Colostrum for Dogs: Safe or Not? Benefits, Side Effects & How to Choose?

We’re so protective when it comes to the little pooches that we regard it as our dearest kids. We love them, take care of them, or even pamper them as much as we love and pamper our children. During their stay in our homes we give them the best living experience possible. This, too, applies to their health. We do everything to make sure that their health is our top concern, regardless of the price.

Speaking of health, the immune system of our pooches is supplemented in a multitude of ways to increase and stabilize with our market provision. What do we know about these supplements? How secure is it to offer our pooches?

We will go through to a particular supplement: Colostrum in this article and make sure that we understand everything about Colostrum before giving this to our pooches.

I know this may be quite new to you as it was for me. When I first heard about it, I was feeling a mixture of emotions – from confused, excited, shocked, intrigued, amused, to curious all at once.

I conducted my research about Colostrum, and I was rather impressed with that I found out, which is why I am eager to share what I learned with you.

What do we know about Colostrum?

Colostrum is a fluid generated and comes out after delivery from mammalian breasts. Colostrum production usually commences approximately one or two days after giving birth. It is a sticky, yellowish, and dense substance that is full of carbohydrates, antibodies and proteins that protect neonates against diseases, combat bacteria and viruses and helps to adjust the factors necessary in the development of the newborn to the environment.

Colostrum is like a booster pack for a newborn. Once they are born, it enables them to adapt very much to their environment. The amount of protein, carbohydrates, antibodies, and other major colostrum components depends on the needs of the newborn, and not all colostrum content from each mother is the same.

“Mother’s First Milk” or Colostrum is the first best nutrition a mom can give to her child before the periodic milk. If the mother can not produce Colostrum, it could signal a lot of bad news for the baby. If a mother doesn’t produce colostrum, her baby may be highly prone to various diseases as it grows. It could succumb rapidly to harmful bacteria and viruses and could barely fight to maintain an ethical and sustainable life.

It is good for a baby to absorb Colostrum nutrients for the first few days after their birth. A mother loses her capacity to generate colostrum within a few days of providing delivery, but colostrum can still have a local impact on the body if it surfaces on the mouth and skin, particularly when applied topically, or if consumed, it would have a major impact on the newborn’s gastrointestinal tract.

Is there a Colostrum made for dogs?

Now that we know what Colostrum is and how it can affect newborn humans, the next question that we have to ask ourselves is ‘how about our dogs?’

Well, Colostrum basically acts the same way that it does for humans. It has the same function, contents, and benefits for a newborn dog. Besides natural choices, dogs have a lot of options when it comes to sources of Colostrum.

There are plenty of Colostrum choices for dogs in the market today. Strangely enough, most of the accessible commercial colostrum preparations come from cows. I thought most of the commercial colostrum for dogs, would come from dogs, but no. The fact that it comes from cows is a reality. The primary reason is that it has the same standards as the natural colostrum of a human being. It works well with dogs, it can be mass-produced, and collection or harvest can be quite simple.

And to retain the freshness of the cow’s colostrum, once collected from a mother cow, the pure colostrum is highly concentrated and prepared into powdered form.

The advantages of colostrum were endorsed and supported by more than a thousand clinical studies globally, not just for dogs but for most animals. Most studies focused on colostrum’s two most important benefits: the overall growth factor and the modulators of the immune system. Since the research findings are extremely promising, it is certainly worth taking advantage of the colostrum for dogs.

What are the benefits our dogs can get from taking Colostrum?

1. Colostrum for Dogs on Immunity Booster

The common misconception about colostrum is the highest form of nutrients a mother could give to its offspring is for babies alone; this is NOT the case. Colostrum’s essential function is to assist its recipient’s immune system to stabilize and reinforce, regardless of whether it is a baby or an adult dog.

In addition, colostrum includes high concentrations of proteins, enzymes, immune and growth factors, and other useful substances that are vital to boost the dog’s immune system. Once taken regularly, the immunoglobulin levels of your pooches are guaranteed to increase. Because of its efficacy, it is secure to use in the treatment of diseases and any prevalent digestive disorders even before other drugs and antibiotics have were used wildly.

