Fact Check: Ice Cubes Are Safe for Dogs, Contrary to Alarmist Social Media Claims
But the American Kennel Club says that is not true.
A July 9th Facebook post says, “PLEASE do NOT give your dogs ice cubes or other frozen items in the heat to cool them down! Giving ice cubes to dogs in the heat has the opposite effect of cooling.” Unfortunately, that false-info post was shared nearly 3,000 times, before it was deleted.
The warning originated back in 2010, and has circulated online since at least 2014. But veterinarians say that giving dogs ice cubes in moderation is a perfectly acceptable way to cool them down.
The experts say you should allow your dog to cool down, after they exert a lot of energy and excitement, prior to giving them unlimited access to food and water. If they drink too much water, at once, they can develop a dangerous condition called bloat.
And giving your dog ice cubes can actually help prevent bloat because they “slow down the rate of ingestion of water by overly excited dogs.”
There’s more, here: (Yahoo)
- A viral post on social media that claims that dogs should not be given ice cubes has been debunked by veterinarians, who say giving your dog ice cubes is ok, and is even a good thing as it can slow down how fast your dog consumes water after exerting themselves, which in turn can help them avoid a potentially dangerous condition called bloat
