Hi Everyone,
Just wanting an opinion. One of our dogs is a really picky eater and sometimes hardly eats anything. We've started putting a splash of milk over his food and some water. He'll then tend to eat most of it. All of our dogs love milk when they ever get any. My question is: is it ok to give dogs some milk? I don't know if it's supposed to be bad for them or not. I know other dog owners who let their dogs eat all sorts and they're ok but I don't want to purposely give them a drink that's bad for them.
Any opinions much appreciated.
Thanks
Carlaxx
Generally speaking cow's milk isn't good for dogs. A lot of dogs find it hard to digest and it can result in them getting diarrhea and upset tummies.
Have you tried introducing a different brand of dog food if your dog doesn't like what he has at the moment? My dogs dislike certain brands of dog food and sometimes it can take a little while to find a brand that your dog enjoys eating.
I'd agree with this, generally. However, dogs do vary as to what they can or can't tolerate, so I would say that if it is just a splash and there are no apparent side effects, it's probably OK.
In addition to 'dire rear' another thing to watch for is any kind of skin irritation.
Holistic
Cows milk is generally not a good idea for dogs.
Have you tried gravy? You can get a squeezy bottle of dog gravy which is easier.
One of my dogs was a "grazer", he would just pick at his food throughout the day. However, when we introduced another dog into the family, he soon ate in one go as he knew the other dog would eat it if he didn't. If you have a fussy dog then leaving the food down for just an hour and then taking it up again until the next day (I don't recommend this with wet food but then I don't recommend wet food anyway), will often have the same effect.
Thanks everyone- I've definately got food for thought here 🙂 With regards to leaving his food down for him to graze, one of my other dogs would wolf it in a second so maybe it's time to start experimenting with other brands again.
thanks
Carlaxx
Goats milk is fine for dogs 🙂
Is he really hungry? One of my childhood dogs was picky, except after a really long walk or swim in the river/sea. Our sage old vet (well, I was 7 - he was probably all of 32!) told us that Whisky would eat if he was hungry, and told us about increasing his exercise. We also only fed him once a day. Occasionally he even declined that, and the food was removed after 15 minutes. He never starved! I think the human reaction is that they 'must eat' but in the wild, it doesn't happen.
We used to give the dogs milk with cereal when they were puppies, but it's not much use to them when they are older, as they can't assimilate it - hence 'dire-rear' ( 🙂 )
Check his teeth and mouth if this is a new behaviour. Just in case thats why he/she wants it softer.
Patchouli
Thanks again everyone for some more ideas. Thankfully the problem seems to have sorted itself out and he is happily munching away at his food without the need for milk, even if he is a wee bit slower than the other 2 greedy hounds 🙂
Thanks very much
xxxx