WitchHazel Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 A friend shared this link, and I thought I'd share it here. If your dog is hot, do not give him/her ice or iced water. http://wendtworthcorgis.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/no-ice-water-for-dogs-please-read-asap/ EDITED: Turns out this isn't quite accurate. It's not a hoax, it seems the person concerned was given some duff info which they spread, trying to be helpful. It's more likely that the dog bloated because it was dehydrated and drank too much too quickly. Pages like Snopes give detailed responses from Vets at the end. However, veterinary experts have dismissed the claims in the message as false. Bloat is a real condition and can certainly be very dangerous to dogs. But, there is no credible evidence to support the claim that iced water can cause the condition. In an article about the myth, Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA, notes: Though undoubtedly well-intentioned, the problem is obvious: The writer is misguidedly offering up her story as a helpful truth. When, in fact, the information is unproven, unreliably sourced, unverified, and utterly unnecessarily disseminated to the public - to the potential detriment of dogs who may indeed benefit from drinking cold water or getting ice cubes in their water to brake their drinking binges. Frigid water gastric "cramping" is a falsehood akin to those that inform you that your hair will grow back co"Ooops, word censored!"r 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). And veterinarian Dr. Audrey Harvey concurs, noting: There have been rumors that ice and ice water causes a spasm of the stomach muscle in dogs, leading to a swollen stomach, and potentially fatal bloat. These rumors are not true. Dr Harvey adds: I think that what is more likely is that dogs are given ice or iced water to drink when they are hot and thirsty, for example after heavy exercise. Under these circumstances, they are very likely to drink a lot of water very quickly, and this is a known risk factor for bloat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 True, as an owner of running dogs I cool mine down with cool, but not cold, damp towels and bath their feet in cool water. Mind you, mine both have Saluki in them, so they don't often overheat, and I wouldn't let them run long enough to get like that. A friend uses this cooling jacket on their dog with a thick coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
