Do you plan to use Evaporated milk for puppies? Read this article before you do so,
There are very few things that can bring as much joy in your life as caring for a litter of puppies does. Whether you have brought them home from a breeder or your dog has given birth to them, caring for new-born puppies is a cherishable experience. They can light up your home, even if you have been living with a family full of kids and pets.
Nevertheless, looking after a litter of puppies is nothing short of caring for a new-born baby. From their diet and nutrition to vaccination and training – you have to take of various things. Monitoring their food intake is particularly crucial to ensure that become healthy puppies instead of weak and malnourished ones.
What Should Your Puppies Eat?
“What should I feed a new-born puppy?” This is likely one of the first things that will come to your mind when you bring a pup home. Needless to say, you shouldn’t be feeding solid food to them right away. Instead, you should start them on a nourishing milk-based diet to ensure that your pup get the right dose of essential nutrients every day.
What Kind of Milk can Puppies Drink?
While milk is the most appropriate food for young puppies, you can’t just feed any regular milk to them. Ideally, you puppy should only drink the dam’s milk. It contains just the right amount of fats, proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients for a puppies overall physical development.
Nevertheless, there might be situations when you don’t have access to the dam’s milk to feed your pup. To begin with, the mother may not be producing as much milk to feed the entire litter of puppies. Worse still, she might even reject a pup or remain absent during the first few weeks.
In such a scenario, it is only natural to wonder how you can provide your pup with the adequate nourishment. “What can I substitute for puppy milk?” If you have ever entered this query on Google, you will know the diverse array of puppy milk replacement options, including:
- Goat milk
- Evaporated milk
- Cow’s milk
- Milk replacer (puppy formula)
The sheer variety of products available in the market can seem overwhelming, especially for new dog parents. It is essential to find the right puppy milk substitute that provides your pup with all the essential nutrients. Store-bought milk replacement formula should be your first preference. While it is readily available at most pet stores and vet clinic, there will be times when you will run out of your regular supply of milk replace.
Homemade milk replacement using ingredients, such as evaporated milk and plain yougurt, will come to your rescue in such situations. In this blog, we will take a look at the pros and cons of using evaporated milk for puppies. We will also discuss simple ways of bottle feeding evaporated milk to your pup. Let us get started.
What is Evaporated Milk?
Simply put, evaporated milk is unsweetened condensed milk. It is obtained by removing 60% of the water content from regular cow’s milk. This gives it a slightly thicker and creamier consistency and a more caramalized color compared to normal milk.
After removing the water content, evaporated milk is homogenized to uniformly mix the fat into the milk. The concentration of the milk makes it more nutrient-rich and ensures that it remains shelf-stable for longer.
Typically, evaporated milk is available in the following variants:
- Whole evaporated milk
- Reduced fat evaporated milk
- Fat-free evaporated milk
So, what makes evaporated milk such a useful puppy milk substitute. Let us find out.
Evaporated Milk for Puppies: How Useful Is It?
To begin with, here are some interesting stats about evaporated milk:
- Whole evapoarted milk contains twice the amount of fats, proteins, and carbs than regular cow’s milk.
- It contains high concentration of minerals like calcium, zinc, and magnesium.
- The nutrient concentration of whole evaporated milk is fairly close to that of dog’s milk.
This makes whole evaporated milk a great choice for making homemmade puppy milk replacer. But is it safe for puppies? What about younger puppies? Can 3-week-old puppies drink evaporated milk? The good news is that using evaporated milk for puppies is absolutely safe, provided you give it in the right quantity.
Moreover, it is a far better puppy milk substitute than pasteurized cow’s milk, which can cause diarrhea and sinus problems. Likewise, its nutrient profile is far suprior to that of goat’s milk.
A Word of Caution
Here are two things you should ensure before giving evaporated milk to your pup:
- Monitor your pup’s health and watch out for any signs of lactose intolerance.
- Check the can of evaporated milk and confirm whether it is unsweetened. This is particularly important because evaporated milk and sweetened condense milk cans often look similar and are placed close to each other in grocery stores.
