A two-year-old who was so pale doctors feared he had blood cancer was actually just drinking too much cow’s milk.

Johnny Donovan, from Oregon in the US, was born at the height of the pandemic and around a year ago decided he loved cow’s milk.

He was drinking around a litre of it a day – much more than the recommended 480ml to 720ml for a one- or two-year-old.

Mum-of-two Laura Donovan explained how her family had been going through a challenging time so she didn’t question his obsession, and just ‘kept pouring to keep the peace’.

‘Sure enough, he was always in a sour mood, never seemed well rested, and had nearly constant meltdowns,’ she told Insider.

‘I thought that maybe he had just started the terrible twos ahead of schedule, or that he was becoming an overindulged youngest child, or that he, too, was on the autism spectrum.’

Johnny was also very pale, but his mum thought that was due to the weather and the family’s Irish heritage.

But his doctor was concerned and ordered some blood tests to figure out what was wrong with Johnny – which revealed the toddler’s haemoglobin level was between 4.5 and 5.6, far lower than the usual 10.9 to 15 for a two-year-old.

His iron levels had become so low he had even developed a heart murmur.

The doctor even said she feared a diagnosis of leukaemia, shocking Johnny’s family – because he looked ‘so sick’.

But it turned out he was just anaemic because he’d drunk so much cow’s milk, which can hinder the body’s ability to absorb iron.

Symptoms include exhaustion, pale skin, irritability and fussiness, a fast heartbeat, poor appetite, trouble breathing, and dizziness.

Johnny was immediately given an iron transfusion and is set to receive another one next week. He is also taking iron supplements every other day.

He has now recovered from his heart murmur and well on his way to being in good health.

Now Laura wants to raise awareness after doctors told her ‘most parents are unaware that too much milk can be a problem’.

‘I suspected he drank too much milk, which was filling him up, but I didn’t realize excessive intake could do so much damage,’ she added.

‘Johnny constantly felt like garbage but had no way of telling me. My husband and I regret assuming that Johnny was moody when his heart was quite literally distressed.

‘Now he has the willingness and energy to eat, smiles at everyone he sees, and wakes up talking eagerly to his stuffed animals — a stark contrast to when he’d start and end his days in tears.’

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