My name is Sugar and I NEED to DRINK more WATER.
Water is an important drink for dogs. A dog cannot simply live without water. Whenever a dog’s natural urge to drink calls for it, water must be accessible. Do you know that each day a dog loses water through its urine, feces, saliva and breath.
I’ve shared before that I have issue drinking from park water fountains. Mom has to bring water from home in order for me to drink after our long walk. With the weather getting warm/hot and humid, drinking water is essential to keep my body hydrated. Apparently, I am not drinking enough water. I’ve been panting and had an unexpected visit to the vet last week.
Mom had to entice me to drink more water by making fruity ice cubes, which she always makes for herself. She likes her water naturally fruity infused.
Well, its about time for her to share …
Mom made some Fruity (Berry) Ice Cubes. She simply added some small pieces of strawberries and blueberries in an ice cube tray (mom used smiley and lemon ice trays), added water then freeze it. Mom made several of these fruity berry ice cubes and stored it in our freezer.
How to serve fruity ice cube(s) to your dog?
1) Serve it with your dog’s water, which we prefer.
2) Serve it “as is” but must keep an eye on your dog.
Are ice cube safe for dogs to munch? We’ve read many articles on the web that dog’s bloat if you give ice water. Is it true? It is just a myth. The cause of dog’s stomach bloat is due to eating or drinking too fast. The temperature of the water does not matter. There are benefits giving your dog ice water and/or ice cubes. Just keep in mind to monitor your dog.
I surely benefited from ice water and ice cubes especially when it’s hot and humid.
Here are some reasons why …
1) It’s a great way to cool off and alleviate panting especially after a walk/ outdoor play/run.
2) Placing some ice cubes helps your dog to drink slow (preventing stomach bloat). The ice cubes serves as a distraction and more licking occurs than drinking.
3) Ice cubes especially fruity ice cubes entices your dog to drink more water which helps prevent dehydration.
Do you give your dog ice cubes?
Lots of Golden L♥VE n Woofs
SUGAR
Check out our follow-up post: Enticing your dog with Green KALE Ice Pops
We think even the Mommy would be enticed with these yummy-looking ice cubes! Happy Friday, furriends. XOXO
Great advice….Denny has that issue he will not drink at all if we out out…no matter how hot and thirsty he is. Reilly always drinks lots…I always have his bowl and bottled water in the car or with me. I have just discovered though Denny will drink a little providing he is safely in his car and can’t see anything going on around him.
Aw I love your cute little ice cubes! I have always put ice cubes in Shiner’s water here and there. They aren’t fancy or fruit infused though. She still likes them 🙂 I’ve never heard that bloat thing before. I’m inclined to say not true like you.
We’ve never had ice cubes….but we have two water dishes that are replenished during the day. The outside one has water from our rain tank and the inside is just tap water. But we know that we NEED water when it’s hot.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
We live in the Tropics & our dog prefers water in many different forms except if it comes in a ‘water’ bowl. We provide a fresh water bowl each day but he still stands by the water tap instead when he’s really thirsty. And he absolutely adores ice cubes. If an esky (icebox) is outside with drinks in it Scooter hovers over it when its opened up & tries to help himself. And no, bloat has never been an issue with this……
I love me a good drink and I am a blessed pup tha tMOM makes sure there is always water avaliable no matter where we are.
Blessings,
Goose
Toby loves to steal a drink from the sprinklers in yards as we walk by! From the way he pulls to get there that must be the most delicious water in the world to him. It does help on hot summer walks. I’m going to try the ice cubes in my NEW paw mold!
Fruity ice cubes? Yes, please. We will have some with blueberries, strawberries, AND wallymelon, please.
Woos – Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning
Hi Sugar – thanks for joining the Hop today. I love the idea of ice cubes. We can get pretty hot out here in California, so those cubes with the fruit sound pretty delish. Another great idea from our friend!
I loved this post Sugar! I’m just headed out to the store today to buy some ice cube trays to make fun ice cubes for the dogs this summer! I was going to try to make some goats milk ice cubes one day:) Love the idea of putting fruit in these!
I’ve read that about ice cubes causing bloat too, but didn’t really buy it as I have given the dogs ice cubes for years and have had no issues.
Yum! Chloe is like a camel and “tanks up” on her water. Riley loves to stick her nose down in the water bowl when she gets hot. I’ll have to try these fruity ice cubes! Thanks for the idea! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Little Bit does just fine in the water department. Thank goodness.
