what tends to benefit most people - they find it much easier to digest.


A FAQ on why is goats milk tolerated when cows milk isn't is replied with

4. Research has indicated that it has much to do with the protein structure in the milks. They are called caseins and the absence of aplha-s1 casein and a higher proportion of beta-casein in goats' milk means that the casein profile of goats' milk is closer to human milk than that of cows' milk. These proteins form a softer curd in the stomach and the fat particles are also smaller, which is a great aid to digestion for many who cannot tolerate cows' milk.


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## catseyes (Sep 10, 2010)

gawd i didnt mean to start a riot lol.... i love sleeping lions idea of the lollies he would love them!!


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

I am really going to try having goats milk, I have tried it but it's sort of sweet and ooow yukky  but then I am a fussy eater so to speak. I will give it a go though as I was just reading how good it is for you and how much greater the vitamin etc. content is. 

So anyway goats milk does contain lactose and the reason why some lactose sensitive people can tolerate it is:

Goats milk.
Although goat milk, like cow's milk and human milk, contains lactose, many people with lactose intolerance can drink goat milk. Why? It has been hypothesized that the reason lies in goat milk's superior digestibility. Goat milk is more completely and easily absorbed than cow's milk, leaving less undigested residue behind in the colon to quite literally ferment and cause the uncomfortable symptoms of lactose intolerance.It may also be that the patient is not lactose intolerant at all, but instead is one of the 1-in-10 people who are allergic to the major protein of cow's milk ... alpha S1 casein protein. The symptoms are almost identical to those of lactose intolerance. Both goat milk and human milk lack this offending protein.The digestibility of goat milk can be attributed to its casein curd, which is both softer and smaller than that produced by bovine milk. The smaller and softer the curd, the more easily accepted by the digestive system. 

Apparently!


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