When heatwaves hit, ice cream sales soar. An ice lolly is a tonic on a scorching day. The science of whether it actually physically cools your body temperature down is debatable, but if it refreshes you, that’s the job half done. Our pooches also relish a refresher during heatwaves, so alongside providing a doggy paddling pool, it leads many of us to ask if dogs can eat ice cream?
Can dogs eat ice cream?
So, can dogs eat ice cream? In a conventional sense, no – dogs can not share your treats from the ice cream van. The ice creams that we eat is typically packed with sugar and other unsuitable ingredients. In particular, ice cream that contains chocolate or the sweetener xylitol is toxic to dogs. But there is certainly no harm in feeding suitable frozen food – or dog-safe ice cream – to your dog during a heatwave. Helen Masters, a canine behaviourist, rehabilitator and trainer based in Kent, uses this strategy.
“It’s normal for dogs to go off their food during hot days, so don’t panic,” she says. “A trick I like to use is to give my dogs their food frozen. I feed a raw food diet so instead of defrosting it, I give them it as it comes. This gives them enrichment as they must work harder to get the food and helps as a cooling aid, too, like eating an ice lolly. If they are fed processed kibble it’s a little difficult and probably even less appetising so you could substitute this for frozen chicken, duck or goose wings.”
How to make ice cream for a dog
For those who don’t mind a bit of prep time in the kitchen, it’s fun to make home-made ice lollies for your dogs. Helen cautions “not to go overboard with fruit or meat frozen cubes as well as their normal food, as this can give the stomach-ache and diarrhoea”. Just be aware that extra food is a treat, and should be considered within their daily calorific intake.
Smoofl Ice Cream Mix | Amazon.co.uk This doggy ice cream mix is available in six flavours – apple, strawberry, watermelon, peanut butter, mango or banana!
Smoofl Dog Ice Cream Kit | Amazon.co.uk Available in three different flavours, this kit has everything you need to make grain-, lactose- and fat-free ice cream suitable for all dog breeds.
An ice lolly mold is ideal, and there are even some dog-themed options, however do not use sticks as these are a choking hazard. (Although you might also find these recipes so tasty, you’ll want to save a couple of lollies with sticks for the humans). Alternatively, if you don’t have any lolly moulds, you could use an ice cube tray for smaller treats – these paw silicone moulds are just the ticket!
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1 cup strawberries
1 cup raspberries
400g Greek yogurt
1tblsp honey
Put all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth and pour into ice lolly moulds. Freeze for three hours, and they’re ready to serve.
Banana and peanut butter flavour
1 banana
400g Greek yogurt
1 tblsp honey
2 tblsp natural peanut butter (NB check the ingredients to ensure there is no xylitol, as this is present in some peanut butter and is toxic to dogs)
Put all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth and pour into ice lolly moulds. Freeze for three hours, and they’re ready to serve.
Peamutt Butter | Amazon.co.uk This dog-safe peanut butter is a good source of protein, and contains heart healthy fats, vitamin B, niacin and vitamin E.
Put all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth and pour into ice lolly moulds. Freeze for three hours, and they’re ready to serve.
Harringtons advises: “Although these treats are super tasty, be sure your pooch doesn’t overindulge, one a day is plenty! It’s important to make sure your dog is getting a nutritious, balanced diet and maintains a healthy weight.”
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
