Goat Milk for Puppies and Dogs

A cup of goat’s milk contains 3.8% fat, 3.5% protein, 4.1% naturally occurring sugar (lactose), 0.8% minerals such as calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium & nearly 90% is water. Goat milk is not nutritionally essential and other supplements are available which are more efficacious and safer. Further scientific studies are essential to understand it’s role in canine and feline health. Pasteurized variety is safer as its counterpart may be high in E. Coli and Listeria which can cause serious and life-threatening illness in pets and humans.

Benefits of Goat milk over Cow milk

When compared to cow milk, goat milk is a better source of Protein, Fat, Phosphate, Calcium, Vitamin C and Potassium. But that isn’t the only reason goat milk is a better choice. It has less lactose than cow milk which makes it easier to digest.

According to the Raw Milk Institute, unpasteurized milk can be a source of probiotics. Goat milk also contains oligosaccharides, a common prebiotic. And it has six times more natural prebiotics than cow’s milk. Nearly 90% of your dog’s immune system is in her gut. So, balancing good and bad bacteria is essential to your dog’s overall health. 

Also, each cup of goat milk contains 330 mg of calcium. This is substantially higher than the 100 to 275 mg in a cup of cow milk. Calcium is important for your dog’s neuromuscular, cardiovascular, immune, and endocrine functions. Goat milk can also improve the digestibility of copper, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium.  

Vets recommend goat milk to their dog’s diet for the following reasons:

  • Puppy in small amounts, for extra nutrition.
  • Sick dogs to help build gut health.
  • Dogs pre- and post-surgery to support health.
  • For dogs on antibiotics, to rebuild gut microbes.
  • Underweight dogs for nutrition and gut stabilization.
  • Older dogs to help support their health.
  • Newly rescued and adopted dogs to enhance their health.
  • Periodically to healthy dogs to reinforce their gut health.

Contra-indications of goat milk for dogs

It is better to avoid Goat milk if your dogs suffer from:

  • Dairy intolerance
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Pancreatitis
  • Itchy skin or digestive issues
  • Fermented preparations if your pooch has yeast infections.