No ice water for dogs

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Original Article 07/31/2010 http://wendtworthcorgis.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/no-ice-water-for-dogs-please-read-asap/

NO ICE WATER FOR DOGS…PLEASE READ ASAP

07/31/2010 by wendtworth

I had received this some time ago but was just talking to someone about how not to allow ice cold water or ice cubes in the water in extreme heat/humidity like we’ve been having or an over hot dog after running when they are panting heavily. They had never heard of this. So with that I thought it would be a good idea to post this as a warning and precaution in hopes this will be valuable advice to someone.

CROSS POSTING OK

Hello Everyone,

I am writing this in hopes that some may learn from what I just went through. We were having a good weekend till Saturday. On Saturday I showed my Baran and left the ring. He was looking good and at the top of his game. He had a chance at no
less then one of the two AOM’s.

It did not work out that way. After showing we went back to our site/setup and got the dogs in their crates to cool off. After being back about 30 min. I noticed Baran was low on water. I took a hand full of ice from my cooler and put it in his bucket with more water. We then started to get all the dogs Ex’ed and food ready for them.

I had Baran in his 48′ crate in the van because this is the place he loves to be. He loves to be able to see everyone and verything. After checking him and thinking he was cooled off enough, we fed him. We walked around and one of my friends stated that Baran seamed like he was choking. I went over and checked on him. He was dry heaving and drooling. I got him out of the crate to check him over and noticed he had not eaten. He was in some distress. I checked him over from head to toe and did not notice anything. I walked him around for about a minute when I noticed that he was starting to bloat. I did everything I was taught to do in this case. I was not able to get him to burp, and we gave him Phasezime.

We rushed Baran to a vet clinic. We called ahead and let them know we were on our way. They were set up and waiting for us. They got Baran stabilized very quickly. After Baran was stable and out of distress we transported him to AVREC where he went into surgery to make sure no damage was done to any of his vital organs. I am very happy to say Baran is doing great, there was no damage to any vital organs, and he still loves his food.
In surgery the vet found that Baran’s stomach was in its normal anatomic position. We went over what had happened. When I told the vet about the ice water, he asked why I gave him ice water. I said that I have always done this. I told him my history behind this practice and his reply was, “I have been very lucky.” The ice water I gave Baran caused violent muscle spasms in his stomach which caused the bloating. Even though I figured his temperature was down enough to feed, and gave him this ice water, I was wrong. His internal temperature was still high. The vet stated that giving a dog ice to chew or ice water is a big NO, NO! There is no reason for a dog to have ice/ice water. Normal water at room temperature, or cooling with cold towels on the inner thigh, is the best way to help cool a dog. The vet explained it to me like this: If you, as a person, fall into a frozen lake what happens to your muscles? They cramp. This is the same as a dog’s stomach.

I felt the need to share this with everyone, in the hopes that some may learn from what I went through, I do not wish this on anyone. Baran is home now doing fine. So please, if you do use ice and ice water, beware of what could happen.
 

Karla9895

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OMG!!!!!!
I always do that :(
I didn't know
Thank u so much for the information and I'm glad that Baran is doing good
 

davidh

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OK, here is what I found on vetinfo.com

Ice water may cause stomach cramps if too much is given and the water is too cold. Stomach cramps are not generally life threatening in dogs. If your dog's stomach bloats, this could be life threatening, but ice water is not known to cause bloat. You may try to give your dog ice cubes as an alternative to having ice water in his bowl. Some dogs love to chew on ice cubes, and this is perfectly healthy for them. If your dog decreases his water consumption when you switch to room temperature water, you may continue to provide ice water as a way to encourage a healthy a mount of water consumption. The risks of major complications from this habit are low. Erika Raines, DVM
 

MaplesMommy

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Yup I agree. It was one of these 'Cross post ' non sense posts that were trying to get people to panic.
Maple loves her ice cube a day and I will continue giving it to her :)
 

lkclark

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Good to know! I give my parrot an ice cube to play with sometimes...I wonder if the same rule applies! :/
 

MamaAndi

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I'm with [MENTION=377]MaplesMommy[/MENTION] Stella loves to chase and chew an ice cube around the kitchen floor. It's one of her favorite toys and we will continue on. It's probably like most things....all in moderation :)
 

2bullymama

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Cheli LOVES his ice cubes.....moderation and timing are key
 
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I think the point is that the dog was overheated. It was her vets opinion and like any other medical issue it will depend on which doctor you ask and who the patient is. My parents used to give their Maltese ice but he never went outside so therefore was never overheated. I don't give my dog ice because I don't want him choking and I hate cold water so I only give him tepid water because he's my fur son.and takes after me. We look alike too :-D
 

TeresaW

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They interviewed a vet here in Greenville last week about this on our local news. She said it would be rare for her to it occur. The most danger was from a dog overheating and then eating, such as being taken out for a run and coming in and eating a meal.
Pierce quickly discovered the ice dispenser on the fridge after we brought him home. I had dropped a piece of ice on the floor, which he found. After that first time, any time he hears me getting ice, he comes running from wherever he may be in the house!


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eeturk

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They interviewed a vet here in Greenville last week about this on our local news. She said it would be rare for her to it occur. The most danger was from a dog overheating and then eating, such as being taken out for a run and coming in and eating a meal.
Pierce quickly discovered the ice dispenser on the fridge after we brought him home. I had dropped a piece of ice on the floor, which he found. After that first time, any time he hears me getting ice, he comes running from wherever he may be in the house!


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Hudson does this too. He loves ice.


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