A safe, cool option for furry friends
Beating the dog days of summer with canine-friendly ice cream
Ice cream makes everyone happy, but does that extend to our canine family members as well?
While most dogs would love a lick of ice cream on a hot summer’s day, the American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends skipping giving it to Fido.
According to Dr. Jerry Klein, the AKC chief veterinary officer, dairy products that have high-fat content like ice cream can lead to pancreatitis in pets. Some sugarless ice creams also contain xylitol, a sweetener that’s extremely toxic to dogs. Plus, many ice cream flavours have other ingredients, like chocolate, swirled in that are another no-no for our fourlegged friends.
Rebecca Cross, the owner of Boou Dog Treats in Conception Bay South, N.L., has been looking into this for a while.
“Human ice cream - and whipped cream, too - contains refined sugar to make it more palatable for humans, which is bad for dogs and unnecessary in their diet,” she explains.
She adds many dogs also suffer from some degree of lactose intolerance, although it’s usually mild. Because it’s made of milk, ice cream naturally contains high levels of lactose, which she says can cause symptoms like gas, bloating and diarrhea in dogs.
But dog owners no longer need to worry about this, as some Atlantic Canadian businesses like Boou Dog Treats are now producing frozen treats especially for dogs.
DOG TREATS
Cross began offering Boou Pops, a line of all-natural dog ice cream, at the end of June.
The frozen ice cream treats have been a “massive hit so far and we’re trying to keep up with our orders,” she said.
Cross put a lot of thought into the packaging of her company’s frozen treats.
“Rather than sell in tubs like traditional ice cream, we opted for easy-to-eat, graband-go tubes. Because they’re resealable on the top, you have more control over the portion size and the option to save some for later, which means they’re suitable for dogs of all sizes to enjoy.”
The company has four flavours: Blue Razz Berry; Very Berry Melon; Peachy Punch; and Peanut Butter Paw Prints. The most popular flavour this summer is a close race between the Blue Razz and Peanut Butter Paw Prints.
Specifically made for pets, it avoids most of the issues that makes human-grade ice cream bad for dogs.
“Not only do we use a variety of yogurt as the base to our ice cream, which is naturally much lower in lactose, it’s also made up of more than half fruit,” she says.
DOG POPSICLES
Jenna Hamilton is the owner of Wag & Meow Healthy Pet Bakery, which she operates out of her home near Bayer’s Lake, N.S.
“I do make frozen dog treats and am starting to make dog popsicles,” she says.
The flavours of the frozen treats available at Wag & Meow Healthy Pet Bakery include Frozen Pumpkin, Coconut & Ginger Paws, Blueberry Blast Frozen Paws, Banana Boost Frozen Paws,
Soothing Strawberry Frozen
Paws, Peanut Butter Coconut Cinnamon Frozen Paws, Valentine Coconut & Beet Cookies, Strawberry Coconut Hearts, Yogurt, Banana Honey Frozen Paws,
Minty Fresh Frozen Paws (helps with bad breath) and Frozen Superboost Paws (goats’ milk, ground chia seed and blueberries).
Small breed frozen treats comes in peanut butter coconut cinnamon or berry blast.
Hamilton points out “several dogs have allergies and can often be lactose intolerant and this could result in vomiting and diarrhea and even red, itchy skin.”
That’s prompted her to delve deeper into substitutes that can be used in ice cream treats for dogs.
“A good substitute from regular milk used in humans ice cream is goats’ milk, which is easily digested and contains probiotics,” she says.
GO ONLINE:
Instagram: @booudogtreats Facebook: Boou Dog Treats http://www.boou.ca/ https://boou.ca/collections/
boou-pops
Instagram: wag_meowhealthypetbakery Facebook: Wag and Meow
Healthy Pet Bakery https://www.wagandmeowhealthypetbakery.com/