Particular human foods can indeed jeopardize a canine’s health. For example, chocolate, raisins, artificial sugars, caffeine, commercial flavoring agents, and onions can adversely affect a furry baby’s well-being.
However, ice cubes and water may not seem as harmful, right? While it is essentially just water, the low temperature raises concerns about its impact on a pooch’s health. Is cold water harmful to four-legged babies? Unfortunately, there are many myths circulating on this topic.
Investing time in learning accurate information is crucial to ensure you have the correct understanding and give your furry best friend only safe items to eat and drink. Although there can be numerous online sources claiming the truth relating to the topic, your vet is the best person to answer this question.
While you seek answers from your vet, consider being prepared with cheap dog insurance, at the least. Contemplate purchasing pet health insurance so you are more prepared to tackle health emergencies. Meanwhile, read this article to learn if your pet can be treated to ice water.
Dangers of drinking ice water quickly
Ice cubes and ice water are not harmful to canine fur babies. However, if you’re curious to learn about other potential dangers that could affect your dog while drinking cold water or water at any temperature, then it is worth reading.
Rapid eaters and drinkers often consume a lot of air in the process. Excessive ingestion of air can result in a condition known as stomach bloat, leading to a perilous health condition known as gastric dilation.
Bloat can be painful for puppies and a source of great distress for their owners. When a fur companion experiences bloat (not referring to the normal puppy belly), it tends to become lethargic before you even realize it.
Although the pup may not outwardly display signs of intense pain, similar to how humans prefer resting when they have a stomach ache, canine pets also prefer not to be active in such situations.
In cases of simple gastric dilation, the puppy’s stomach may appear distended, giving the impression of a full belly. This distension occurs when the pup drinks ice water pretty quickly, leading to gulping a significant volume of air.
The accumulation of this excess air exerts much pressure on the puppy’s internal organs surrounding the stomach, like the lungs, diaphragm, and large abdominal veins. As a result, the canine may experience difficulties with proper blood flow and breathing.
This is more likely to occur when the pup is extremely hungry or thirsty, causing it to gulp the bowl contents swiftly in an effort to cool down, regardless of the water temperature. If you notice symptoms like a rounded belly, abdominal pain, panting, retching, nausea, and lethargy, consult your vet asap.
Be cautious, and take prompt action to potentially save your furry best friend’s life. At the same time, consider being equipped with cheap dog insurance at least so you can rest assured that getting your pet cured involves only minor economic hassle.
Pet health insurance allows your puppy to avail of timely medical care during unexpected health circumstances and emergencies with little financial implications which is why you must contemplate purchasing a policy.