Can dogs eat cereal with almond milk?
Dogs can eat cereal with almond milk, but then, you have to be very careful when choosing the kind you feed them with. Some bottles of almond milk have been sweetened with sugars, flavors and several other additives that are harmful to the health of your dog. That is why you need to always check the ingredient list of whatever you make available for your dog.
To be on the safe side, you should try making your own almond milk. That way, you can be sure of the kind of ingredients and raw materials that you work with. You also do not have to worry about harmful ingredients like xylitol, sugar, etc. To get started, all you need are almonds, a food processor and a sieve cloth. Below are the procedures you should follow to make your homemade almond milk.
How to make almond milk at home
1. Soak your almonds within a bowl of water for about two days.
2. On the second day, the almonds would have become relatively soft and easier to grind. Drain the water from the bowl and then, rinse the almonds.
3. Pour in the rinsed almonds within the bowl of your food processor and then, blend with one or two cups of water. The amount of water you add should depend on the amount of almonds you soak. In all, you want to ensure that you create a paste.
4. Set a clean bowl on a smooth surface and then, spread the sieve cloth with fine pores across it.
5. Strain the paste through it.
6. Pick up the ends of the sieve cloth and then, press hard on the paste. The pressure causes the milk to squirt out through the pores.
If you decide to buy your almond milk from the stores, ensure that you check out for sweetening agents. Almond milk is usually sweetened with the aid of sugar and flavors like vanilla flavor. All of these things are very dangerous to the health of your dog. The one sweetener that you should avoid at all cost is xylitol. It is one agent that can reduce the sugar present in your dog’s blood to a point where it gets dangerous.
Let’s see a couple consequences of sugar to the body of dogs;
Side effects of dog eating sugar
- Sugar will cause the dog to have an upset tummy. Other consequences include indigestion of the food, bloating of the dog’s belly, vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, etc.
- Sugar will cause the dog to suffer from conditions like obesity, increase in blood sugar, heart diseases, weight gain, etc.
- Sugar spurs the teeth of the dog to get decayed. The dog is also prone to having issues with its gum.
Even when you are sure the almond milk has no additives, ensure that you only give it to your dog in little amounts. Dogs are not capable of digesting milk. Besides, almond milk is very rich in calories, and calorie-rich foods are bad for your dogs.
Now, if you fall in a scenario where you cannot find almond milk or any other non-dairy milk for your dog, never feed it dairy milk—with cereal or any other thing.
Most dog breeds are intolerant to milk as their digestive systems cannot digest the sugar present in milk—lactose. This condition is known as lactose intolerance. If a dog that has this condition takes cow milk and cereals, it may end up suffering from issues related to bloating, gassiness, diarrhea, weakness, etc.
Benefits of almond milk to dog
The benefits your dog gets by consuming almond milk include the following;
- Almond milk is rich in calcium, and that mineral is great for the development of the skeletal system of your dog.
- Almond milk is rich in antioxidants which help to get rid of free radicals in the dog’s body. These free radicals work in causing damage to the dog’s tissues.
- Almond milk contains Vitamin E and other minerals that help to increase the dog’s immunity.
Next, let’s consider the kind of cereal that your dogs can eat with almond milk. Most cereals are also rich with sugar, corn syrup, and other unhealthy additives. The best cereal to give your dogs are those that are plain and without additives. Always make sure you check the ingredient list on the cereal pack before feeding your dog with it.
Oatmeal is one of the best cereals to feed your dog with. It is great to feed your dog with oatmeal especially when it is undergoing a condition like constipation. Cereals that are mixed with nuts, dried fruits, etc. should be avoided at all cost. These food items and additives are also dangerous to the dog’s health.
However, before you begin to feed your dog with cereal, you must ensure that you have the consent of your vet doctor. They would advise you on the amount of cereal you should feed them with and how often they should be fed with the cereals.