urge to herd Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 I figured out that Gibbs is lactose intolerant after a bout of giardia, (diagnosed w/fecal culture). He still had very soft to runny poops, even after 2 rounds of medication. He seemed to be feeling better, but still not himself. Back to the vet, and the vet asked what I was feeding him - some form of dairy w/rice. Vet suggested switching to a different protein, so I put him on chicken and rice. Within 24 hours, his poops were firm and he was his normal, bouncy self. Sooooo, has anyone found a way to feed occasional dairy or a specific type of dairy that works w/dogs w/previous lactose intolerance? I've not tried anything at all like that, but am wondering if there is any wisdom out there from the Hive Mind? He still loves the taste of it. No big deal if not, just wondering idly. Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Can you give dogs the enzyme that people with lactose intolerance take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Would goat milk yogurt work? I don't know, but have used it for my dogs in general. They do like it! diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted May 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Tommy, I'll check into that. Diane, goat's milk is too pricey for it to be any kind of regular thing for a dog. I'll give him a crumb the next time I have some and see what happens, just to experiment. Thanks! Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 How long ago did he have the giardia? Kenzi has a VERY sensitive gut for several months afterwards. She is now eating just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted May 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Maralyn, the giardia was right after we got him in 2010. I guess I could try a little bit of dairy w/him, didn't think about the gut sensitivity. Will give it a try when I'm going to be around, just in case it's true lactose intolerance. Thanks for the idea. Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraV Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Cottage cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Plain yogurt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjones Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 The market where I sell my lamb also sells goat milk. A customer comes in on a regular basis to buy goats milk specificially for her dog. Her dog was having allergy issues and someone told her to try giving it goats milk to help. It worked for her dog and now she swears by it. Other than that I don't have any other proof that it does/doesn't work. Samantha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Why do you need/want to feed him dairy??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 If it's really a lactose issue, goat's milk is pretty good for that. Also, kefir is better than regular milk because the organisms use most of the lactose. It also has more probiotics than yogurt, 10-12 strains rather than the usual 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMom Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 FWIW, making your own yogurt with the dairy or fake dairy product of your choice is very cost-effective and not as complicated as you might think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted May 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Thanks for the further ideas, all. Liz, there's not need at all to give him dairy. I was reading the thread about supplements and saw that some folks give kefir to their dogs, and it struck me that maybe a dairy product w/good bugs in it would work for me. What can I say - my brain is busy even when there is no need. Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 FWIW, dairy products with live cultures don't contain enough CFUs to make much difference. You are better off with something like Fortiflora or a high potency human probiotic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane allen Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 A vet dietician just recommended that I change my probiotics from Jarrow branch PetDophilus (which I've used for years) to Proviable-DC - it (supposedly) has more than x billion of several different strains of bacteria. One of my dogs has some minor gut issues, and this does seem to be helping! I also like that it doesn't have to be refrigerated, and is foil packed, so only one at a time is "exposed" to air. (FWIW, he got a bit of cottage cheese as well as regular cow milk yogurt sometimes, alternated with goat milk yogurt - and I never noticed any particular difference - i.e., I think he's not lactose intolerant!) diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 I've found that if dairy is slowly introduced, dogs tolerate it over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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