Can Dogs Eat Ice Cream? What Every Pet Parent Should Know

How often have you felt guilty eating food that you cannot share with your pet? Pet parents go through this phase when their pets give this expression -"Why are my hoomans not sharing with me what they are eating delightfully?" This is precisely the moment, we would start wondering "Can dogs eat ice cream? Is it safe or could it harm them?" 

According to experts, ice creams are not safe for dogs, even in small quantities. 

Why Ice Cream is Risky for Dogs?

Most commercially available ice creams contain ingredients that are unsuitable for dogs:

1. Lactose Intolerance

Many dogs are lactose intolerant. After puppyhood, dogs produce very little lactase, the enzyme needed to digest milk products. Hence, feeding ice cream can lead to various health conditions including:

• Loose stools
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain
• Bloating

Even a small amount of ice cream can badly affect dog's digestive system.

2. Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

Ice cream has very high sugar content. Excess sugar can cause various health issues in dogs including:

• Obesity
• Dental conditions
• Diabetes

We may want to consider 'sugar-free' ice creams but they contain xylitol, which is extremely toxic to dogs and can cause: 

• Sudden drop in blood sugar 
• Liver failure
• Seizure

Here is how Chezhi reacted when I asked her if I could place an order for vanilla ice cream:

3) Flavors Carry Risks

Certain flavors are extremely harmful to dogs and hence are a strict no-no for dogs. Harmful flavors for dogs include:

• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Raisins
• Grapes
• Nut-based flavors

Can Dogs Eat Plain Vanilla Ice Cream? 

Plain vanilla ice cream is generally considered safe by experts but only in moderation and very infrequently. For some dogs, even small quantity of vanilla ice cream may cause health issues and hence it is always recommended to look for any signs of discomfort after feeding vanilla ice cream to your dog.

Safe Alternatives to Ice Cream for Dogs

Some safe ice cream alternatives for dogs include:

• Frozen curd / yoghurt (plain and unsweetened)
• Frozen banana slices
• Dog-specific frozen treats
• Ice cubes with diluted vegetable broth or bone broth (Salt and onion to be strictly avoided)

Caution

Kindly contact your veterinarian if your dog experiences any of the following symptoms after eating ice cream.

• Excessive gas
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Restlessness
• Lethargy

Sharing ice cream with our pets may give us and our pets happiness. But, health matters the most as an healthy dog is a happy dog.