Dogs

　　Many pet owners find it difficult to understand why dogs are not allowed to consume certain foods, including milk. Some pet owners even argue that they often give their dogs milk without seeing any problems. Here, we will explain several reasons why dogs should not drink milk.
　　【Reason 1, Feeding Milk Causes Arginine Deficiency in the Body】
　　According to animal experiments reported by Vainisi in 1981, young wolves fed a diet completely replaced by milk for 7-10 days showed cataracts after 3 weeks of feeding. The cataracts were prevented by supplementing arginine or by nursing the young wolves with other lactating female wolves or female dogs. The conclusion of the experiment was that completely replacing a pet’s diet with milk causes cataracts, which are caused by arginine deficiency due to milk feeding.
　　【Reason 2, Drinking Milk Easily Leads to Lactose Intolerance】
　　There are two ways carbohydrates are metabolized in pets: glucose metabolism and volatile fatty acid metabolism. Milk contains high levels of lactose, but pet dogs generally lack lactase, which makes them prone to lactose intolerance (definition: lactose intolerance occurs when undigested lactose reaches the colon and is fermented by bacteria into small organic acids like acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, producing gases such as methane, H2, CO2; the undigested lactose can cause rumbling, bloating, abdominal pain, flatulence, discomfort, diarrhea, etc.). Therefore, pets cannot fully digest and absorb lactose after drinking milk, causing diarrhea, bloating, and even vomiting. It is best not to feed milk to pet dogs.
　　【Solution 1, Replace Milk with Fermented Yogurt】
　　In fermented milk, 20%-30% of lactose is degraded, making it easier to digest and absorb. Therefore, yogurt with lower lactose content can be given to pets, which also improves lactose digestion issues. Moreover, the smell of yogurt helps increase palatability for pet dogs. Especially for young pets, feeding yogurt offers much greater nutritional value than milk.
　　【Solution 2, Replace Milk with Goat Milk】
　　Goat milk has lower protein and lactose content than cow’s milk and is rich in ATP (definition: adenosine triphosphate ATP is a high-energy compound produced biologically from inosine nucleotide, serving as the direct energy source for all life activities in tissue cells, known as the "molecular currency" of intracellular energy. It stores and transfers chemical energy and is required in the synthesis of proteins, fats, sugars, and nucleotides, promoting repair and regeneration of various cells, enhancing cellular metabolic activity, and has strong targeted effects in treating diseases). ATP promotes the breakdown and utilization of lactose, so feeding it is less likely to cause lactose intolerance. Additionally, goat milk contains higher levels of vitamin E, which acts as a natural antioxidant for pets, helping remove free radicals, delay cell aging, and enhance immunity. Therefore, goat milk can be chosen to replace cow’s milk.