Dogs & Ice Cream – Is This a Good Combination? 

Who doesn’t love ice cream? Especially on a hot summer day! You may be wondering if ice cream is a harmless treat for your dogs. Unfortunately, it may be tempting to share some ice cream with your pup, but it should be avoided in the long run. We will explain why.

One of the main reasons why this may be a problem is lactose intolerance. Dog bodies are not designed to digest milk after they are weaned as puppies. Puppies have the enzyme they need to break down their mother’s milk. However, after they are weaned, their bodies produce less lactase. It is important to know that many adult dogs are lactose intolerant. Dairy products may also cause pancreatitis.

You may also need to consider things like food allergies. Dogs can suffer from a variety of food allergies, including allergic reactions to milk and dairy products such as ice cream. How do these allergic reactions occur? They are a reaction to the proteins found in milk products. Some of the symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and itchy skin.

Obesity may be a consequence of ice cream as well. Ice cream is loaded with sugar. Feeding your dog sugary foods can lead to weight gain and obesity. Not only that, but it can cause other health concerns as well. Important! Even if the ice cream package states that it is sugar-free, you need to watch out for ingredients such as xylitol which is very toxic to dogs.

These are some of the reasons why ice cream is not recommended to dogs. While some dogs can tolerate a small amount of plain vanilla ice cream as a treat, there are other options you can give them that are not as likely to cause digestive problems. Do you want to give your dog a cold treat? You should try freezing some plain yogurt. This is a great alternative to ice cream because yogurt is fermented and contains less lactose. Therefore, it is easier for dogs to digest!