Can dogs and cats eat ice cream?

Question

Can dogs and cats eat ice cream?

Answer 1

NOO!!!!! Some adult cats and dogs 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 cats.

Answer 2

Yes.

When I buy an ice cream cone I have to buy my dog one or he gets the s***s with me & starts howling (its so embarrassing).

Answer 3

I will give my dog a little of my ice cream but never anything with chocolate. The cat would not do as well because it can upset their stomachs just like all milk products.

Answer 4

They shouldn't - both are usually lactose intolerant.  

However, you can find certain frozen yogurts that are designed for dogs to be able to eat them.  Remember, though, that it's just a treat and it's basically junk.  If you want to give your dog some, you'll want either the commercial one for dogs and it will be safe as a treat but might give them diarrhea, or you can look up some doggy recipes to make your own and it may be less likely to upset their tummy at least.

I have heard of nothing similar for cats, though they do make a catmilk product for cats who love milk and cream but are lactose intolerant (not ALL cats or dogs are, but it's fairly common).

Answer 5

Yes because they are animals and we humans are animals...we humans eat anything what satisfies us and dogs and cats are just like us(sorta)so i guess so

Answer 6

I am approaching 50 years old and have had dogs my whole life and I've never heard anywhere except here that ice cream and milk is not good for dogs.  I've given my dogs ice cream and I even had one dog that loved milk so much that she drank my cereal milk every morning of her 15 year life.  There's lots of stuff nowadays that dont' make sense to me.  The only thing that I wouldn't do is give it any chocolate ice cream....chocolate is bad for dogs but I've had dogs that have eaten it also but it was never dark chocolate.  Give your dog some vanilla ice cream but not too much so as not to make him or her fat.

Answer 7

  its ok to give vanilla ice cream to a cat or dog.  Never give chocolate, it can be toxic to both

Answer 8

Yes they make an ice cream for dogs its called frosty paws and cats and dogs can eat ice cream as long its vanilla

Answer 9

I've always given my dogs tiny tastes of ice cream as a treat.  But only very small tastes at a time (don't want them getting brain freeze!)

Answer 10

I've given my dog a l**k or two of ice cream, hasn't seemed to do him any harm.  But my dog trainer gave me a recipe for a doggy friendly frozen treat.. and he LOVES them.

32 oz yogurt (plain or vanilla)

6 oz applesauce or sweet potato or banana(can use fresh or baby food)

2 TBS honey

2 TBS peanut butter

Mix it all together and pour into ice cube trays and freeze.  Once frozen, I just pop them all into a freezer bag.   I have a pomeranian and the ice cube tray size is perfect.  He really does love them, give it to him a few times a week as a special treat.  Healthier and less expensive than the frosty paws... and now I don't have to share my ice cream with him.  :)

Answer 11

It won't kill them, just not too much

Answer 12

They can but they shouldn't due to the milk in ice cream.  Cats have a special milk designed for cats.  They should not drink cows milk.  Also cats can not taste sugar (I have no idea who discovered that and how) so it is not as nice to them as it is for us.  I have to admit I did give my cat ice cream once and she just sat there l*****g it.

Answer 13

We always gave our dogs a SMALL amount of ice cream several times a year...like giving them their own "baby" cone when we all had ice cream (this was in the days when they scooped ice cream with a metal scoop, rather than pulling a lever to get it to flow out of a machine), so the amount that they got would have been about 1 tablespoon.  We also let them l**k out the ice cream container after we had finished it.  None of them appeared any the worse for it.

But, like human quality milk, it could cause them diarrhea if given in a large enough quality, and I would not be setting down a large food bowl of ice cream for them as a summer treat, not to mention that they do not need extra calories, dogs can get fat too.