Not only is it probiotic, but it is also a useful antimicrobial property to stimulate the digestive system of a dog and protect it from viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Growth variables with over 70 distinct types are accountable for supporting cellular tissue repair, providing better gastrointestinal tract function and quicker healing and recovery from common and some unusual diseases.

2. Reduces and Manages Allergies

Proline-rich polypeptide (PRP) is one of the primary components of Colostrum; it is accountable for eliminating allergy symptoms and enhancing the build-up of allergies and other autoimmune dog conditions. Colostrum is also used topically for circumstances such as ear infections, surgical injuries, skin allergies, dermatitis, skin infections, abscesses, insect bites, and other skin-related issues for dogs.

3. Avoids Leaky Gut

While it is known for regulating immunoglobulins and repairing cellular tissues, it helps to regulate thymus glands, as well. This ensures that your dog develops a well-functioning and healthy gut.

It may not be obvious, but a few symptoms like itching that looks like allergies or simple redness could turn into inflammation, and worse, it might be an underlying gut-related dysfunction. Colostrum plays a major role in easing the intestinal problems of our pooches.

4. Other benefits

The wonders of letting your pooch take the colostrum include anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral, adequate nutrition, stabilized the immune system, controlled digestive tract, decreased vomiting severity, constipation or diarrhea, quicker healing of bites of insects, abscesses, and surgical incisions.

There are several other things that can benefit our dogs when taking colostrum. This involves spotless skin and healthy coat, eye clarity, gingivitis, oral infections, osteoarthritis, cyst rupture, warts, dementia, anxiety, hyperthyroidism, and other behavioral problems.

If you ask me, colostrum is in the top ten list of things that you HAVE to give your dog!

Side Effects of Colostrum

As you may already know, colostrum has a lot of positive effects. However, just like anything and everything in life, colostrum isn’t perfect either.

On very rare occasions, colostrum can have a minor side effect. In most cases, the side effects were mostly triggered due to the rather excessive intake of colostrum.

Colostrum should be taken in moderation just like any other drug or nutrients. When the side effects are triggered, the issues may include mild to severe diarrhea and vomiting. If these symptoms continue, kindly do not hesitate to bring your pet to the closest veterinarian.

Your vet might suggest that you stopped the intake of colostrum, let your dog recover, and introduce colostrum again at a much slower and careful pace.

You shouldn’t surprise your dog’s body with colostrum by giving him loads of colostrum on the first day. You should give colostrum enough time to adjust and get to know the host, give it time to work well.

For best results, it is best to talk to your vet before you give colostrum to your dog. Your vet should be able to guide you every step of the way.

How to choose the proper Colostrum products in the market?

Check the product’s quality, purity, and effectiveness before you buy and give it to your pooches. With the right amount of colostrum taken, passive immunity is guaranteed to fight against the bacteria and viruses that cause illness and infection and assures you of the confidence that it will reboot your pooch’s immune function during the recovery period.

Make sure the Colostrum you bought for your pooches is strictly controlled by U.S.-based herds that are meat-free diets, hormone-free, pesticide-free, and no medical shenanigans added to adversely affect the normal colostrum concentration. You also need to verify that the processed Colostrum is licensed by UDSA and proper inspection of the human food processing plants is used.

How to administer Colostrum to your dogs?

In dealing with skin-related issues, just add a few drops of water to Colostrum, make a paste, and apply it evenly on the affected area.

Depending on which colostrum your veterinarian recommends or which colostrum you purchase in the market, there will always be a label guide telling you how much water you need to add to reach the right concentration.

Once again, it is best to check in with your vet to ensure the safety and betterment of your furry buddy. Also, your vet knows more than the label in the box or bottle, follow the advice of your vet.

Conclusion

Now we’ve learned that Colostrum is considered as a whole natural food that our dogs can take safely. It doesn’t interfere with other medications, vitamins, and diet of the dog.

If you want to make your dog healthier generally, you should consider providing your dog colostrum. You just need to look out for the red flags as there are plenty of colostrum products in the market.

If you have a local vet, you can always ask them for advice on which brand might best work for you and your furry pooch.

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