Is ice cream safe for dogs to eat? Can dogs eat ice cream?
In short, it’s not a great idea. While some dogs can handle a small amount of vanilla ice cream, it’s usually a better idea to provide your pet with dog-specific versions of this dessert.
You should stay away from giving your dog human ice cream for the following three reasons:
- Many dogs are lactose intolerant and are very prone to stomach upsets, vomiting, and diarrhea issues when consuming dairy.
- Even if your dog is not sensitive to dairy products, such products can contribute to weight gain and obesity, along with a host of other health problems. You never want to give your dog human food for these reasons, especially ice cream. All the sugar and cream found in human ice cream is a sure-fire way to add unhealthy pounds to your dog and take a toll on his or her body.
- Human ice cream ingredients can be dangerous. For example, many ice creams include the artificial sweetener xylitol, which can be seriously toxic for dogs. This ingredient is frequently found in sugar-free products. Also, flavors that have chocolate, raisins, and certain nuts (like macadamia nuts or walnuts) are NOT safe for your furry friend. It’s better to avoid this all together.
Even though many doggie ice cream products have dairy, such doggie ice cream recipes are less concentrated with dairy products than traditional ice cream to prevent stomach upset. So in other words, it’s much a healthier and safer version for dogs than traditional ice cream.
A great alternative to dairy-based doggie ice cream is to look for doggie ice cream made of sunflower butter instead of dairy products. Sunflower butter is made from sunflower seed kernels that are gently roasted and then ground into a smooth paste. It is better and gentler on dogs’ stomachs.
Recently, Ben & Jerrys came out with doggie ice cream. According to the company’s press release, each flavor is sunflower butter-based and includes whole, real ingredients that can be found in any of the brand’s other products made for humans. The flavors include “Pontch’s Mix,” which blends peanut butter and pretzels, and “Rosie’s Batch,” which combines pumpkin and mini cookies into each spoonful.
Nevertheless, just like human ice cream, you still want to give your pooch doggie ice cream in moderation as part of a healthy diet and exercise routine. A good rule is to reward your dog with a cup once a week, specifically when doing something that praises good behavior.
