Dogs are often called man’s best friend, but can’t always eat whatever the best friend eats.

Caring for your dog and their diet is an essential part of pet care. Many dog breeds, including beagles, love milk, and dairy products. But can beagles safely drink milk?

There is no straight answer to it. Milk is safe for beagles in moderate quantities, and it depends a bit on the type.

But like humans, dogs too can be allergic to milk and be lactose intolerant. If your beagle pup or an adult suffers from milk allergies or is lactose intolerant, drinking milk can cause a myriad of uncomfortable symptoms such as stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bowel inflammation and even skin issues.

Milk also contains a lot of fats and sugars. Giving your beagle a large amount of milk in their diet can lead to obesity if not kept in check and included with a thorough exercise routine, and it can eventually cause other severe health issues like pancreatitis. A few tablespoons of cow’s milk are enough to cause adverse reactions in a beagle with allergies, so you may want to first consult with a vet before introducing your pup to new human foods.

Can Beagles Drink Cow’s Milk?

Cow’s milk is the conventional milk that you drink, and so most would think that it’s exactly the same to your beagle.

But is cow’s milk safe for your beagle to have? On rare occasions, the answer is yes, but if your beagle has difficulty digesting milk in general, then traditional cow’s milk should not be given to them at all.

Cow’s milk contains more lactose than your beagle’s mother’s milk, which can have a lot of adverse side effects if your beagle has a sensitive stomach.

A beagle puppy has a delicate digestive system as compared to an adult beagle and so can be extremely sensitive to milk and dairy. Beagle pups drink milk from their mothers right after they are born. Mother’s milk is the ideal source of nutrition for the puppies. It is high in protein and strengthens the puppies’ immune system and is easily digestible as compared to cow’s milk. After four weeks, the puppies are gradually weaned and introduced to solid foods.

Puppies’ bodies produce a digestive enzyme called lactase that breaks down the sugars found in cow’s milk. But when the puppies have been weaned, their bodies produce less lactase, making it difficult for them to digest the milk. The lactose from the milk passes undigested through the gastrointestinal tract, causing diarrhea, flatulence, and discomfort.

Cow’s milk and milk-based products can also trigger food allergies in your beagle. There are commercial milk replacers available, which are the best alternatives to dog mother’s milk and also score over cow’s milk or any other kind of dairy or non-dairy milk. Consult a veterinarian before giving milk replacers to your beagle. You’re much better off just using regular dog food and reserving milk or milk replacers as a treat or specific dietary need. 

Benefits of Milk for Beagles

As long as there are no allergic reactions for your specific beagle, there are quite a few benefits that dogs can get out of cow or goat milk that humans also enjoy. These include excellent sources of the following vitamins, nutrients, and minerals:

• Protein
• Calcium
• Phosphorus
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamin A, B, and C
• Biotin
• Potassium

The calcium within milk is particularly beneficial because it promotes bone strength within dogs, that can make them sturdier and less likely to get injured, and it can also help to protect their teeth from damage and wear and tear (as we all know, dogs will chew on EVERYTHING, and they’re not always keeping dental health at the top of their minds).

Depending on what you’re already feeding your dog, some of these vitamins can be essential to keeping them healthy and supplementing your diet. If you notice that your dog is dehydrated or has a difficult time remembering to drink water, the electrolytes phosphorus and potassium in milk can be great benefits to help improve their hydration, regulate their blood sugar levels, and even improve their alertness and focus.

How to Tell if Your Beagle is Lactose Intolerant?

Just like in humans, there’s a decent chance that your beagle could end up being lactose intolerant, which means that they could have difficulty digesting the milk, and could even have adverse effects to milk and dairy products.

Lactose intolerant beagles can often tolerate small amounts of lactose found in cow’s milk and so can be given milk on occasion, but larger dairy products like cheeses and yogurts can cause a lot more harm even in small doses.

To determine if your beagle is lactose intolerant, you will have to feed milk to them and monitor their reactions. Sometimes it gets difficult for the dog owners to distinguish between a milk allergy and lactose intolerance. A milk allergy is an abnormal reaction to milk and even a small amount of milk can cause allergy in your beagle. Lactose intolerance is lack of the enzyme called lactose in the body that is required break down milk sugars.

There are a few symptoms that are common to both the conditions like indigestion, bloating, and gas. The symptoms of lactose intolerance take longer to manifest than milk allergy. Allergy symptoms are more similar to human allergy symptoms, like overheating, excessive itching or dry skin, and even reverse sneezing.

Your beagle can take 30 minutes to a few hours to show the symptoms of intolerance with lactose. The typical symptoms of lactose intolerance are abdominal cramps, gas, loose stool nausea, and bloating. If your beagle shows these symptoms you should take them to a vet. Your veterinarian will do a physical examination and recommend you to remove milk from your beagle’s diet for several days to see if the symptoms diminish.

What Should You Do if Your Beagle is Having an Allergic Reaction to Milk?

What’s tricky with allergies is the fact that beagles can actually develop them at any point in time, which can be difficult if your beagle has been fine with milk and dairy products for years. All of the sudden an allergy can develop and everything can change.

A milk allergy involves the immune system which considers milk as a dangerous invader and produces allergic reactions. The allergic reactions may vary from mild to severe. There are several symptoms of milk allergies in beagles such as itchy, dry, red skin, bald patches, and also digestive problems like bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Milk allergies in beagles can not only result in digestive issues but also skin and behavioral problems.

Your beagle pup can also inherit milk allergy from his parent. If you have medical records of your beagle’s parents, these could come in handy if you have any suspicion that your beagle may have an allergy.

If your vet has confirmed an allergic reaction to milk in your beagle, then milk has to be completely eliminated from their diet. When purchasing food items for your beagle, don’t forget to read all the ingredients and avoid all milk products. In case you suspect your beagle is having an extreme reaction to milk or notice any concerning changes in his behavior, consult a veterinarian. Well-balanced dog food contains almost all calcium requirements your beagle needs, and so milk might be unnecessary in their diet. Milk may also cause unnecessary discomfort.

There is no cure for milk allergy in dogs; the right thing to do is to prevent your beagle from ingesting milk and dairy products. You can try switching to other alternatives of cow’s milk, such as goat’s milk, almond milk, oat milk, or even soy milk.

It is easier for a beagle to digest goat’s milk and it is less likely to cause any allergies in them. To test this out, give your beagle a small amount and see if they can tolerate it. You can also try giving almond milk, but only in small quantities as almonds are high in fat and can cause obesity and pancreatitis in your beagle.

A few tablespoons mixed in with other food should be fine. But first as with any food, aways try giving some and look for any signs of gastric upset. If you are planning to give almond milk to your beagle, make sure it is unsweetened, as sweetened almond milk can be toxic to your beagle as well depending on the type of sweetener that is used.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line is that whichever milk you want to give to your beagle as a substitute to cow’s milk, large quantities of any milk is never a good idea. Moderation is the key. Keep your eyes peeled for any signs of milk allergies and intolerance in your beagle. Once weaned, your beagle may not need milk at all. However, if your beagle still enjoys the taste of milk, try giving a little dairy or non-dairy milk occasionally as a reward. It may be overwhelming to care for your beagle with milk allergies and lactose intolerance, but with little education, you can keep your loving buddy safe and healthy.