Also, excessive consumption of evaporated milk can cause side effects in your pup, such as diarrhea, vomitting, and stomachaches. That’s why, although evaporated milk is safe for puppies, you should restrict its usage. As a rule, you should only use it when you’re out of your regular supply of store-bought milk replacer.
Now that you have decided to use evaporated milk for puppies, you must be yearning to find out how you can use it in milk replacement formulas.
How to Make Homemade Puppy Milk Replacement Using Evaporated Milk?
In this section, we’ll describe a simple you can use to make a puppy milk replacer at home.
For the first recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- 10 ounces of evaporated milk
- 3 ounces of drinking water
- ½ tsp of corn syrup
- 1 cup of full-fat or plain yogurt
- 1 raw egg yolk
Pour all these ingredients into a blender and mix them for until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix them, as it can make the milk thicker in consistency. This, in turn, will make it difficult to digest for young pups.
Evaporated Milk for Puppies: Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few more questions that will come to you mind when you consider using evaporated milk for puppies:
Do Puppies Need Milk?
Yes. Young pups (3-weeks-old or less) should only drink milk. They derive all their nourishment from their mother’s milk. In case the dam’s milk is unavailable due to any reason, you should consider using a store-bought milk replacement. Or you can make your own puppy milk replacement formula with evaporated milk.
How to Make Evaporated Milk for Puppies without Yogurt?
If your dog isn’t fond of the taste of plain yogurt, you can omitting the ingredient. Or you can try replacing with an ingredient of similar consistency and nutrient profile, such as mayonnaise.
How to Give Evaporated Milk to Your Pup?
The easiest way is to warm the milk formula and use a bottle feed to give it to your puppy. Make sure you test the milk on your wrist before feeding it to the pup. Ideally, the temperature of the milk should be close to your body temperature. It is also recommended that you establish a feeding schedule to control your pup’s body weight and nourishment.
Can I Give Canned Food(Green Beans) To Puppies?
We would never recommend giving Canned food to puppies. While Green Beans in general is a good food for dogs, we recommend canned food(Green Beans) only for adult dogs.
At What Age Can Puppies Drink Regular Milk?
Ideally, you should never feed regular cow’s milk to puppies. This is because cow’s milk is pasteurized and doesn’t fulfill the nutritional needs of young and growing pups. While goat’s milk is easier to digest, its high lactose content makes it unsuitable for long-term use for dogs.
However, you can use evaporated milk for pups as young as 3-weeks old. You just have to feed them the adequate quantity and wean them at the right time. Normally, dams start weaning their pups at 3 to 4 weeks old. However, the process continues till a pup is about 7 to 8 weeks old. You should also follow a similar evaporated milk weaning schedule for your puppy.
How to Tell if Your Dog is Lactose Intolerant?
A lactose intolerant dog will exhibit commons symptoms of stomach upset after ingesting milk. Here are a few signs you should watch out for:
- Diarrhea
- Gas
- Vomiting
- Stomach ache
If your dog shows any of these signs after drinking smalls amount of regular milk, chances are they are lactose intolerant.
Can My Puppy Drink Almond Milk?
Almond milk is made from nuts and is difficult to digest for dogs. Moreover, its higher fat content makes your pup vulnerable to obesity. Therefore, you shouldn’t give more than one or two tablespoons of almond milk to your dog on any given day.
Can Puppies Drink Carnation Evaporated Milk?
Absolutely. Any packaged and shelf-stable evaporated milk is a good replacement for regular puppy’s milk. You can mix it with other ingredients, such as yogurt, corn syrup, and egg yolks, to enhance its nutrient profile. Also, make sure the milk is warm before you feed it to your pup.
The Final Verdict
It is safe for pups to drink evaporated milk, provided you give it in the right quantity. Also, make sure you dilute it with eggs yolks, plain yogurt, and corn syrup to make it easier to digest. However, evaporated milk isn’t recommended for pups that show signs of lactose intolerance.
Have you ever given evaporated milk to your dogs? Share your experience in the comments section below.