It can be said that almost most people love ice cream. What could be better than eating cold and sweet ice cream on a hot day? When you go to your local store, you may wonder if you can buy ice cream for your dog. In other words, is it not harmful to dogs to eat ice cream?
-> Recommendation: Cat Ice cream
Possible health problems
The bottom line is that ice cream is not a healthy snack choice for dogs. While a small amount of vanilla or mango ice cream won’t send your dog to the vet’s office, you shouldn’t use ice cream as a regular treat.
The stomach of adult dogs is not ready to digest lactose. While they can digest milk when they are cubs (they are mammals after all), they cannot do so as adults. This inability to digest dairy products may cause bloating, gas, diarrhea, and vomiting. In most cases, the dog will bloat. But if you give a small dog a lot of ice cream, his reaction will be more serious. In addition, dogs with diabetes or are overweight should not eat ice cream.
Many flavors are also potentially dangerous to dogs. Chocolate is dangerous because dogs cannot digest the obromine. Coffee ice cream and green tea are also harmful to dogs because of their high caffeine content. Ice creams containing grapes and raisins are also harmful. Even small amounts of these ice creams may cause kidney failure.
Finally, some seeds are harmful to dogs. Macadamia nuts are bad for dogs, but scientists don’t know why. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds are not poisonous for dogs, but they are dangerous for their health due to their high-fat content.
How to give your dog healthy ice cream?
If you decide to give your dog ice cream, only use fruit or plain vanilla ice cream. Start with small amounts to make sure the dog’s stomach is not upset. If your dog’s stomach is not adapted to dairy, you will likely experience symptoms such as bloating, gas, vomiting, digestive upset and diarrhea in the next hour or two.
If you want to give your dog a cool treat during the summer, try homemade ice cream. A combination of mashed bananas, peanut butter, and a dollop of yogurt (which is lower in lactose than ice cream) is a delicious bonus that you can freeze. You can also use apples or other ingredients suitable for dogs to prepare this potion.
Vegan ice cream and frozen yogurt are potentially better for dogs because they are usually lower in sugar than other dairy products. As with any new food, start small. Before you give your dog a full meal, wait a few hours to see his reaction.
What should we do if the dog eats ice cream without our permission?
If the dog eats ice cream without your permission, stay calm. See how the ice cream tasted and how much he ate. If he hasn’t ingested any dangerous ingredients, there probably won’t be a problem. He may just bloat or use his toilet more for a limited time. Therefore, it is better to spend the afternoon with him in the yard!
But if a dog has eaten ice cream with artificial sweeteners, macadamia nuts, coffee, chocolate, grapes, or raisins, it could be a more serious condition, so don’t hesitate to visit the vet.
In general, ice cream is not a good reward for dogs. A frozen combination of peanut butter, banana and yogurt can be a delicious snack for your dog. There are many dangerous ingredients in ice cream that are harmful to dogs.