Dog Health

Is It Safe To Feed Dogs Ice Cubes?

July 7, 2022

Ever since we moved out of the city, we’ve gone without air conditioning.  It’s not nearly as hot where we live now as it was where we were before.  But every now and then, in the summer, we’ll have a few excessively hot days.  Some of our favorite ways to keep cool, sans AC, include wading around in our local brook, relaxing in front of fans, and exploring the nice shady woods around our house.

The dogs especially enjoy eating doggy ice cream.  I will sometimes freeze bone broth and ice cube trays for them.  I will also put ice cubes in Kit and Fen‘s water bowls, and sometimes give them ice cubes to play with.  Is it safe to give dogs ice cubes?  After reading some conflicting information, I decided to dive in and do my own research.

There has been a story circulating the internet, apparently since around 2007, that warns owners against giving dogs ice cubes or ice water.

All these years later I couldn’t find a link to the original article anymore, but the short version is that supposedly eating ice or drinking very cold water can cause a dog’s stomach to spasm, which can lead to bloat.  Bloat is most common in large dogs, although not unheard of in small breeds, and it can be deadly.

However, I was unable to find any reliable source that could explain the link between cold water, stomach spasms, and bloat.

dogs ice cubesDr. Patty Khuly, in a now removed petmd article, wrote that “Frigid water gastric “cramping” is a falsehood akin to those that inform you that your hair will grow back coarser if you shave it (myth), or that you shouldn’t go swimming for 30 minutes after eating lest you drown in a fit of cramps (myth).”  Although I looked at many articles about bloat and its causes, I didn’t find a single source that specifically listed eating ice or drinking cold water as a risk factor for bloat.  The ASPCA states that “the exact cause [of bloat] is currently unknown. Certain risk factors include: rapid eating, eating one large meal daily, dry food-only diet, overeating, overdrinking [water of any temperature], heavy exercise after eating, fearful temperament, stress, trauma and abnormal gastric motility or hormone secretion.”

In fact, many veterinarians and pet experts recommend ice be given to teething puppies.

One of our old vets recommended offering ice chips as a way to help keep sick dogs hydrated.  I also came across many sources that recommended ice be used in pet bowls to keep their water cool in the summer.

The only widely documented risk of eating ice, that I could find, was that, because it’s so hard, it can cause fractured teeth.

You can offer your dog crushed ice instead of ice cubes, if this is something you’re worried about.  In addition, frozen treats such as doggy ice cream, yogurt, bone broth, etc., are usually quite a bit softer than plain ice.

I came across a few sources that also suggested ice can present a choking hazard, although I couldn’t find any actual cases of this happening.

My guess would be that, even if a dog were to swallow a large pieces of ice, it would quickly melt enough to not present as much of a choking risk.  If you have a dog that’s prone to gulping food, be especially careful not to offer large food items.  This is another instance where a softer frozen treat, or shaved ice, might prove safer than offering large ice chunks.

I know this is only anecdotal…

I’ve been giving my Kitsune ice cubes every now and then for 13+ years, and Fenrir for 6+, and we’ve never had any issues doing so.  Like most things, I think it’s important to offer frozen treats, ice included, in moderation.  Ice cubes should be made from fresh, clean water.  Know your dog.  Fenrir, for example, usually likes playing with ice more than eating it.  Even when he does eat it, he licks at it rather than biting/chewing on it.  I doubt I’d ever have to worry about him hurting his teeth or choking on ice.  However, if his ice eating style was different I’d think twice about offering it to him, and would probably opt for offering shaved ice and soft frozen treats only.

If anyone comes across any information on this topic that I may have missed, feel free to comment and let me know!  For now I’ve decided that I’m going to chill when it comes to offering my dogs ice.  I will continue to offer the occasional frozen treat to help keep my dogs cool.

dogs ice cubes

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22 Comments

  • Reply Kelley August 10, 2013 at 5:06 pm

    I’ve never heard of ice cubes causing bloat either. My 10 month old German shepherd LOVES ice cubes (in fact, he’s eating one as I write this.) It cools him down and keeps him entertained. (It amuses me as well.) Sometimes I’ll freeze watered down chicken broth into cubes for him as well.

    • Reply Michelle August 10, 2013 at 5:15 pm

      I gave them to my Papillon a lot when he was a puppy. It’s suppose to help when they are teething. I still give them to him once in awhile just because he likes them. 🙂

  • Reply BoingyDog August 25, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    Thanks for this post – just discovered your blog from your entry on BlogPaws! Kayo LOVES ice cubes and because she’s a large deep-chested dog I have read everything humanly possible about bloat and never seen anything related to cold water or ice. The only proven concern I’ve heard is that ice cubes or ice cold water fed to or poured on dogs suffering from heat stroke could change their temperature too drastically and put them in heat stroke. Thanks again!

