Your dog will likely become very hot in the summer after spending a lot of time outdoors or in training. However, you suddenly realize your dog is throwing up afterward. As a result, you’ll end up adding a few ice cubes to cool it down.
However, the idea that dogs might vomit after eating ice is not new. It can be unsettling if you’ve never had this issue and it starts to throw up out of the blue. You might question whether giving your dog ice has been a mistake or if it is possibly developing allergies.
Continue reading this article to learn why your dog throws up after eating ice and other pertinent information that we have prepared in detail.
Can Dogs Eat Ice Cubes In Hot Weather
When it’s hot outside, many dog owners will put ice cubes in their dog’s water bowl to help them cool off. Others may even let their dogs chew and lick the ice cubes. You can add a few ice cubes to your dog’s water to help it cool down gradually, but you should avoid doing so because doing so could give them an upset stomach.
Some dogs might also attempt to chew the ice cubes by removing them from the water bowl, which could present a risk of choking or lead to an unintentional tooth chip. Instead of adding a loose ice cube to the water, some dog owners advise freezing the water bowl for 10 minutes to make the water significantly colder.
Ice Melt Poisoning
Products used to melt ice (rock salt) typically contain potassium chloride, calcium salts, or sodium chloride, all of which can be toxic to dogs. The salt melt can make your dog throw up and get diarrhea if consumed in large amounts. Dogs are known to experience severe digestive discomfort from potassium chloride, which results in them vomiting and having diarrhea that contains vomit.
In more severe cases, your dog’s kidney and nervous system function may be impaired. Aside from gastrointestinal issues, your dog may also develop skin and paw irritation from coming into contact with rock salt. Large amounts of rock salt are usually digested when dogs drink from puddles of melted snow.
Should You Give Ice To Your Dog?
From a general point, the answer is yes. When it is considered appropriate, you can give your dog some ice to eat. Although ice cubes are not necessarily harmful to your dog, they may cause some health problems and even put the dog’s life in danger if it chokes.
Therefore, the drawbacks outweigh the advantage, which is cooling the dog. In this case, the decision depends on the individual.
What can you do to reduce the risks associated with giving ice cubes to a dog? Avoid giving your dog ice cubes straight from the fridge. Instead, pulverize them into liquid or smaller pieces that are simple to swallow.
Additionally, practice moderation to avoid consuming too much water or aggressively slurping down the ice while gasping for air.
Dogs can eat ice while still, they are puppies. Giving puppies ice cubes to soothe their irritated gums while they are teething is advised. However, limit the amount of ice you give them because their bodies are prepared to withstand extreme cold.
To help with teething, you can also give your puppy frozen toys. As an alternative, you can make your own soothers by twisting some clean cloth and freezing it for a while, or by using frozen vegetables like carrots.