We all know how nosey that dogs can be, especially when they are off the leash in your kitchen. So if you are serving sorbet and sherbet to your guests, then the moment your back is turned, chances are they’ll get stuck into this sugary ice cream. So what do you do when that happens?
Sherbert ice cream is mixed with fruit juices, fruit puree and a host of other flavors. If you are on the beach with your dog, you might be tempted to slake their thirst with a few scoopfuls of this refreshing treat.
This is a great way to cool down your dog, who might have worked up a sweat running up and down in the hot sun all day.
So what happens when your dog does take a mouthful of strawberry or mango sorbet?
Can you feed it large amounts of this stuff? Will it cause major harm to your dog’s digestive system? If your dog has allergies, how can you prevent any of its symptoms from getting a lot worse?
Well, keep reading if you have a puppy pal with a taste for gelato and sherbert treats, because we’ve got a complete how-to guide for those that are not sure as to whether cold treats and canines go together.
We’ll cover all the different flavors, as well as what to do if your dog develops an allergic reaction.
So Your Dog’s Eaten Sherbert Or Sorbet… What to Do Now
Sherbet ice cream is slightly different to regular ice cream in that it contains significantly less dairy, being largely made up from fruit juices and purees to give it that much tarter flavor.
This is a much richer version of ice cream, and it is preferred by lactose-intolerant people because of the lower dairy content.
And the same logic applies to dogs, they can have their own intolerances to dairy. So a sherbert or sorbet might be the perfect antidote to giving your dog ice cream, avoiding diarrhea and vomiting that could come from absorbing too much dairy.
If you want to give your dog a lick of your ice cream, then you might expect to see it developing stomach cramps, see it straining or retching as its stomach struggles to process the excess dairy.
However, this does not mean that you can give your dog too much sorbet. This has a very high sugar content, so if you give your dog too much over a long period, then you can expect it to start developing some serious problems such as high blood sugar and diabetes.
If you want to give your dog an occasional lick of your sorbet, then you won’t have to worry. It has a zero dairy in it, so you won’t have to clean up an upset stomach afterward.
Imagine that your dog is a child, you wouldn’t want to feed them increasing levels of sorbet for every meal, as it will certainly negatively impact their health. If you plan on feeding them an iced treat once a week, then you probably won’t see any massively negative impact on their health.
Can A Dog Eat Watermelon Sherbert Or Sorbet?
Watermelon sherbert is amongst one of the most popular flavors of sherbet and sorbet, with that luxurious mouth-watering taste.
This is one of the most popular sorbets on the market, with thousands of beach-goers queuing up day in and day to get a dose of this fruit-based iced treat.
Fruit is a much healthier treat for your dog than most of the other treats that are available on the market. Instead of giving your dog its usual fatty biscuits or marrowbone jelly, offering it a bit of watermelon will be a much better alternative.
Let’s not forget that your sorbet has very high water content, so you can be sure that it will stay hydrated during a long, hot summer’s day. Often you’ll see your dog with its tongue lolling out of its mouth.
This is the first sign that it is very thirsty and is trying to expel as much heat as possible.
Although sorbet is made up largely of fruit, it doesn’t contain some of the harmful additives of fruit such as seeds or rind, both of which can be serious choking hazards for your beloved poochy pal.
However, sorbet is not a great alternative to fruit in the long term. Ideally, you should mix up both in your dog’s diet.
To make your own watermelon sorbet at home, all you need to do is blend up some freshly diced frozen watermelon until it is made into juice.
This juice will still be partially frozen, so it will be a slightly slushy consistency. Once you have done this, then your frozen fruit treat will be ready to serve immediately.
This type of snack is great for dogs because it is very low calorie, without any artificial flavorings that contain zero nutritional value.
And the best thing is that this type of sorbet can be enjoyed by both humans and dogs! Why not make a large bowlful for your whole family to enjoy?
Can A Dog Eat Pineapple Sherbert Or Sorbet?
In much the same way as watermelon sorbet, this fruity iced treat will give you and your dog everything that you need to keep its thirst quenched in the boiling hot weather.
The pineapple in the sorbet itself won’t harm your dog unless it has any natural allergies to that particular fruit.
Sherbert ice cream does contain a small amount of lactose, but if you feed a lactose intolerant dog this type of sherbert, then you won’t have to worry about it suffering from stomach upset and cramping. This is a great and tasty way of helping your dog to cool down.
