Cow's milk in the diet

             

          Why is cow’s milk not necessary for the health of dogs and cats?

Cows produce milk for their calves and yet around the world there are not only billions of humans consuming milk but now it’s also being given to our domesticated pets.  It is being used in vast quantities to produce a whole range of dairy products including cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, chocolate, butter to name but a few.  The sale of cow’s milk (intended for the growing calf) has indeed become a multi billion-dollar industry.

Was this what nature intended, probably not?  Is it necessary for humans, cats and dogs to consume cows milk to ensure good health and longevity, absolutely without a doubt the answer is no.  However, cows milk does contain,  “water, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, very little iron or zinc, good quality protein, saturated fat, some vitamin A and traces of the B vitamins.” (Billinghurst 1993)

Unfortunately the only cow’s milk available to the average consumer is from a supermarket.  The majority of milk sold commercially has, by law, been homogenised and pasteurised prior to its packaging and sale to the general public.  In many countries including Australia, it is illegal for farmers to sell raw, unprocessed cows milk.  “The sale of raw milk for drinking purposes is illegal in all states and territories in Australia, as is all raw cheese. This has been circumvented somewhat by selling raw milk as bath milk.” (Wikipedia website)

The process of pasteurisation, which involves heating, destroys B and C vitamins, antioxidants, live enzymes and proteins.  When proteins and enzymes are heated their chemical structures changes; denaturing them.  This mutation of their natural structure can decrease their usefulness and the ability for an individual to digest them. During homogenisation, the milk releases a chemical potentially dangerous to the cardiovascular system. (Billinghurst 1993)

So why is milk put through this processing if it becomes less nutritional and potentially harmful?  We are told that if milk is not prepared in this way it could potentially carry harmful bacteria such as tuberculosis.  Also raw cow’s milk has a very short, refrigerated, shelf life whereas processed milk, in particular, ‘long life milk’ can last for months at a time.  This can be looked at as an advantage, due to long transport times and for the many people who are unable to shop on a regular basis.  However we must ask ourselves what is the true nutritional value of consuming something that was produced by a cow months ago?  Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to obtain the nutrients found in milk from more natural, unprocessed foods?

Most authors, whom dedicate their books to natural methods of feeding our pets, do not promote cow’s milk as part of a healthy diet.  Author of ‘Natural Nutrition for Cats and Dogs,’ states, “do not feed your pet pasteurised, homogenised, condensed, septic packaged long life milk or sweetened condensed milk.”  The healthier alternative is raw goats milk, which can be beneficial to cats and dogs of all ages. (Puotein 1999)

If milk is added to the diet it should be raw (not pasteurised).  However, other milk products such as yogurt (lactose free) can be given regularly. (Stein 1993)

According to Dr Billinghurst, author of ‘Give a dog a bone,’ he recommends that if pasteurised milk is included in a diet it must be mixed into the following recipe:

·      250ml milk

·      2 egg yolks

·      2 tsp canola oil

·      1 tsp honey

·      a pinch of low sodium salt

This protein rich liquid is excellent for bitches that are having difficulties with their own milk production. (Billinghurst 1993)

Interestingly, whilst not promoting pasteurised milk in our pets diet, (mainly due to the lack of nutrients and the stomach upsets it causes) Billinghurst found that if the milk is fortified with canola oil and whey protein, normal stools are produced. 

Whilst acknowledging and appreciating the well researched information from the above authors, my own hesitance to give my cats and dogs cows milk is based on two issues:

1. The animal welfare issues it raises

2. The chemicals found in non-organic milk

Due to the human demand for a continuous supply of another species milk on the supermarket shelves, farmers around the world are pushed to obtain the highest yield from their dairy cows.  Calves are taken within days of birth from their mothers and after unthinkable emotional trauma are killed for veal meat.  Mothers grieve the loss of their young, which is expressed both verbally and emotionally.

'Bobby' is one of over 700,000 week-old calves discarded yearly as 'waste products' of the dairy industry. Most people aren't aware that in order to produce milk, dairy cows are kept almost continually pregnant. Unwanted calves (known as 'bobby calves') are sent to slaughter in their first week of life so that milk can be harvested for human consumption. (Animals Australia official website 2012)  The video which accompanies this feature http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/dairy.php is truly heartbreaking and certainly changed my whole outlook on the dairy industry both in Australia and overseas.

There are dairy farms throughout the USA where the cows are not grass fed, in fact millions of cows never walk on a green field their entire lives.  Fortunately in Australia, dairy cows (as far as I know) are kept in their natural environment consuming the natural nutrients in fresh grass which nature intended.  However there is mounting evidence that dairy cows, due to selective breeding, genetic manipulation and a continuous cycle of pregnancy and birthing, are presently far more susceptible to diseases such as mastitis, infection and injury.

“To keep producing milk for human consumption, a dairy cow must produce a calf each year. A young female (heifer) has her first calf at two years of age. The calf is taken away, usually within 12-24hours of birth, and the mother is milked to capacity. She is ready to conceive again about three weeks later, and every three weeks after that. She is put in calf again at her second or third heat, and milking continues for 10 months after she has given birth. She is rested for some weeks before the next calf arrives, then the cycle continues for as long as she can continue to produce enough milk to be a profitable unit". (Animal Liberation, Australia)

Cows milk and cows milk products are certainly not foods a dog or cat would eat in the wild.  (Schultze 1998)  This statement alone explains that our pets certainly do not require it naturally for excellent health and longevity.

On the issue of chemicals in the milk, dairy cows are found to produce milk containing:

·      Antibiotics (to assist an exhausted immune system)

·      fertility hormones (to ensure ongoing pregnancies and a continuous supply of milk)

·      chemical pesticides (from pastures sprayed with chemicals)

·      Genetically modified organisms (from mass produced GM food)

If we insist on consuming cow’s milk and cow’s milk produce it should certainly at the very least, be organic.  (Mercola.com 2011) Below are the conditions, which the organic dairy farmers in Australia must legally adhere to:

•               No GMO's (genetically modified organisms) in the feed

•               No case of BSE ever found in an organic born and raised dairy cow

•               No use of antibiotics unless cows are ill and other treatments are not achieving results

•               No use of artificial insecticides on pastures where organic cows graze

•               No use of artificial herbicides on pastures where organic cows graze

•               No use of artificial fungicides on pastures where organic cows graze

•               No use of solvents to produce organic cattle feed

•               No housing of organic dairy cows all year round

•               No housing of organic calves in single pens where they cannot see or touch other cows.  (Organic Food Directory Australia, Official Website 2008)

In support of organic farming, I personally now buy only organic animal produce, which includes organic milk, and all milk products.  I live in Dubai and the milk produce here is certainly not from cows that have grazed on organic green pastures.  All the milk produce I buy is imported from Germany and France. 

I send a prayer for all those cows who are suffering emotionally and physically from the intense and ongoing demand for milk.