If you are a Rottweiler pet parent, you might know how fond they are of milk. It doesn’t matter even if they are stuffed to the throat, they would still be ready to have a bowl of milk. Which had made milk a common staple food in the diet of not just the Rottweilers but of all pet dogs?
And most pet owners are happy with feeding milk to their canine friends after all milk is rich in vitamins and calcium right? But is it really the case? Can Rottweiler drink milk? Is it safe or should Rottweilers be fed milk?
So, can Rottweiler drink milk? Yes, it is completely fine for a rottweiler to drink milk. Milk or other dairy products are good for dogs if fed in optimal quantities. Make sure the milk isn’t chocolate flavored, extra-sugary or contains Xylitol.
This is one such question that has a lot of factors to be considered. But yeah, milk or other dairy products are not toxic to dogs if fed in small quantities. As mentioned earlier the effect of milk on Rottweilers depend on a lot of factors starting from the age of the Rottweiler, it’s physique, health condition and lactose tolerance of your dog.
The best way to go about deciding whether to feed milk to your Rottweiler is to consult your vet. Not just milk, you should always consult your vet before you feed your Rottweiler any human food. Only a vet can know how a dog’s digestive system would react to a seemingly harmless human food.
In this article, we will have a look into the things one should know as a Rottweiler pet parent before feeding them milk.
Is it safe for Rottweilers to drink milk?
As said in the previous section, a lot of factors come into play when it comes to deciding whether milk is safe for Rottweilers or not. Among the many factors to be considered while feeding them milk, the most important one is to find out whether they are lactose intolerant.
Lactose is a sugar component that is present in milk. For proper digestion of lactose, the enzyme lactase is needed.
In the case of dogs, lactase will be adequately present in their digestive system because for the first few months they have to survive solely on their mother’s milk. In some Rottweilers, with time their body ceases producing lactase and they will have trouble drinking milk.
Lactose intolerance is commonly seen in Rottweilers and it is advised to check whether your Rottweiler is lactose intolerant or not. The common symptoms of lactose intolerance include loose stool, bloating, constant gas, abdominal pain and vomiting. You should refrain yourselves from feeding them milk and other dairy products if they have lactose intolerance.
Similarly, when it comes to adult Rottweilers excessive consumption of milk from dairies can cause pancreatitis, which can be life-threatening. Only a vet can identify whether your Rottweiler has chances of developing pancreatitis.
To sum up, you shouldn’t feed a Rottweiler pup milk form dairy until they are 2 months old. And ensure that you ask a veterinarian before feeding milk to your Rottweiler.
Can I feed dairy products other than milk to my Rottweiler?
Yes, you can feed Rottweilers dairy products like ice-cream, butter, etc. in limited quantities. It is rather interesting to see that most Rottweilers who have lactose intolerance are found to be perfectly okay to consume other dairy products.
A lick or two of a yummy ice-cream will only make them happy and can be given as a reward too. All these being said, it is important to keep in mind that these dairy products should only be fed once in a while as a treat.
Among the many reasons why ice-creams and other dairy products shouldn’t be fed to dogs, the most concerning one is the high sugar content in them.
Feeding your pet food that is rich in sugar can lead them to gain weight and eventually to other diseases. Even sugarless ice creams should not be fed to them because a component called Xylitol is added for sweetness in such ice creams. Xylitol is more dangerous than ordinary sugar.
Another risk involved in feeding ice creams to dogs is the flavors that are added to the ice cream, especially chocolate. Theobromine, a component present in chocolate cannot be efficiently processed by a dog’s digestive system eventually leading to indigestion and other digestive problems.
Can I feed Rottweiler puppies milk from dairies?
In some cases, when the mother cannot provide enough milk to the puppies, pet owners run out of options and might be forced to feed them milk from dairies. Unlike the elder dogs which might be okay with being fed with milk from dairies, puppies cannot digest a cow’s or goat’s milk.
Feeding Rottweiler pups milk from dairies can cause indigestion and lead to tummy upset. If the mother Rot is unable to feed enough milk to puppies, you should go ahead with puppy milk formulas as an alternative.
Can I feed dairy products other than milk to my Rottweiler puppies?
No, you shouldn’t feed them any dairy products at least until they are 2 months old. In fact, not just dairy products, you shouldn’t feed them anything other than their mother’s milk for the first two months.
The functioning of a puppy’s digestive system is different from that of an adult dog. Their digestive system is not accustomed to food items other than their mother’s milk.
During the first 2 to 3 months, a pup’s digestive system produces lactase (The digestive enzyme responsible for digesting milk) in abundance and other enzymes in small quantities.
Owing to this reason, when you introduce a new food item to a pup suddenly, their digestive system can’t function properly which can lead to indigestion and other related issues.
Apart from these, the other major concerns are the sugar content and the flavors and preservatives that are added to these dairy products.
A pup’s sensitive stomach cannot handle these food items which is why you shouldn’t feed them any of these till they are 2 months old. The best way to go about giving them these dairy products as a treat is to slowly introduce them in small quantities. So that their digestive system can have adequate time to adjust.
Conclusion: Can Rottweilers Drink Milk?
Though a Rottweiler enjoys drinking milk, it shouldn’t be a part of its regular diet owing to the chances of lactose intolerance. Even if your Rottweiler doesn’t show symptoms of lactose intolerance, you shouldn’t feed them milk because of the reasons that we have discussed in the previous section.
As a Rottweiler pet owner, you should only consider milk and other dairy products as an occasional treat to please your Rottweiler and not as a part of their regular diet!
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