Because it is based on pure fruit, then the likelihood that your dog will have any adverse reaction to this is very slender indeed.
The fruit is extremely tasty, which will further encourage your dog to be hydrated, even more so than a regular bowl of iced water will.
Pineapple is very appealing to most dogs, as they will be very attracted to that sharp flavor.
This brings joy to most kinds of dogs and humans. A great way to introduce fruit into your dog’s regular diet is by using sorbet first.
However, in much the same manner as watermelon, we would recommend against giving your dog too much pineapple sorbet. This is because it has very high sugar content.
You should be wary of your dog ingesting too much of this, as it could develop illnesses such as diabetes and high blood sugar.
If you mix your pineapple sorbet with other fresh fruits, then this will only increase the sugar levels in your dog’s body. Again, you need to be wary of giving certain dogs too much sugar, as this will lead to a spike in obesity and blood sugar levels.
If you have a smaller dog, the chances are they might not be able to burn off this sugar and it will get converted to fat immediately.
In fact, we would avoid giving your dog too many of these sherberts if you are struggling to keep their weight down.
Even though it is natural sugar, if your dog is not active enough, it will still have difficulty processing it. This will lead to increased weight gain, which will lead to further health problems down the line.
Can A Dog Eat Mango Sherbert Or Sorbet?
In much the same way as pineapple and watermelon, dogs simply love the taste of mango, and this is a great ingredient to put in your dog’s sorbet.
It is very low on artificial additives, making it one of the healthier summer snacks that you can give to your dog on a hot day.
This will be a lot better than giving your dog certain shop-bought snacks, which are very high on calories and can be harmful to your pet. If you have a dog that is older and might be suffering from obesity issues, then we would certainly recommend that you choose an ice and fruit combination.
However, you don’t necessarily have to make your own, you can very easily pick up some of these mango sorbets from your nearest supermarket.
This is a quick and easy way to cool your dog down, as they will simply not be able to resist the sharp mango flavor. These are a great alternative to dog biscuits and chews.
If you want to make your own healthy mango sorbet at home, simply repeat the recipe that we listed above – take some frozen cubes of fresh mango and blend them into a puree.
You can get a number of fresh fruits to this in order to revamp it before placing it in your dog’s bowl and watching it devour the whole thing.
You can also add coconut milk to your mango sorbet to give it that delicious and creamy taste.
The texture and taste of coconut milk are not only very similar to milk, but it also contains none of the lactose, which means zero harmful symptoms for you and your pup.
Again, in much the same way as the watermelon and pineapple, you should be wary of giving your dog too high a volume of mango sorbet, as it contains high levels of sugar. Over time this will severely impede your dog’s health and vitality.
Can A Dog Eat Vanilla Ice Cream?
You can feed your dog a traditional ice cream treat, however, you should be aware of the fact that some ice creams are better than others for canines.
You should be aware that dogs cannot eat chocolate, so you should avoid giving your dog any ice cream with chocolate in it.
If you even introduce a small amount of chocolate into your dog’s diet, then you will probably be expected to make a trip to the vet’s immediately.
We cannot overstate the fact that chocolate is positively lethal for dogs to ingest, so it is to be avoided at all costs.
However, if you steer clear of this flavor, then there’s no reason why your dog can’t indulge in a doggy dairy treat.
Although you should still be aware of any allergies that your dog might have, particularly if it is intolerant to lactose, as this will result in your dog becoming sick and having diarrhea, which will not be so pleasant to clean up afterwards.
There are plenty of different flavors of ice cream that your dog will certainly enjoy, strawberry, bubblegum and mint being among the few combinations that you can choose.
In much the same way as sorbet and sherbet, this will be a very tasty way of keeping your dog’s temperature down on a hot and humid day.
A lot of the organic ice creams actually have very few additives in them, so you won’t have to worry about your dog consuming any nutrient-free ingredients.
Make sure that you consult the packaging of your ice cream for traces of chocolate and other harmful elements that might see your dog ending up in intensive care.
Our Final Say
So there you have it, our complete guide to whether or not you can feed your dog sherbet and sorbet.
You can certainly give your dog a delicious iced treat, as long as you know beforehand that it is not allergic to these ingredients and they contain zero chocolate, which is lethal to dogs.
It is also worth reminding you that you should only give your dogs sorbet in small amounts, as it does contain a lot of sugar that will be converted to fat if your dog does not get enough exercise.
