The claim: Giving overheated dogs ice cubes is dangerous
Chill out – giving ice cubes to your hot dog isn’t going to hurt them.
That’s according to organizations like the American Kennel Club. But if you only get pet advice from Facebook, you may have heard the opposite.
“PLEASE do NOT give your dogs ice cubes or other frozen items in the heat to cool them down!” read text in a July 9 post, which was shared nearly 3,000 times before it was deleted. “Giving ice cubes to dogs in the heat has the opposite effect of cooling.”
The recently resurfaced warning about ice cubes dates back to 2010 and has circulated online since at least 2014.
But veterinarians say giving dogs ice cubes in moderation is a perfectly acceptable way to cool them down.
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“(I) was just trying to be a good person, maybe it’s not true,” Lindsey Racher Tanner, the Facebook user who shared the post, said in a message to USA TODAY. “Didn’t realize it would be shared a ton. Guess I’ll delete (it because it) looks like it may be false. I’m no vet.”
USA TODAY reached out to other social media users who shared the post for comment.
Ice can help cool dogs down
The rumor that ice cubes are bad for dogs has circulated online for years. Veterinarians, news outlets and independent fact-checking organizations have debunked it, saying small amounts of ice – given as treats or put in water bowls – can help dogs cool down.
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