What Happens When You Give a Dog Ice Water?

You may have heard or read that a dog's stomach can bloat if you give it ice water. This is a myth. One of the main causes of bloat is from a dog eating or drinking too fast, no matter the temperature of the water. Ice water and ice cubes can actually be very beneficial to your dog if monitored properly.

  1. Cooling Off

    • Is Spot panting after a game of fetch out in the sun? It is okay to throw a couple of ice cubes in its water to cool it off as long as you are keeping a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't gulp it down. If Spot is overheated, gulping the ice water could be a shock to its system. Of course, if Spot is the kind of dog that is overzealous with everything, including eating and drinking, then it might not be a good candidate for ice water. While the general practice of giving ice water to a dog is not harmful, it really all depends on the individual dog. What works for one dog may not always work for yours.

    Break Binge Drinking

    • While you don't want to give a lot of water of any temperature to Spot if it's prone to gulping it down too fast, adding a few ice cubes to its water may actually help slow its binge drinking. The ice in its dish might distract it and cause it to lick it instead of drinking the water too fast. As already mentioned, every dog is different, so if you try adding ice to the water to break binge drinking, be sure to monitor it closely.

    Avoid Dehydration

    • In extreme hot weather, you have to make sure Spot drinks enough water to avoid dehydration and heatstroke. Sometimes, just providing Spot with plenty of water doesn't mean it will drink it. If you notice that it is panting but hasn't been drinking, it might be more interested in water if you give it an ice cube to lick or add ice to the water bowl. "Some dogs will readily lick ice cubes when they are dehydrated, even if they are reluctant to drink water," says the Dogs 4 Life website. On really hot days, if you add ice to Spot's water dish, it may be enticed to drink more and avoid dehydration altogether.

    Upset Stomach

    • Has Spot been vomiting? Although food can be withheld in these instances, water cannot. Drinking too much water at one time might contribute to Spot's vomiting, so if you fill the bowl with ice cubes instead of water, it will prevent it from drinking too much all at once. By using ice cubes, it will stay hydrated all day by drinking small amounts as the ice slowly melts.