Icecream

[elmo_em ♀]

Is it ok if I gave elmo a little bit of ice cream? It was kind of a treat for sitting at my feet the whole time I was on the couch eating some - well, after me saying no at least 5 times and him giving up:).

It was just a teaspoon size bit of vanilla icecream in his bowl.

Really want to know what the things are that you should never feed dogs?

I know about onion and chocolate, are there other really big no no's?

[Perry's Mum]

Perry just loves icecream - we always stop for one on the way home from sheepdog school and she eats a whole icecream cone of her own. Her favourite flavour is vanilla with liver sprinkles.

[Ruffles]

I dont know about not giving him icecream but I wouldnt be rewarding him for hassling you for food.

Just because he sat at your feet doesnt mean he was being good. You are teaching him that whenever someones eating, if he sits there and waits he will get some which is very annoying when they're adult dogs and as high as your plate.

On the icecream front however, I wouldnt feed it as I wouldnt give my dogs Cows Milk. I think some dogs can be lactose intolerant... I'm sure someone will be able to give you a definate answer though

[Daisy]

Grapes are apparently not good, and also don't feed processed meats like devon, salami etc

[shoemonster]

I give Eddie icecream sometimes

I think it's ok in moderation (he gets it maybe every month or so)

[elmo_em ♀]

He seemed to really like it so I think it will just be for special treats. Maybe when he starts school it will be a good incentive for him.

[Alison1474]

Holy Cow !!!!

What's this about no devon ??? I've fed my munchkins devon as treats since I've had them.

Can someone tell me what's wrong with it please.

[Alison]

On the icecream front however, I wouldnt feed it as I wouldnt give my dogs Cows Milk. I think some dogs can be lactose intolerant... I'm sure someone will be able to give you a definate answer though

Ruffles, from what I understand dogs are not born lactose intolerant, they actually become intollerant if it is taken out of their diet. So a dog that is fed lactose products all it's life shouldn't become intollerant. However, even if a dog is not lactose intollerant, I can't imagine that the sugar in ice cream would be very beneficial to a dogs diet. In saying this I must admit, do as I say not as I do, Tyler always has a tiny amount of ice cream whenever I do. I am not a huge ice cream eater though. I would not feed it in large amounts or regularly.

[Aequus]

We learnt about ice cream the hard way......

Our poodle ended up with diabeties. No it was not fed it regulary or in great quantites and the rest of the diet was top quality premium food or raw diet.

Several months of insulin injections, bood sugar readings and trips to the vet ended with our little girl being put to sleep and the guilt of knowing "we did this" was not pleasant.

I'm not saying don't do it - but be warned it had a terrible affect on our dog.

[Ruffles]

I was just guessing on the Lactose intolerence thing hehe...

I dont give my dogs Ice cream or cake or anything sugary, Not preaching I just dont do it. Never really thought why It just doesnt feel right to me.

Sorry to hear about your experience Meg

[Alison]

Elmo n Em, I would be giving Elmo liver treats as reward instead of ice cream, and like Ruffles said, give them to him when he sits away from you quietly while you are eating and not when he sits at your feet giving you cute puppy looks to get your food

[elmo_em ♀]

I know cats are lactose intollereant, wasn't sure about dogs. Meg Im so sorry to hear about your dog. I hope elmo never has to go through anything like that.

Oh dear... I thought by giving him the ice cream after he had been lying at my feet just being quiet and watching telly too would be ok. I walked into the kitchen to put my bowl away and put the teaspoon of icecream into his bowl then called him to his bowl. I didn't think that would be a bad way of doing it? I don't eat icecream that often either, so I think it would definitely be only on special occassions he gets it rather than part of his diet (much as I think he would like it to be )

He gets his liver treats too mainly when were practicing sitting and stuff, he loves those. Can't imagine using icecream as a training aid!

[Miranda]

We learnt about ice cream the hard way......

Our poodle ended up with diabeties. No it was not fed it regulary or in great quantites and the rest of the diet was top quality premium food or raw diet.

Several months of insulin injections, bood sugar readings and trips to the vet ended with our little girl being put to sleep and the guilt of knowing "we did this" was not pleasant.

I'm not saying don't do it - but be warned it had a terrible affect on our dog.

I doubt that feeding occasional small quantities of ice cream caused your dog to develop diabetes, it is far more likely that she had a genetic predisposition to the disease. Eating sugar doesn't cause diabetes in humans and it doesn't cause diabetes in dogs, three of the biggest risk factors are having a close relative with the disease, ageing and becoming overweight. I have fed all my dogs (and I've owned a LOT of dogs) small quantities of just about everything during their lives and that includes ice cream, nuts, raisins, grapes, tomatoes, chocolate and onions and I've never had a problem. It's all about being sensible and only giving small amounts and not too often. Don't blame yourself for your dog's disease, sometimes things like this just happen and it's nobody's fault just one of those things.

[Safadao]

grapes are bad? Our old dalmatian used (when i was growing up) used to run all around the town we were growing up in. He knew everyone, and everyone knew him. But he used to all the time go and eat grapes right off the vines. The more rotting the smell, the better. If he at too much, some times he would get the runs .... but it was impossible stopping him. I guess the seeds would not be very good for dogs in some varieties.

[blacklabrador]

We learnt about ice cream the hard way......

Our poodle ended up with diabeties. No it was not fed it regulary or in great quantites and the rest of the diet was top quality premium food or raw diet.

Several months of insulin injections, bood sugar readings and trips to the vet ended with our little girl being put to sleep and the guilt of knowing "we did this" was not pleasant.

I'm not saying don't do it - but be warned it had a terrible affect on our dog.

Don't beat yourself up - I can't see that ice cream on occassion could possibly CAUSE diabetes in a dog.

snap Miranda - I shoulda read all the posts first

Edited March 30, 2006 by blacklabrador

[blue elephant pjs]

My dogs get everything i eat some they like some they dont they got 2 kilos of home made spag sauce this morning that i forgot to refridgerate that had onion tomato garlic in . Zeus normally if i can take him for a drive gets icecream up to three times a week and he adores it i get soft serve which is made skim milk, they get cows milk on their cereal thats all three dogs and they often get chocolate. They eat what i eat and they love it.

[Roxy Lady]

I'm not sure about devon but meats that are salted aren't good, like ham. I'm not sure why but i've never given dogs ham because it makes them spew i think it is just too much salt in there for them

[blue elephant pjs]

Darn I must be the worst owner in the world zeus and i often sit down about once a week to a ham and cheese sandwich each. hmmm wonder how much more of this unhealthy food i feed him that i shouldn't

[Miranda]

I'm with you blue elephant pjs, my dogs eat just about everything, sometimes I think people get too hung up on this sort of thing

[shmoo]

here is a good list of things NOT to feed your dogs:

Items to avoid - Reasons to avoid

Alcoholic beverages Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.

Baby food Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.

Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.

Cat food Generally too high in protein and fats.

Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.

Citrus oil extracts Can cause vomiting.

Fat trimmings Can cause pancreatitis.

Grapes and raisins Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys.

Hops Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.

Human vitamin supplements containing iron Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.

Large amounts of liver Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones.

Macadamia nuts Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.

Marijuana Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.

Milk and other dairy products Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.

Moldy or spoiled food, garbage Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.

Mushrooms Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.

Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder) Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.

Persimmons Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.

Pits from peaches and plums Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.

Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a problem in livestock.

Raw eggs Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Raw fish Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly.

Salt If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.

String Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."

Sugary foods Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.

Table scraps (in large amounts) Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.

Tobacco Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.

Yeast dough Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.