My 7-month old Bichon is an ice addict. I thought maybe it was just him teething, but my wife’s uncle’s dog is 2 years old & still goes ga-ga for ice cubes.
Is this universal - or close to it?
Can’t be universal - my dog will occasionally lick an ice cube that has fallen, but he never eats them.
My dog loves them, but he’s always been given them as treats, so I don’t know if it’s a natural love or just training.
As treats go, you can’t beat ice cubes.
My Dane couldn’t care less about ice cubes. If it ain’t meat, it ain’t a treat.
I don’t have any dogs, but I sure do love to crunch on ice cubes. I know it’s bad for my teeth, but I can’t stop! I’m and ice junkie! Ack!
Flash used to LOVE ice cubes. Now he pretty much gives 'em a token crunch, and then leaves 'em in the living room floor for my bare feet to discover. Two-Tone still like them, but he’s not as wild about them as Flash used to be.
One thing I used to do, and I should do it again, is make ice cubes from water and baking soda. I think Flash liked the taste, and it was also good for his breath.
Although Two-Tone is the one who really needs fresh breath lately… whew
Sorry for the useless nature of this ‘reply’, but…
[homer]
hmmm…icecubes…
[/homer]
I’m sure dogs do love eating ice-cubes.
But it’s not particularly bizarre when you think: Hey, dogs like licking testicles.
And not necessarily their own.
“…get away from my crotch…ooh, no, just left a bit…ahhhhhhhh…”
http://www.laughsend.com - where you write the spoof news.
My dog loved ice cubes… until one broke his tooth. We were warned by the vet, but we ignored it. Just be careful about giving him cubes.
This is really interesting. When humans eat huge amounts of ice cubes it is called pagophagia. It is sometimes associated with iron deficiency anemia.
Sontag C, Kettaneh A, Fain O, Eclache V, Thomas M. recently reported the cas of a 42 year old woman who ate ice for five years, up to 80 cubes/day, until she was found to have iron deficiency anemia and treated. An iron supplement corrected the anaemia and the pagophagia disappeared in less than 15 days. [Rapid regression of prolonged pagophagia after treatment of iron deficiency - Article in French] Presse Med 2001 Feb 24;30(7):321-3
IIRC, iron deficient rats can also develope a craving for ice cubes. I suppose it is possible that iron deficiency anemia can cause pagophagia in dogs as well and that some (repeat some) dogs that crave ice cubes are anemic.
There is no pattern whatsoever in what dogs will eat, or how. My old dog Bear (rest his soul) used to swallow chunks of meat or bones whole… But give that dog a banana, or a slice of bread (both of which he loved), and he’d still be chewing that thing three hours later.
My father’s dog, Willy, loves ice cubes! But only if they come directly from a glass of Jack Daniels!
If they aren’t whiskey-flavored, he doesn’t want 'em.
Like Qwertyasdfg, we gave our dog ice cubes till she broke her teeth. Slab fractures in both carnasals, the big ones dogs and wolves use to smash up bones. All the way down to the pulp. Had to get the teeth removed. Stupid dog.
Ice eating is not universal, but it is common.
I have one dog that will eat ice cubes, the other likes them in his dish on a warm day so he can lick them as they melt. We don’t give ice cubes any more because of the one who eats them - I don’t need any doggy dentist bills.