Shih Tzu can eat ice cream, yes. In any case, it should only be in small quantities and only occasionally. The reason is that ice cream contains milk, and Shih Tzu, like any dog, is lactose-intolerant and digests heavily the sugars that are in the milk. So they can eat ice cream, but only a little.
If you’re wondering how ice cream affects our dogs, here’s a little research and tips I made to help you deal with this issue with your pet.
Let’s get into it!
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Is it okay if Shih Tzu eat ice cream?
If you want to share some ice cream with your Shih Tzu, it’s alright to let it taste a little. However, don’t go overboard and feed too much ice cream.
The thing about ice cream is that it contains milk, and milk is a dairy product rich in lactose.
Some dogs can take milk with little to no issues. However, Shih Tzus are breeds that are lactose-intolerant.
Aside from the milk content, ice creams are often too sweet and not suitable for dogs.
Moreover, some commercial ice cream may even contain artificial flavors and sweeteners. All these components can take a toll on your Shih Tzu if fed too much.
Lastly, there are a few ice cream flavors and ingredients that can be lethal to dogs. These kinds of ice cream can harm your pet, even in small amounts.
For this reason, be mindful of the ice cream and its contents when sparing some for your pet.
If possible, make it a habit to leave your pet out of your ice cream snack.
You May Also Read – Can Shih Tzu eat apple?
How often can you give ice cream to Shih Tzu?
You shouldn’t give your Shih Tzu ice cream too often. In fact, you should avoid giving ice cream as much as you can.
While it can be tempting to let them have a taste, it’s not ideal for their digestive health.
Large amounts of ice cream can already cause issues like diarrhea and an upset stomach. It can even cause your pet to vomit, in worse cases.
Further, regular intake can lead to severe issues in your Shih Tzu’s overall health.
Regular intake of dairy products like ice cream lets in high amounts of lactose. Such a component is challenging for dogs to digest.
For this reason, do your best to avoid feeding ice cream. If you love ice cream, eat some without your dog seeing it.
If you wonder why you shouldn’t feed ice cream to your dog often, here’s the reason:
Why you shouldn’t feed ice cream to dogs too often?
As I said earlier, most dogs (including Shih Tzus) are lactose-intolerant.
It means they can’t digest lactose found in dairy products like milk, which is often the base of ice creams.
For starters, lactose is a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products like cheese and yogurt.
Now, you may be wondering why your dog can’t digest milk, while it’s the only thing they take when they’re young.
Indeed, pups only drink milk coming from their mother. During their puppy days, they produce enzymes that break down the lactose in milk.
As they grow older and start eating solid food, they also begin to produce lesser amounts.
For this reason, most grown-up dogs don’t feed on milk, and once they do, they find it difficult to digest.
Now, lactose intolerance isn’t as lethal as other toxic food such as apple seeds or chocolates.
Still, the symptoms of too much lactose can be pretty uncomfortable.
Thus, it would be best not to feed too much ice cream to your Shih Tzu, as it can lead to adverse symptoms from too much lactose.
Now, it’s not only lactose in ice creams that you should mind. More than this sugar, you should also be aware of the flavor.
You May Also Read – Can Shih Tzu eat chicken?
What kind of ice cream can dogs eat?
Most ice creams pretty much contain high amounts of milk and lactose. Still, there are ice creams that you should altogether avoid for your Shih Tzu.
If you want to feed ice cream to your pet, your best bet is plain vanilla ice cream. You can also provide fruit-flavored ones such as mango and strawberry ice creams.
The thing about other types is that the flavors on their own can be lethal to your dog.
For instance, you should never feed chocolate ice cream to your pet. The reason is that chocolate can be poisonous to dogs and other animals, even in small amounts.
Thus, you should avoid not only chocolate flavored ones. Moreover, it would be best if you did not feed any ice cream with chocolate in it.
Another ice cream that you shouldn’t feed is the sugar-free ones. Although it sounds promising to provide sugar-free ice cream, it may contain xylitol.
While we can tolerate xylitol, our dogs cannot. Most sugar-free ice cream has xylitol to compensate for the sweetness brought by sugar.
It would be best if you also avoid ice cream with macadamia nuts and the coffee-flavored ones.
What are Shih Tzu not allowed to eat?
Aside from ice cream, it would be best if you were mindful not to feed your Shih Tzu the following food. Here’s a list of toxic food you shouldn’t allow your Shih Tzu to eat:
- Chocolate (huge red flag)
- Grapes and Raisins (toxic to most dogs and even cats)
- Onions (both raw and cooked is harmful even in small amounts)
- Tea and coffee (the caffeine in both is lethal to these animals)
- Salt (too much sodium is also a bad thing)
- Soda (has a lot of toxic chemicals)
- Fruit pits and seeds (naturally dangerous for them)
It would be best to remember this list and keep these foods out of your pet’s reach.
Now, if you accidentally feed your pet any of this food, take it to the vet. Your dog may not show any signs of poisoning, but having it checked by the vet ensures that it’s alright.
Summary
Although ice cream can be quite a yummy treat for Shih Tzus, they will find it difficult to digest. Further, too much intake can even lead to serious digestive issues. For this reason, avoid giving ice cream to your pet.
Moreover, if you want to spare some ice cream, make sure it doesn’t contain any ingredients or flavors that are poisonous to your pet.
Being mindful of such things can avoid unwanted incidents regarding your dog.
Resources
Image credits – Photos by Amber Weir and Brooke Lark on Unsplash
