A. Could just be a random dietary indiscretion. It happens to a lot of dogs every once in a while. Try feeding a bland diet like some boiled skinless, bonless chicken and rice. No spices added.
How to Identify Common Pet Problems ?
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One fairly common carbohydrate reaction in dogs is lactose intolerance. The signs include diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal discomfort after ingesting cow`s or goat`s milk.
If people with lactose intolerance eat dairy products, the lactose from these foods pass into their intestines, which can lead to gas, cramps, a bloated feeling, and diarrhea. Some people can have small amounts of dairy without problems. Others have a lot of stomach trouble and need to avoid all dairy products.
Intolerance to milk products is one of the most common food allergies in dogs. Symptoms of lactose intolerance in dogs include bloating, flatulence, an upset stomach, abdominal pain, loose stool, and diarrhea.
The signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance usually begin from 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking foods that contain lactose. Common signs and symptoms include: Diarrhea. Nausea, and sometimes, vomiting.
Dogs Can Be Lactose Intolerant They can`t produce their own lactase. Without this critical enzyme, dogs cannot digest dairy products. It`s this inability to produce lactase that causes the infamous digestive condition known as lactose intolerance.
Cheese and dairy product allergies are one of the most common types seen in dogs, the others being beef and wheat. Breeds that are thought to have a predisposition to allergies are: Labrador Retrievers. West Highland White and Wheaten Terriers.
Signs of lactose intolerance usually begin 30 minutes to two hours after eating food that contains lactose. Signs and symptoms include: Diarrhea. Nausea and vomiting.
Dogs can suffer from a variety of food allergies, including experiencing allergic reactions to milk and dairy products like ice cream. These allergies are a reaction to the proteins found in milk products and can manifest as vomiting and diarrhea and/or result in red, itchy skin rashes.
Ice cream is also high in sugar, which is not healthy for your pup. While lactose and sugar aren`t toxic by themselves, they could result in a period of discomfort for your best friend. Our advice: Avoid feeding your dog human treats with dairy and sugar.
Ice cream products are dairy-based foods, and they usually have high levels of lactose and thus should be avoided. There are some types of ice cream that are fairly low in lactose. You can consume cream-based or lactose-free ice cream as an alternative to milk-based ones.
While vegan ice cream won`t contain dairy, it may be made with certain nut-based milks which can be harmful for dogs and as with normal ice cream, there may be sugars, additives or ingredients in the mix which are also hazardous.
It`s never a good idea to include dairy as the main ingredient in your dog`s diet, even if your dog handles lactose without any problems. Dairy is very high in fat and can lead to weight gain and even pancreatitis. Always supervise your pup when introducing a new food, and always begin with a tiny amount.
Dogs love milk for its rich fat content. But that doesn`t mean it`s good for them. While cow`s milk is an excellent source of calcium that`s great for building strong bones in humans, it`s not necessary for adult dogs. Yes, dogs can drink milk in small quantities, but it`s not a vital part of a dog`s diet.
“Since they are unable to break down the lactose in dairy products, this leaves the lactose sugar in their system for the bacteria in their intestines to ferment,” Shaw says. “The fermented bacteria are what give our pets intestinal cramps and diarrhea.”
Removing lactose
using lactase Ultrafiltration requires a large capital expense, so a popular way to reduce lactose is with the enzyme lactase. Lactase is added to the finished ice cream mix after mix processing, but before flavoring and whipping/freezing.
Choosing non-dairy ice cream can offer some health benefits that include saving you calories, sugar, and saturated fat, which can contribute to high cholesterol. In other cases, though, the plant-based versions have more of the above.
In most cases, the lactose intolerance goes away when the underlying cause is treated, but some people become permanently lactose intolerant. It seems possible, even probable, that such trauma to the digestive tract can trigger the same epigenetic change that normally turns off the lactase gene in childhood.
The traditional method of eliminating lactose in milk involves adding lactase or beta-galactosidase enzyme to the milk. These enzymes hydrolyse the lactose into its constituent sugars: galactose and glucose. These sugars are sweeter in taste than lactose and give the milk an unsatisfactory flavour.
Breastfed babies can be lactose intolerant, because lactose is found in breast milk as well as baby formula.
All humans are lactose tolerant in early life because we are mammals. Most humans only switch to being lactose intolerant in the transition to adulthood.
Better tolerance. Because of the changes in protein and lactose that occur when you boil milk, people who have milk protein allergies or lactose intolerance might find it easier to digest.
Symptoms you might notice right away are vomiting and diarrhea. If your dog wolfed down a lot of ice cream, more severe symptoms could show up, such as excess urination, muscle tremors, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias and even death. Any ice cream with macadamia nuts is potentially toxic too.
Finally, ice cubes are not dangerous to dogs, per se. So, if you`re thinking about offering an ice cube . . . chill. It`s OK.
While it`s true that there is no harm in giving dogs who are not lactose-intolerant a bite or two of ice cream on special occassions, vanilla ice cream isn`t exactly good for dogs. In fact, the sugar in ice cream can not only make your dog sick, it can be downright life-threatening.
Q. Whenever I take my dog on walks he always barks at people and others dogs in my neighborhood. What should I do to resolve the problem
ANSWER : A. The very first thing to do is to make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good, happy dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.
Figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don’t give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior.
Ignore your dog’s barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don’t give him attention at all while he’s barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don’t talk to, don’t touch, or even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. Yelling at him is the equivalent of barking with him.
Get your dog accustomed to whatever causes him to bark. Start with whatever makes him bark at a distance. It must be far enough away that he doesn’t bark when he sees it. Feed him lots of good treats. Move the stimulus a little closer (perhaps as little as a few inches or a few feet to start) and feed treats. If the stimulus moves out of sight, stop giving your dog treats. You want your dog to learn that the appearance of the stimulus leads to good things.
Teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. Oddly, the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to “speak,” wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say “speak.” Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the “quiet” command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to “speak.” When he starts barking, say “quiet” and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat.
As in all training, always end training on a good note, even if it is just for obeying something very simple, like the ‘sit’ command. If you dog regresses in training, go back to the last thing he did successfully and reinforce that before moving on again. Keep sessions short, 15-20 minutes max, and do this several times a day.
