Will Baby Formula Hurt a Puppy?

Does your puppy come around when you are preparing bottles? Is it safe for your pup to lick up any spilled milk powder?

Puppies are adorable. Just like your baby, you want to hold them close and take care of them. If your adult dog just had puppies, you may consider bottle feeding the runt of the litter to help its growth and development. Or if you just had a baby, your dog may want to sample some of the baby formula powder that spills on the floor or on your hand. Is baby formula good for your puppy?

Puppies and Baby Formula

It is not advisable to feed your puppy baby formula. The best nutrition for your puppy is its mother’s milk, just like breast milk is the best food for all babies. The problem with baby formula is lactose. Many dogs are lactose intolerant, which means that they cannot easily digest milk or dairy products, especially in high doses such as a bottle. The end result will be gas and diarrhea. If your puppy is not housebroken yet, that will be a big mess for you to clean up later.

If your puppy decides to help clean up some of that sweet powder that missed the bottle, there should not be a big problem as it will have less lactose than the entire bottle or the entire package. If your puppy or dog decided to explore and see what is at the bottom of a container of baby formula, you may want to call your vet to see if there is a greater concern for your puppy’s health.