Is Goat's Milk Safe to Give a Child with Dairy Allergy?

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Q: Is it safe for my child with milk allergy to have goat’s milk or goat’s cheese?

Dr. Sharma: This is a great question, and one that many parents of children with cow’s milk allergy have as they search for a suitable substitute.

Unfortunately, goat’s milk protein is similar in structure to cow’s milk protein. So more than 90 percent of the time, the immune system will mistake the two and cause a reaction to goat’s milk or goat’s cheese in someone with a cow’s milk allergy.

In short, goat’s milk is not a safe alternative to cow’s milk. And for the same reason, neither are sheep’s milk nor buffalo’s milk.

You can discuss with your child’s allergist what may be an acceptable cow’s milk substitute.

An option for an infant would be an extensively hydrolyzed, cow’s milk-based formula, in which the milk protein is extensively broken down. This makes it less recognizable by the immune system, and far less likely to cause a reaction. Since these formulas are also good sources of nutrients, many allergists will recommend children on restricted diets remain on them beyond the age of one year.

Once ready to wean from a formula, options at that point might include soy milk or rice milk. This is assuming your child does not also have allergies to those foods.

To be sure that all nutritional requirements are being met, with cow’s milk allergy it definitely is a good idea to discuss your options with your child’s allergist or a dietitian.

Dr. Sharma is an allergist, clinical researcher and associate professor of pediatrics. He is Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. and Director of the Food Allergy Program. He co-authors “The Food Allergy Experts” column in Allergic Living‘s e-magazine. Questions submitted will be considered for answer in the e-magazine.

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