Have a woof woof day Sugar. My best to your mom. 🙂
What a fantastic idea!!! Max is the same as Sugar and refuses to drink anything not from home and even gives me trouble drinking from the portable bowl so this is a great idea and tip for us! Thanks a million!
Great ideas! I was starting to worry about Splotchy drinking
enough now that the weather is finally warming up.
I’m going to try these fruity ice cubes today!
I do give them ice cubes. This is a really smart twist to it though and we will deifnitely be stealing the idea!
My Mom gives me ice cubes in my water all the time….. sure hope she was paying attention to this “fruity cube” idea. It sounds delicious to me. 🙂
Woof from Jeffie, Rudy and Rosie who like their water plain and love ice cubes in the summer!
That’s a great idea – even for a cold puch bowl – Thanks! I always trink a lot of water, it’s important to sign all things around me :o)
Our Doggie drinks plenty of water. But we will have to try the ice cubes when it gets hotter. Good idea.
OUR mom makes what WE call FLAVOR ICE fur us… she puts in a piece of SNACK and then freezes it… WE LOVE our FLAVOR ICE… on HOT days we get two or THREE of them..
Yummy….Torrey would love these, she loves fruit and ice both.
Hi Sugar,
I LOVE ice cubes, I don’t get fruit in mine and I sure don’t get smiley faces, just regular ones, maybe it’s time for some upgrades? 🙂
Wags to all,
Your pal Snoopy 🙂
Good advice. We think those cubes will count too
Benny & Lily
thanks for the great tip Sugar! I will have to try that, be sure that no one puts GRAPES in there though! Those are poisonous to doggies!
Those fruity ice cubes are adorable! What a great idea. Kelly drinks A LOT. Sometimes it seems as if she’ll drain the entire bowl. I’ve had the vet check it out and I guess it is just her way!
Cool idea! I gave Rocco a few ice chips on the plane when we were delayed. Otherwise he’s a good drinker!
Your pals,
Diane and Rocco
What a great idea!
Sugar, you are a genius! I love water and drink a lot of it which mom loves but Katie has never been a big drinker and mom always wants her to drink more. She loves fruit, so this is a super idea! Thanks!
LOL Sugar we thought you were going to say you had a drink problem. I don’t drink too much but Pip drinks loads. We have just had a new fountain put in our park with water bowls for us doggies. Well cool as saves carrying water around. Have a fabulous Friday.
Best wishes Molly
We give our pups ice cubes. All of them like them as a treat. We do it sometimes if we notice they are gulping water after a walk – it helps them rehydrate and cool off.
Sam
I always add ice cubes (plain) to the outdoor water dish and there are always two or three of the pack who try and pick them out! Funny to watch them with their muzzles in the bowl trying to catch the cubes, especially the blind ones.
Puddles are golden delicious, inspite of Mummy’s best efforts to not allow me to slurp them. Especially now we are getting some flooding off the fields…
Thanks for the good advice, Sugar. Jan gets frustrated with us because none of us will drink water with ice cubes in it.
We all get ice cubes in our water everyday, but we’ve never had fruity ice cubes, they look tasty!…Sorry to hear you had to go to the vet, darling Sugar, but we are happy feeling better was an easy fix!…Happy weekend, sweet friend…kisses…Calle, Halle, Sukki, Mommy Cat, Daddy Cat
We do give the dogs ice cubes but I’m usually pretty careful about making sure their water isn’t too cold. I’m glad you shared about the bloat because I really thought that cold water could cause it.
I also monitor ice because if Sampson has something too cold in his tummy he will sometimes vomit.
I love the idea of adding fruit though, not just for them but for me as well.
Have a great weekend Sugar!! (And mom too.) 🙂
We’re glad your mom is making sure you drink enough water Sugar! Those ice cubes look like fun!
That’s a great idea Sugar! Those look delish! And I do love my fruits! BOL
Now, usually when Ma gives me ice cubes I just play with them, then leave them to melt into a big ole’ puddle in the middle of the floor….I don’t get many ice cubes…
Kisses,
Ruby
My guys aren’t too interested in ice cubes. They do like the ice off the top of the outdoor waterbowl but we won’t be seeing any of that any time soon 😉
The best way I know to encourage more water is to add a bit of low-sodium (that’s important!) chicken broth to their water bowl. They will drink the whole bowl with that in it! It smells and tastes good…if you are a dog!
