#37. Toxic? Unhealthy? or Healthy #2 in series is ‘Dairy’

Honestly until recently (last 5-6 years) I never thought much about giving my dogs or my former cat some cheese or a little lick of ice cream, or even milk to my cat. Well now I know most dogs & cats are lactose intolerant. I know the research says not all are, but I won’t risk it, so no dairy for my dogs (no cats as I am quite allergic to them). You say my dog loves cheese or whip cream, well it’s our responsibility as their caregivers not to always give them what they want, but what is good for them. If your child wanted candy right before dinner, as a good parent you would say after dinner or no you can’t have candy. Our pets don’t know what is good for them, if they did some wouldn’t eat feces from dogs, or cats. They wouldn’t try & eat a dead bird they found on a walk or other food that was old & discarded that they found.

Dogs & cats are both lactose intolerant, (cats are even more intolerant of lactose) which means they are unable to digest lactose that is in dairy products. This could cause a variety of symptoms, some you might see & some you may not know. Things like upset stomach, gas, bloating, diarrhea, or vomiting. They could be in pain in their stomach or intestines that they don’t show outward signs of. This could cause them to want to sleep, not eat or be irritable or not themselves. I know when I have an upset stomach I am not comfortable & I wouldn’t want this for my pets.

I am not sure if I ever really thought about all the things that are considered to be dairy, but just in case you haven’t either I will provide you with a list of some common dairy items.

1. Cream

2. Ice Cream

3. Cottage Cheese

4. Milk

5. Cheese

6. Butter

7. Yogurt

8. Sour Cream

9. Whipped Cream

10. Kefir

11. Custard

12. Whey

13. Pudding

It surprises me how many pet foods & treats contain dairy or things like whey(which is the leftover liquid after milk is strained during cheese production & yogurt thickening). I know now that you know you are going to need to read labels. I will list some treats & food here that are dairy free so you have a place to start.

For Cats

  1. Wellness Signature selects (cans)
  2. Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredients https://amzn.to/42R5N1v
  3. Pure Vita cans
  4. Weruva (beef or turkey only) https://amzn.to/3RpRH0J
  5. go! Limited Ingredient (duck only) https://amzn.to/42s6rTa
  6. Essence https://amzn.to/4cLHNAg
  7. Rawz https://amzn.to/42Pmqts
  8. Feline Caviar
  9. Fussie Cat cans
  10. Dave’s (Turkey) https://amzn.to/3Ya66Ss https://amzn.to/42EM8AJ
  11. Open Farm
  12. Identity
  13. Against the Grain
  14. Inception
  15. Dr Marty Nature’s Feast
  16. Stella & Chewy’s https://amzn.to/4d1jvTb https://amzn.to/4jnNCq9
  17. Biopaw.com
  18. Honest Kitchen https://amzn.to/4jL1Ili
  19. Tucker’s

Freeze dried duck liver treats for cats(single ingredient)https://amzn.to/42VbJ9J Meal toppers are also a great way to add extra nutrition to your pets food. https://amzn.to/3GgnNd3

For Dogs:

  1. Wellness Simple
  2. Zignature https://amzn.to/3RZLGrD https://amzn.to/3EB1AFV https://amzn.to/4ivkqvT
  3. Essence
  4. Earthborn Venture (turkey) https://amzn.to/4ioNSDW
  5. Pure Vita Cans
  6. Canine Caviar https://amzn.to/42KxuYB
  7. Gather https://amzn.to/4cJqfou
  8. Canidae Pure https://amzn.to/3YcBL5D https://amzn.to/4jnIl1M https://amzn.to/4jFA6xA
  9. Dave’s
  10. Weruva
  11. Pulsar
  12. Caru https://amzn.to/4lGWgl4
  13. Grandma Lucy’s https://amzn.to/3Y9bR2I
  14. Tucker’s
  15. Green Juju
  16. Stella & Chewy’s https://amzn.to/4jHVbHO
  17. Real Meat Dog Food https://amzn.to/42DSRL5
  18. Dr Harvey’s https://amzn.to/3Rq7Inl
  19. Honest Kitchen https://amzn.to/3Yd8gki
  20. Raw Bistro
  21. A Pup Above

Simple limited ingredient treats for dogs: https://amzn.to/4jjVwka I feed these to my dogs & they really enjoy them https://amzn.to/4lGcWch

Feeding foods with higher quality ingredients is much healthier for our pets & will help them be healthier & live longer & have a better quality of life.

If you are learning from my blog please share it with others so they can pickup a tidbit or two to help their pets thrive. Share my blog on your social media or share the link. Liking posts, commenting & subscribing all help to get my blog noticed on search engines like Google & Bing. If you have ideas for future posts please feel free to email me @ echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks for reading & please come back soon. Debbie

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