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Dogs are curious about all kinds of things! Have you noticed your dog hanging around when you’re pumping breast milk? Or does your dog beg for breast milk when you take some out of the fridge or freezer? This is very common behavior. After all, your fur baby doesn’t want to miss out on anything your baby may be enjoying, especially if it tastes great! In that case, your dog may go after breast milk that’s unattended. But what happens if a dog drinks breast milk?
Has your dog had some breast milk to drink? Are you worried the breast milk will make your dog sick? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. We understand it can be scary when your dog drinks something he shouldn’t. We’ve put together some information to help you and your dog in this situation.
In this article, we’ll take a look at breast milk and whether or not it can make a dog sick. Let’s get started!
What is Breast Milk?
Breast milk is milk that a human mother produces for her baby. The milk is produced by the mammary glands, which are in a female’s breasts. Breast milk is the first food for a newborn baby and continues to be the baby’s sole source of nutrition for the first few months.
Breast milk is comprised of everything a baby needs to grow healthy and strong, including:
- Minerals
- Carbohydrates
- Vitamins
- Protein
- Fat
These and other substances in breast milk work to help the baby grow strong while also strengthening the baby’s immune system. Breast milk even works to help a baby’s body develop a healthy gut microbiome.
Breast milk is very healthy for human babies, but what happens if a dog drinks breast milk?
Breast Milk & Dogs
You may wonder how on earth a dog would be able to drink breast milk! Well, it can happen pretty easily. Some mothers pump breast milk for their babies. After pumping the milk, it must then be stored to keep it from spoiling. Milk may be stored in the fridge or even frozen.
It’s possible a dog could see a bottle or plastic bag of breast milk sitting where he could reach it. Dogs being the curious beings they are, would simply have to go over and dump the milk out and drink it. If a dog is set on doing something, they’ll find a way to do it! Especially if they are trying to get food!
The good news is that most dogs will not become sick from drinking breast milk. The main issue will be if a dog is lactose intolerant. In that case, he could become sick from breast milk. No matter what type of milk your dog drinks, he needs the enzyme called lactase in order to properly digest it. Without this essential enzyme, it is possible breast milk could make your dog sick.
In that case, your dog could develop some bad diarrhea and vomiting. He might also suffer from an upset stomach, weakness, fatigue, and more.
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Ask a Vet Live NowWhat to Do If Your Dog Drinks Breast Milk & Gets Sick
The symptoms should not last longer than 24 hours. If they do, then go ahead and call the vet. The vet will have medications to help your dog’s system with diarrhea and vomiting.
While your fur baby won’t die from drinking breast milk, he could become very sick if he’s lactose intolerant. So, be sure to call the vet if your lactose intolerant dog drinks breast milk and becomes sick.
Connect with a verified veterinarian in minutes. Licensed vets are available 24/7 to answer your questions. No need to worry about your furry family member.
Kim
Kim is a talented author, who loves animals especially dogs. She engaged in writing books and articles relating to animals a decade ago. Kim resides in Chicago with her husband and son. The family is the proud owner of a dog and a parrot (Jack and Lily). Kim wanted more than these two pets, but her husband put his foot down... She often visits elementary schools to talk to the kids about what she learned about pets and how they could learn from them.
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