Mary Allen
Most of us love ice cream.
And what could be nicer than a cool ice cream on a hot summer day?
When you stand in front of the ice cream parlor, you may wonder if your dog can eat some of the ice cream.
This is exactly the question we are going to get to the bottom of today!
In a nutshell: Can my dog eat ice cream?
Yes, your dog can eat some of your ice cream. Only give him a small amount because it can quickly cause stomach pain and diarrhea due to the ingredients.
However, you should make sure that the ice cream does not contain any xylitol. Birch sugar is toxic to dogs and can be fatal.
Why your dog cannot tolerate dairy products
Ice cream consists of four different types.
This primarily includes ice cream. Common ice cream contains milk and cream. However, many dogs suffer from lactose intolerance. This is because the body lacks the required enzyme lactase.
If your dog is dairy intolerant, eating ice cream can cause abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
The same applies to frozen yoghurt (low-fat yoghurt) and soft ice cream (skimmed milk).
As an alternative, you could feed them some popsicles. This consists of pureed fruits or juices and sugar.
Therefore, your four-legged friend is only allowed to eat a small amount of ice cream
Even if your dog can tolerate milk, you should only feed a small amount of ice at a time. Ice cream contains a lot of refined sugar.
A dog will not die from it, but it is still unhealthy. Refined sugar can make you sick, lead to obesity and cause tooth decay.
The main potential diseases include diabetes and a weakened immune system, which can lead to other diseases.
There is usually nothing wrong with feeding a minimal amount of ice every now and then. Unfortunately, ice cream often contains foods that can be dangerous and even fatal for your dog.
Fact: Ice cream can kill your dog
The high sugar content is not healthy for dogs. Some flavors of ice cream are even so toxic to dogs that they can die from them.
These include chocolate ice cream and chocolate chips. Dogs cannot digest the theobromine contained in cocoa. Even small amounts of raisins can lead to kidney failure.
Unlike all other nuts, macadamia nuts are toxic to your dog. The same applies to ice cream with coffee or other types of caffeine.
Probably the most dangerous ingredient is so-called “sugar-free” ice cream. The problem is that sugar substitutes are used for this.
One of them is xylitol. It is extremely toxic to dogs.
Even tiny amounts of birch sugar lead to a drop in blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) and liver failure, ultimately leading to death.
The reason for this is that xylitol gets into the bloodstream quickly and at the same time it leads to an excessive release of insulin. This in turn causes a sharp drop in blood sugar (low blood sugar) in the dog.
The dangerous thing is that xylitol-sweetened ice cream tastes similar to regular ice cream. In order not to accidentally let your dog lick such an ice cream, you should always be one hundred percent sure that it really does not contain any birch sugar.
How much ice cream your dog can eat
Your dog should only be given a small amount due to the high amount of sugar. Just letting him lick the rest of the paper cup is enough. Then the ice has already thawed and is better tolerated by the stomach.
It’s best not to give him a whole scoop, though. Especially not small dogs. Because a large amount of frozen ice can quickly cause unpleasant stomach pain and diarrhea.
Although your dog can get some ice cream from you every now and then, ready-made ice cream from the supermarket or from the ice cream parlor is not healthy. This includes the ever-popular vanilla ice cream.
There are already special ice creams for dogs on the market. There is even a German dog ice cream factory. The ingredients used include salmon, cheese, fried minced meat and fruit. The lactose-free yoghurt is very well tolerated by dogs.
Ben & Jerry’s also launched dog-friendly ice cream this year. When it will be available in Germany, however, is still open.
An easy way is to just make the ice cream yourself.
How to make dog ice cream yourself
Dog ice cream is quick and easy to make. In addition, you can choose the ingredients as you like and feed the ice cream without a guilty conscience.
You can use quark, yoghurt or cottage cheese as a base ingredient and mix it with ingredients of your choice.
You have the opportunity to let off steam creatively. There is no “one” recipe. Every dog has different preferences. It is also a good idea to use different ingredients to give the dog variety.
You have the free choice of foods that are compatible with dogs:
- Fruits: for example watermelon, strawberries or bananas
- Vegetables: Cucumbers, grated carrots with a little oil
- Liverwurst
- Peanut Butter (should be sugar free)
- some honey
- fresh egg yolk
- Oils, for example fish oil or walnut oil
- oatmeal
- chopped pieces of meat such as liver
Puree or mix the ingredients and pour the mixture into silicone molds. You can buy them online in a variety of forms. After the mass has frozen, you can spoil your dog with a delicious ice cream.
There are no limits to the production of dog ice cream. It is important that you only use ingredients that your dog can tolerate.
It is best for your dog to enjoy their ice cream outside or on a wipeable floor. This is how you avoid stains on the carpet.
Tip:
If your dog does not tolerate dairy products or you generally avoid them, you can use alternatives. Meat broth mixed with dry or wet food makes a delicious dog ice cream.
If you want to make it really easy for yourself, just cut up a few pieces of fruit and freeze them.
Don’t eat grapes as they are poisonous to him. With cherries, you should always make sure to remove the stone.
How about ice cubes?
The advantage of ice cubes is that they consist exclusively of frozen water and are therefore sugar-free.
While ice cubes can be a nice cool-down for your dog, there’s a catch.
If your four-legged friend devours the ice cubes as quickly as his food, this can lead to irritation of the stomach lining.
Just like with us humans, the cold can lead to stabbing headaches. This cold headache, also known as a brain freeze, is anything but pleasant for your dog, too.
Crushed ice is more suitable. The advantage for small dogs is that they can also have fun chewing the frozen ice. While there is no risk of swallowing an ice cube with larger four-legged friends.
As an alternative, you could put an ice cube or two in the water bowl. The cool water does you good in the heat, but is nowhere near as cold as a pure ice cube. This way you can avoid the unpleasant brain freeze with your darling.
Some meat broth over the ice cubes gives the ultimate taste kick.
Conclusion: Can your dog eat ice cream?
Commercial ice cream is not a good treat for your loved one. The high sugar content and many of the ingredients are unhealthy for dogs. Even tiny amounts of the foods listed above can lead to poisoning or, in the worst case, death.
Instead, you can make dog ice cream yourself as an alternative. Homemade ice cream is a nice way to cool off on a hot day and you can vary the taste as you like.
Do you have any questions? Then leave a comment now