Did you ever find yourself enjoying a scoop of cold ice cream while your dog…
Can Dogs Eat Vegan Ice Cream?
It’s common knowledge that there are a lot of reservations about feeding ice cream to your dog. This is because there are several ingredients in ice cream that are harmful to our beloved pet dogs. But what about vegan ice cream, can dogs eat vegan ice cream?
The answer to that question depends on the content of the vegan ice cream. To know what vegan ice cream can dogs eat, you first have to know which type of ice cream dogs can’t eat.
Can Dogs Eat Vegan Ice Cream?
Dogs aren’t like us, humans. Not everything that humans can eat is suitable just the same for dogs. Hence, before feeding your dog vegan ice cream or any ice cream for that matter, you need to understand how the ice cream ingredients can harm your dog.
Here are some vegan ice cream contents you should be careful about giving your dog:
Lactose Intolerance
Some ice cream contains dairy products that can be harmful to dogs. Dogs don’t digest milk because unlike humans, they lack sufficient lactase enzymes to break down lactose.
Lactose can be harmful to dogs and it can lead to allergic reactions such as diarrhea, vomiting, and heart complications.
Toxic Ingredients
There are other ingredients in vegan ice cream that are toxic to dogs. For example, chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine which the dogs’ digestive system is not built to process.
Additionally, there are some nuts in vegan ice cream that can also be harmful to dogs. Toxic ingredients can lead to digestive complications, poor health, and in extreme cases, death.
Vegan Ice Cream With Added Sugars
Vegan ice cream, like other other common ice cream, can contain a huge volume of sugar and excess sugar is never dog-friendly. When dogs consume large quantities of sugar, it can lead to excess weight gain. Aside from weight gain issues, excess sugar also leads to dental diseases, diabetes, and other health complications.
Vegan Ice Cream Artificial Sweeteners
While ice cream with excess sugar is unhealthy for dogs, so is ice cream with artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners contain xylitol which can expose dogs to severe health complications such as hypoglycemia.
What Vegan Ice Cream Can Dogs Eat
Now that you understand the content of vegan ice cream that can be severely injurious to your dog’s health, we can examine what vegan ice cream dogs can eat.
When feeding ice cream for dogs, it’s better to keep it simple and healthy. This list of vegan ice cream for dogs contains yummy and healthy ice cream that requires simple ingredients. You can also easily make these ice cream yourself.
Frozen Puppy Yogurt
This is a healthy and yummy ice cream for your dog that is made with a combination of unsweetened peanut butter, carrot, and coconut milk. Coconut milk is a healthy and safe dairy alternative for dogs because it doesn’t contain lactose.
You can add dairy-free probiotic capsules to this ice cream if you wish. Your dog will be the happiest with this frozen yogurt that can stay fresh in the fridge for weeks.
Peanut Butter Banana
This simple dog ice cream combines just banana, unsalted and unsweetened peanut butter, and water to create delicious ice cream. You can have fun with the making process by using silicon pans to create shapes that will excite your dog.
Watermelon Popsicles
You can treat your dog to this delicious vegan ice cream that is a combination of coconut milk and blended watermelon. The mix is then frozen into yummy ice cream. You can add some frozen yogurt if you want a thicker cream.
Frozen Fruit Bites
If you’re willing to put in some effort to treat your dog, then these frozen fruit bites are a perfect choice. You can require a combination of dog-healthy fruits (ensure you pick fruits with high water content), blend the fruits, and then pour them into the molds to freeze.
You can add some personal touch to this ice cream by using a mold with exciting shapes such as a paw-shaped one. This ice cream is not only a good cold treat for your dog, but will also keep your dog healthy and refreshed.
Peanut Butter and Jam Freezies
This is a delicious DIY dog ice cream you can make at home. This ice cream is a heavenly mix of strawberry purée and peanut butter, a guaranteed dog-favorite ingredient. This ice cream is the perfect snack for your lovely home buddies.
Carob Fudgsicles
Dogs always salivate at the sight of chocolate. Although it is harmful to them, fortunately, you can swap chocolate for carobs in this dog-friendly ice cream. This ice cream is a delicious blend of coconut milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, and banana.
The high content of fiber and pectin in carobs also makes it a healthy ingredient for your dog ice cream.
Can I Give My Dog Dairy-Free Ice Cream?
Dogs are normally lactose intolerant so they tend to react aggressively to dairy. But the good news is, you can always give your dog dairy-free ice cream to make them happy.
Coconut milk is a suitable and healthy alternative to dairy products. You can use coconut milk to create healthy dog ice cream. Likewise, you can opt for oat milk for dog ice cream as it doesn’t contain xylitol which is known to be toxic to dogs.
How Much Ice Cream Can A Dog Eat?
The quantity of ice cream you should give to your dog depends on the type of ice cream you have and the size of your dog. While it’s okay for dogs to consume fairly large quantities of fruit-based ice cream, it’s not safe for them to consume too much yogurt.
For smaller dogs, a few licks or a small ice cream cone is enough for a day. Larger dogs can consume twice or three times the portion of smaller dogs.
It’s however advisable that you consult your veterinarian on what vegan ice cream can dogs eat and how much quantity they can consume.
Verdict
Conclusively, dogs can eat ice cream. However, it’s always a must that you double-check the contents of the ice cream, or vegan ice cream, before serving it to your dog. This is to ensure that you stay away from harmful ice cream ingredients that can cause sickness to your lovely home buddies. Now if you’re still wondering whether “can dogs eat vegan ice cream,” it can be answered in the affirmative.
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