My Dog Ate Ice Cream Will He Get Sick?

Who hasn’t seen those adorable videos of kids (or adults) sharing their ice cream cone with a dog? The dog happily licks up the ice cream with no apparent problems! So, can dogs eat ice cream?

Why Dogs Shouldn’t Eat Ice Cream

The answer to that question is probably no. While they love ice cream, dogs can get sick from eating ice cream. Here are the reasons dogs shouldn’t have ice cream:

1). Dogs don’t digest dairy products very well: ice cream can cause your fur baby to develop an upset stomach, nausea or even vomiting and diarrhea. It can also cause bloating, gas and constipation. Would you want that to happen to your canine companion?

The reason for these issues is that dogs don’t have enough lactose to digest dairy products such as milk or ice cream.

2). Ice cream has too much sugar for dogs: this is also a problem. If your fur baby has ice cream too often, he can gain weight, which could even lead to obesity and the development of diabetes.

3). Ice cream can contain toxic ingredients: another problem with ice cream is that some of the ingredients can be toxic to dogs. For instance, if you eat sugarless ice cream, chances are that it contains xylitol or another artificial sweetener. These are all bad for dogs.

In addition, ice cream that contains chocolate (flavoring, sauce, chips) is bad because chocolate is toxic for dogs. Coffee and green tea ice cream are also dangerous due to the levels of caffeine in these products. And anything that contains raisins is off limits, as can lead to kidney problems.

4). Dogs can be allergic to dairy products: just as some people are allergic to dairy products, the same can be true of dogs.

Ice cream just isn’t good for dogs!

Safely Feed Your Dog Ice Cream

As a once in a while treat, very small servings of ice cream may be safe for your fur baby. This is true, as long as your dog doesn’t have an intolerance to dairy, or a dairy allergy. Just make sure the serving is small, is made with real sugar (no artificial sweeteners), and stick with vanilla or fruit flavored versions.

Safe Ice Cream Alternatives for Dogs

Another option is to serve your fur baby an ice cream alternative. You can try frozen yogurt (if your dog has no intolerance or allergy to dairy) or vegan ice cream (with no artificial sweeteners). These are lower in sugar and dairy (though there are some that are dairy-free).

Most dogs are happy with these ice cream alternatives! And these are safer, but always stick to small servings. You and your canine companion will both be able to enjoy a nice cold treat on a hot day!