As with cats, most dogs tend to be lactose intolerant. A puppy has the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the sugar in milk called lactose. Once the dog is weaned, he generally stops producing lactase and loses the ability to digest it. Milk products can then cause an upset stomach and diahorrea. On the other hand, some dogs can tolerate milk and do enjoy small amounts. The levels of lactose differ in milk products – yoghurt and cottage cheese have approximately half that of whole or skimmed milk and cheese can
be as low as 5% of whole milk.An alternative is to soften a dry dog food with warm water and other alternatives to consider would be soy milk which is lactose free or many owners give their dogs goats milk which is widely available. Goat’s milk specifically formulated for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens is made by Delaware Dairies under the trade name of Toplife and it is available as a dry powdered form and fresh in cartons.
