Don’t panic. It’s safe to give your dogs ice cream
I am not a royalist, but this week I feel that I have to come to the defence of young Prince George. The unfortunate three year old boy was pictured, in officially released photos, feeding a small taste of his chocolate coated ice cream to his dog.
The media response was critical, with expert bodies being contacted to cast their opinions on his actions.
The RSPCA was widely reported, saying “We would advise people to be cautious when giving their dogs food meant for human consumption as some items, like chocolate, can be highly toxic to dogs and dairy items can be difficult for them to digest.” Other experts were asked for opinions, and I suspect these were cherrypicked to create further negative assertions about what had happened. After all, a story isn’t a story unless it’s supported by expert advice.
Once a negative tone had been established by recognised authorities, the internet crazies felt free to unleash their prejudice. There were hysterical calls for Prince George to be sent to jail, with accusations of animal cruelty. The hashtag #IceCreamGate started to trend on Twitter.
So what’s the truth? Did George do something bad? In my opinion, not at all. To me, this is real silly season stuff. Some sectors of the media wanted to create a story on a quiet news day, and that’s exactly what they did.
The more sensible commentators on Twitter realised this: “True life: we give our dog ice cream and she never has issues” is a typical example. Yet still, the nay-sayers and hard line anti-monarchists and self-righteous “animal lovers” kept at the criticism.
I’ve been left with an urge to put the record straight here: is it acceptable to offer a taste of a chocolate coated ice cream to a dog?
There are two aspects to this: first, the chocolate coating, and second, the ice cream itself.
It is true that chocolate is toxic to dogs. The stimulant, theobromine, makes humans feel good after munching a chocolate bar, while dogs are exquisitely sensitive to it. Too much theobromine makes a dog’s heart race, then have irregular rhythms, and the brain is seriously affected, with a poisoned dog suffering from collapse, seizures and death. So the general principle, of course, is that you should never give a dog chocolate.
That said, different types of chocolate contain varying levels of theobromine. And Prince George was pictured feeding his dog an ice cream coated in white chocolate, which contains no cocoa solids, and therefore only negligible levels of theobromine. The risk of the boy poisoning his dog was zero. The hype in the media was utterly unjustified.
I do understand that there’s a risk in saying that some types of chocolate are safe for dogs to eat. Perhaps some people will mis-hear the message, and feed dan- gerous dark chocolate to their pets. But the problem with making a hullabaloo about an innocent situation like this is that many people realise that the risk is negligible, and this undermines the opinions of the experts who have been quoted. People then stop trusting similar reports in the future, when there may be a genuinely dangerous situation in the spotlight.
What about the other aspect of the story: the risk of feeding ice cream – a dairy product- to dogs. Again, a load of nonsense has been spouted about this. Most dogs are perfectly able to digest milk products, including ice cream. The specific milk sugars (lactose) and milk proteins have been consumed by dogs living beside humans for thousands of years, without problems. Most dogs are easily able to digest them, and to benefit from their nutritional value.
A very small number of dogs may be unable to digest milk products, and for this tiny proportion of the canine population, milk should be avoided. But to say that dairy products should never be given to any dog is sensationalist nonsense which is not true. Again, this sort of hysteria undermines the credibility of authoritative sources of information. The standard veterinary advice about dairy products is that it’s fine to offer them to most dogs, as long as they are limited to less than 10% of the daily food intake. This is the same general rule that applies to all treats. And of course, if milk upset your dog’s digestive system previously, don’t offer it again. That’s just common sense.
There’s a similar rumour circulating about feeding cereal grains to dogs, suggesting that there is somehow something wrong with doing this. You can even buy “grain free” pet food. Yet there is no evidence of any reason to avoid feeding grain: dogs evolved to be able to digest grain many thousands of years ago. Yes, a small number of dogs may have an allergic reaction to protein in grain, just as some humans are sensitive to gluten. If this happens, those dogs should be fed on a diet that avoids that ingredient. But there is no reason for a typical healthy dog to be fed a grain-free diet. As before, common sense has more truth than these myths.
If you have any questions about choosing safe treats for pets, Pete is hosting a live question and answer session on Wednesday 3rd August from 7pm on the Pedigree Ireland Facebook Page.