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Dogs are sometimes curious about the foods we give other pets in the household. For instance, if you have new kittens and need to hand feed them, your dog may want to drink the kitten milk formula! But can this make a dog sick?
Has your dog drunk kitten milk? Are you worried the kitten formula will make your dog sick? If so, then you’ve come to the right place! We understand it can be concerning when a dog drinks something like this.
In this article, we’ve put together some information about kitten milk and whether it can make a dog sick. Let’s get started!
What is Kitten Milk?
Kitten milk is a product that’s specifically made to feed kittens. It may happen that the mother cat isn’t able to feed her kittens for some reason. She may not produce enough milk or may even reject the kittens. In that case, the kittens must be fed a kitten milk replacer.
Kitten milk is a commercially prepared formula made for kittens. The milk contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals a kitten needs to grow up strong and healthy. These formulas are made to reproduce the cat’s milk as closely as possible.
Kitten milk may contain the following (depending on the specific formula):
- 40 % crude fat
- 36% crude protein
- Colostrum
- Taurine
- Vitamins & minerals
- Microbials (to help boost the kitten’s intestinal tract)
If you have very young kittens, it may be necessary to feed them with an eyedropper. As they grow, you may be able to eventually use a bottle to feed them.
To mix the formula, all you have to do is add water (according to the packages directions) and then heat the milk until it’s about body temperature. At this point, the kitten milk is then ready to feed to the kittens.
Kitten milk is usually recommended for kittens that are between birth and 4-6 weeks of age. Between 8 and 10 weeks of age, the kittens are usually weaned by their mother.
While kitten milk is safe for kittens, what about dogs? Can kitten milk make a dog sick?
Kitten Milk & Dogs
Kitten milk doesn’t contain any harmful ingredients for dogs. However, it is possible the milk could make dogs who are lactose intolerant sick. They might develop digestive tract issues such as diarrhea and vomiting after drinking kitten milk.
It’s also possible for a dog to be allergic to kitten milk if he’s allergic to dairy products.
If your dog has one or two licks of kitten milk, he should be OK! But if he develops long-lasting diarrhea or an allergic reaction, be sure to call the vet right away!
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Kyoko
Kyoko is from a family of 3 and moved to New York with her parents and siblings when she was 13. Kyoko is fond of spending a great amount of time with pets, specifically her beagle Luna and cat Missy. Her boyfriend often complains that she spends too much time giving attention to their animals. Kyoko has written dozens of articles concerning pets and is aiming at owning a pet shop one day!
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