# I had no idea!



## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Does anyone here put ice cubes in there dogs water bowls? My husband does, thinking that it will help cool the dogs down when its really hot out, I just learned from my bull terrier group that this can be deadly.

Apparantly if the dogs internal temperature hasn't cooled down enough and he drinks the cooled water with ice in it, it can cause the stomach to cramp and start the process of bloat. I learned something today!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I've never heard that one before...you should ask how many times this has been documented. I'd love to know more about it...


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

All I know is that this came across on the boards from a woman who was at a dog show and it was very hot, she thought he had cooled him down enough before offering him his water with ice in it, long story short they had to take him into emergency because he was showing signs of bloat: vet said never to give dogs water with ice in it.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

No kidding huh? I put ice in both the dog and cat's water all the time during summer. Had never given it a second thought. I'll keep a better eye on them from now on.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I had to go and reread the post: The vet explained it to her like this: What happens if you were to fall into a frozen lake? your muscles cramp up, same with a dogs stomach. Better to just give a dog normal temp. water or cool towels on the inner thighs to help cool them down but ice/ice water is a NO NO!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I heard the same story two years ago when I had a puppy die from bloat and several years before that when I had an older dog die from bloat. I did a lot of research on bloat at the time. Don't know if it is the same story or a new one now but it was the same thing about a dog show and a hot dog with ice cubes. 

All that I have read on bloat now and that I have talked to the specialists at the vet school about says that they don't have definitive causes. They don't even recommend elevated feeders anymore. The vet school internist told me that most of the time they don't have any cause at all for bloat now, it just happens in some dogs. 

I have had Samoyeds that stood in frozen creeks and pulled chunks of ice out while chewing on it, and lots of Chows that LOVE to chew on ice. Of course, I"ve never let mine get that hot outside. They all live in air conditioning and I don't let them get too over heated. I do give Rocky an ice cube when he comes in from outside as a treat, but he's not to the point of overheating. 

I suppose if you let your dog get way overheated to the point of being sick and then gave him a bowl of ice, it could affect him. Probably would make him vomit. But I think a normal dog eating a few pieces of ice is not going to have a problem.


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## harrkim120 (Feb 2, 2010)

That's interesting.

I had wondered if ice would be an issue before, but just kind of blew it off and offered it anyway. LOL 

Good to know though. Thanks!!!! :biggrin:


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Ice Water, Bloat, and Internet Urban Mythology (When E-mail Memes Drive You Mad) | PetMD

Article by Dr. Patty Khuly on the story that has been going around since at least 2007 in emails and forums.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

This actually just happened to the womens dog who posted this on my bull terrier groups. I do know that bull terriers are extremely thin skinned so they are candidates for over heating so that definitely is a consideration.

My dogs personally don't work that hard, and I always leave fans on in the house but I certainly won't take the chance during the really hot days.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yikes 

Good to know, thanks for sharing!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

danemama08 said:


> Yikes
> 
> Good to know, thanks for sharing!


I used to give my Goldens an ice cube pretty regularly. At least once a day. The Danes don't seem to care for it so much.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Boy, I'm an idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

So, I sent the link that Chowder posted, I'm really surprised this got past them as this is a moderatered list and everything has to be approved before it is posted. I do feel like an idiot, but the cramping from cold water did make sense to me.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

whiteleo said:


> So, I sent the link that Chowder posted, I'm really surprised this got past them as this is a moderatered list and everything has to be approved before it is posted. I do feel like an idiot, but the cramping from cold water did make sense to me.


Don't feel that way. I just happen to have had two dogs that died from bloat and spent way too many hours at the vet school suffering thru this in waiting rooms. 

Plus I am old and cynical now and take everything with a grain of salt (especially if it's on the internet!!) I was on the internet when it started as a bare bones bulletin board and you actually knew the few other people who were out there. Now I question everything until I can prove it to be true.


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## moon (Jul 15, 2010)

I had actually heard it could give them a heart attack or heat stroke because they way dogs cool down is through panting and cooling their mouth without letting the body cool is like stopping a person from sweating - hence, heat stroke/heart attack...


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

I had not heard this before! My gosh when I drink water outside or whatever I actually give the dogs the ice that is left. And I have put it in a water bowl for them outside. I had never known this! I have not done it though lately thank goodness!:redface: Thank you so much for enlightening me! Wont be doing ice cubes anymore! :smile:


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## Eurobox (May 17, 2010)

I don't worry about ice, but I do not let mine drink when they are very hot (panting hard). This has been known to cause bloat. The hard panting during drinking causes them to swallow air which can lead to bloat. I exercise my dogs very hard, and when we come home they have to lay down and cool off before being given water. I don't think it's as much as a threat if your dog is just lightly panting...


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

You know, there could be a grain of truth in it if the dog is really hot. I know that if I've been exercising my brains out and then gulp down iced water, I most certainly feel like I'm going to chunder. No problem otherwise.


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## harrkim120 (Feb 2, 2010)

MollyWoppy said:


> You know, there could be a grain of truth in it if the dog is really hot. I know that if I've been exercising my brains out and then gulp down iced water, I most certainly feel like I'm going to chunder. No problem otherwise.


That's what made me think of it.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

there are certain breeds that i know of who cannot regulate their internal temperature simply by panting....one of which is the pug...there are others, but it escapes me at the moment.

it takes energy to raise and lower body temp.

as a medical person, i am not one that believes in drinking ice water when you're hot....or as fitness people recommend, it burns calories in humans because the body has to expend energy to warm up the water...

the reality is....to cool off a dog, simply water him....not ice cubes in the water, but room temp water....
a room temp water soaked towel placed on his back and neck will certainly do the trick....

if a dog's body temp is normally between 100 and 102 degrees, giving him or her 32 degree ice cubes or lowering the temp of water by ten/twenty degrees makes the body work harder to warm it to body temp....if a dog is already hot, maybe even too hot from a work out or a showing or it's just plain hot out.....

this is what our bodies are designed to do....maintain a stability of temperature..it's an autonomic function..and the brain signals the body to heat or cool....

putting ice cubes in your own body when you're too hot and a dog's body when he is too hot makes no physiological sense...because then has to work to heat up the fluid to body temp.


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