    • Reply Michelle August 26, 2013 at 12:46 pm

      That’s good information about dogs suffering from heat stroke!

      Thank you for stopping by 🙂

  • Reply BJ Bangs August 28, 2020 at 1:46 pm

    Very interesting. I know cats don’t like ice cubes or even cold water. They like it at room temperature. Thanks for sharing.

    • Reply Emilia August 29, 2020 at 4:12 pm

      Mine love to play with ice. And Treeno and Mocha loooooove ice cream.

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:41 pm

      Very interesting – I didn’t know that!

  • Reply Angela Schneider August 28, 2020 at 8:31 pm

    I saw a friend share that meme recently but someone else got to her before I could correct it. It’s funny how the internet can be as much a wealth of information as it can be a wealth of misinformation.

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:43 pm

      For sure! I got worried at first when I saw info going around about ice being dangerous, but am glad I decided to do my own research. Kit and Fen I’m sure are glad too, Fen especially loves playing with ice cubes!

  • Reply Ruth Epstein August 29, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    I like you have read conflicting articles about ice but cannot remember where so am like you questioning it but on the other hand if it works then I would not worry plus if they make doggy ice cream, tell you how to make doggy popsicles then I am sure it is ok.

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      I’ve never had any issues with it, thankfully, and from my research I didn’t find any concrete evidence that giving ice or other frozen treats was dangerous.

  • Reply Emilia August 29, 2020 at 4:25 pm

    I’m no expert on dogs but I think pet friendly ice cream or frozen bone broth would be fine? I’ve seen those articles too but there are others recommending ice as a plaything and for dogs that need to lose weight but want to mouth things all the time. Frozen treats are commercially available and vets recommend freezing Kongs for teething puppies.

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:46 pm

      So true. Like I posted above, my own vet even recommended giving Kit ice before when he was sick, to help keep him hydrated, and they recommend it often for dogs who have had surgery and aren’t ready for solid food quite yet. Everything I found suggested that giving ice is safe, with the slight risk that it could damage teeth if you give large ice cubes/chunks rather than shaved ice or softer treats like ice cream.

  • Reply Jana Rade August 29, 2020 at 8:47 pm

    I am not aware of any credible evidence that ice cubes could cause bloat. When making ice cubes for my dog, though, I make them relatively thin so they are easy to chew.

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:48 pm

      Same. I use small ice cube trays because when I freeze things like bone broth, it allows me to have more control over how much I want to give each dog. I couldn’t find any credible evidence that ice can cause bloat either, all the vets I found that spoke on it actually debunked it.

  • Reply Britt K August 30, 2020 at 8:15 pm

    We give our dogs ice cubes as a treat. They know the sound of the ice maker and get SUPER excited. That being said, they are both good about chewing their ice cubes, so we aren’t overly worried about it. Our one dog likes to chase them across the floor, pouncing on them, biting (breaking the cube) and then chasing the pieces lol

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:49 pm

      Aw Fen does that too! He mostly likes to play with his ice, it’s SO cute to watch.

  • Reply The Dash Kitten Crew August 30, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    I have never hear of ice cubes causing such serious issues in dogs. Honestly? I would expect most dogs to crunch maybe! If your pups are happy and they do not come to harm, short of asking a vet I would let them enjoy their ice!

    I know cats are encouraged to drink cool water (ice cubes in it) and I have seen some people freeze a large bowl then turn it out and the cats lick it.

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:50 pm

      Yeah there’s been memes and such circulating for years now saying it’s dangerous to give dogs ice. I’ve been giving it, every now and then, to Kit since he was a puppy and he’s almost 12 now, and we’ve never had any issues. Kit’s old vet even recommended giving him ice to help keep him hydrated once when he was sick!

  • Reply Dorothy "FiveSibesMom" September 1, 2020 at 12:05 am

    I’m with you…I never could find anything reliable to back up that story that circulated. I have been putting ice cubes in my FiveSibes’ water dish since they were little! And, I also have never read any links between ice cubes and bloat. Great post!

    • Reply Michelle & The Paw Pack September 1, 2020 at 10:53 pm

      Thanks! Yeah I was glad when I researched and found that the info I saw circulating didn’t seem to be true. Both my boys love getting ice every now and then, especially in the summer, and I’d hate to have to stop giving it to them.

  • Reply Sweet Purrfections September 2, 2020 at 8:25 pm

    My mom’s dog loves ice cubes! There’s a lot of untruths circulating around FB and social media and unfortunately, too many people believe it.

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