Wow, I’ve never met a dog who doesn’t get enough water, Boomer and Dottie will slurp down a bowl in a matter of minutes. I’m usually the one who is dehydrated!
Hi Sugar…OMCs those are some might fun looking fruity cubes.
I love water and will often sit at my fountain, rest my chin on the edge and lap lap lap it up.
Mom calls me a lazy lapper when I do that.
Hugs Madi your BFFF
Hi Sugar, Your mom is so creative!!! I love lemon slices in my water, with the juice squeezed in to. Hunter loves ice cubes and I’ll have to try to make some special ones for him. He especially likes cucumbers, maybe I’ll put some pieces in the trays and see if he likes cucumber ice. Thanks for sharing.
Wags, Noreen & Hunter
Sugar, drinking from the fountain is fun, you should try it again. I know we would like those ice cubes cuz we love plain ones!
Your Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
What a great idea! Bowser likes ice cubes as they are but I bet this would be extra enticing. We live in South Florida & he really needs to pump up his water intake (as do I)!
Thanks for the good idea!
I love this idea, Sugar! I have to get Ma to buy some cute ice cube trays like you have!
I started putting ice cubes in BJ’s water a few years ago. Now when we come in from out walk, he stands at his dish waiting for the ice cubes.
I winter, I forgo the cubes.
We like crunching ice cubes, but have never had any fancy ones like that
Your title made me giggle. Our R has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and his main obsession is drinking water. Gallons of it… and then making gallons of urine. Fortunately, it waxes and wanes, and he has long periods when he’s a normal water drinker.
I do love your idea of fruity ice cubes, in case I ever have a dog who doesn’t drink enough!
Oh Sugar – I’m so glad your mom is making you fruit cubes – you need your water.
We LOVE our water. I bet we’d love fruit cubes too…some human hasn’t made us any yet….
Mmm. Those look delightful! Especially today – it’s HOT here!
Koly and fe love fruity water! Their Mama is lazy though – she just tosses the frozen fruit in the bowl and we bob for it, kind of like bobbing for apples at Halloeen. *giggles*
Hi Y’all!
Oh Sugar you are so right about the water! My Human puts ice cubes in my water when we are at the shore because the water always seems warm. In the mountains it is like ice water anyway, so she doesn’t bother with the ice cubes.
I like the idea of fruit cubes!
Y’all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDogj
P.S. Before they solved the severe allergy problem my Human used to pack the car with cases and cases of water she drew from the well and bring it from the mountains back to the shore. If we ran out, she bought me bottled water ’cause she was afraid our water here at the shore was causing more of a problem.
Thank you so much for this excellent tip! Lately I have not been interested in my water, but when my mommy started adding ice cubes I couldn’t resist. I love bobbing for ice cubes and the nice cold water is just so much better than room-temperature water. Now I’m looking forward to fruit-flavored ice cubes. Banana and apple please!
Yep, me and Addi LOVE ice cubes. We are gonna demand fruity ones now!!
wags
Jazzi and Addi
Thank You SUGAR that was very good.YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY SWEETIE
What a fantastic idea! I know my Smoosh needs to drink more water. He always waits until he’s dying of thirst and downs an entire bowl. Perhaps this would entice him to drink more consistently!
xoxo,
Jules of Canines & Couture
Lucky for us, Gizmo has always been a good water drinker, but not much on ice…I have never seen such cute fruit infused cubes before but I’m going to have to make some for me and if Gizmo like them too that’s great
Those fruity ice cubes look delicious! I especially like the smiley faces 🙂 They would perfect on a hot day like to today.
Those fruity ice cubes are adorable 🙂
My mom gives me “crushed” ice and I LOVE it!!!
Stay cool, Sugar!
Stewey
Your mom’s so clever Sugar! I know about ice cubes, but not about the ‘fruity’ ones – thanks for the tip! And you look gorgeous in your photos. Happy woofs!
Great idea! It does seem like the fruit flavor would encourage dogs to drink more if the cubes were simply in the water as they begin to melt.
This is the second post I have read this morning about ice cubes where the ice has been in fab shapes (in the other post they were bone shaped!) i really feel like I am missing out on something now! *sad ears*
Those look like some delish ice cubes… refreshing indeed!
We used to give our dogs ice cubes when they were puppies, they loved them, but then seemed to lose interest most of the time. This is a great idea to get them interested again. And what could be an easier treat than that?