Can Dogs Eat Ice Cream? What happens if they do?

So you’ve bought some ice cream and now your dog is looking at you with its big puppy-like eyes. You instantly ask, should I share some? Your answer is sad, no you shouldn’t do it. Even though it is not downright a dangerous dairy product, it is still not considered a good treat for your little furry friend. It is always a good idea to understand which foods your dog can eat.

Problems With Ice Cream

When it comes to dairy products, like yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk – all of them contain lactose. The icy treat especially contains high levels of lactose. And because a majority of the dogs are lactose intolerant, treating him to some of this cold delight every now and then could result in some serious health conditions for your dog. The most common symptoms of lactose intolerance in dogs include:

• Bloating- this occurs more often in larger dogs.
• Sugar rush
• Gas
• Vomiting
• Gastrointestinal upset
• Diarrhea

If your canine eats ice cream (or any other type of dairy product) and shows any of these above-mentioned symptoms 30 minutes to 120 minutes later, then you can be certain that he is going to be very ill, which is why you should quit giving him dairy products.

How Much Ice Cream Should I Give It?

if you are unsure of whether your dog is lactose intolerant or not, try feeding him a small quantity of ice cream and keep an eye open for any potential symptoms.

Besides the high lactose levels in ice creams, these food items also contain a lot of sugar, which means if your dog is diabetic – then all sugary products should be off the menu for him permanently. Moreover, high sugar, artificial sweeteners, and salt are all components that can be very toxic for dogs, and they can easily damage their teeth and oral health in general.

You should know by now that chocolate is pretty bad for a canine’s health. And even if you are planning to feed a little ice cream to your pooch, make sure you stick to vanilla and avoid other flavors such as raisins, cookies and cream, and hazelnut. As discussed, artificial sweeteners used in dairy products, especially xylitol, can be deadly to dogs and should be kept away from them at all costs. Also, xylitol is like sugar in terms of appearance and taste, but it carries fewer calories, yet it still isn’t good for Fido.

However, if you must feed your dog some ice cream, make sure your dog is not lactose intolerant and/or diabetic, and the ice cream has low sugar content along with zero toxic elements such as chocolate and artificial sweeteners. Even if all these things are true, that does not mean that you can allow your dog to start binging on the dessert – allow him small quantities that too only a couple of times in a year at most.

One of the most common times when dog owners like to surprise their canines with ice cream is on their birthdays. Feeding him ice cream once a year ensures your dog doesn’t feel left out and also adds an element of surprise. In addition to that, feeding a canine a little bit of ice cream on its birthday isn’t going to make it ill.

Conclusion

Ultimately, ice cream is bad for your dog. There are just too many things to look out for and on top of that, it lacks nutrition and does not bring any true health benefits. Even though your pup may love the taste of ice cream, there are a plethora of reasons to not give it any at all.