Ice cubes as treats?

[jess32247]

Hi everyone!

What do you think about giving ice cubes as treats? I gave Cheech a small piece of chopped ice because she seemed interested; she didn't eat all of it, but she did seem enjoyed holding and nibbling at it.

If giving ice cubes were a regular thing for her, I would use her bottled reverse osmosis water and chop it into smaller pieces (less then the size of a quarter), and use it as a treat every few weeks. She would also be monitored while eating it, so I could throw it away before it melted.

I'm curious what everyone else thinks, just wanted to double check before it became a habit. Thanks!

 

[nikkik0720]

I wouldn't see a problem with it, as long as it was filtered water and small enough to be eaten before it melted/taken away before it melted.
I'd think that it'd be a nice treat after play time, help cool down.
It'd also probably help if a chin got over-heated, to give a sliver to it to eat (if it's willing to). That'd help lower their internal body temp.

I'm not an expert, so I'd wait for an expert opinion. Just figured I'd put in my two-cents about it.

 

[jess32247]

Thank you for replying, Nikki! I was thinking the same things along those lines as well. It doesn't seem like a too bad of an idea provided the right precautions are taken, but I can never be to sure.

 

[Dreamlite]

I'm not sure how cold you house would have to be for ice not to melt.... I would not give ice to a chin. Getting wet increases the chance of fungus. I would not want my chin eating slivers of ice. They can be quite sharp and last thing you need is you chin to start drooling cause it cut the inside of its cheek on ice and go through that worry trip. Believe it or not but I heard of a family that gave ice and had that happen. They assumed it was malo and had the chin pts only to find out it wasn't malo at all.... personally Iwould stick to normal treats. If your chin is playing that long that they are over heating you just need to cut back the time. Not find ways to cool them down.

 

[Jenn]

I would also worry about the ice melting and leaving a puddle. As already mentioned, you don't want your chinnie in water. There are so many better, more suitable chew sticks and toys for chinnies to chew on, that your chin would like. I would stick to those.

 

[nikkik0720]

If you are right there with the chin, making sure the ice isn't sharp or melting into a puddle, I dont see how bad it could be. If they got a few drops of water on them, then you'd address it like you would any other 'wet' incident. And the cold of the ice would probably feel amazing in the summer when it's warm (even though it should never be 'warm' for a chin) I'm sure they've come across ice in their natural environment, and probably have chewed/eaten it as a water source.

I honestly think if the right precautions are taken to minimize risks, it'd be okay. If they get a tiny bit wet, dry it best you can and give them a dust bath. Pretty sure my chins get more wet from sleeping against their water bottles than they will from a small ice chip.
And I know its bad for a chin to get wet, but my boys insist on resting against the tube, no matter where it's hung, or what I do. It's not that they're too warm either. I dry them the best I can with a piece of fleece, and give them a dust bath, or if they just had a bath, I'll take dust and a very soft bristled brush (like a baby's hair brush) and brush it over the spot(s).

 

[jess32247]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

To clear things up, I'm not giving them to cool her off- the room is plenty cool on it's own and she's always been fine at managing her playtime without pushing herself. To be honest, she'd rather take a nap under the table or pester me for cuddles the whole time hehe.

About her accidently cutting the top of her mouth with them or getting wet, it's definitely something to think about.. but not things I'm overly concerned about provided the right precautions are taken, which obviously will be done. They're only small slivers that melt and/or are eaten in less then a few minutes, giving pieces of crushed rosehips are probably more likely to harm the inside of her mouth, yet she (and practically all chins) gobble them up and we don't think twice about it.

Nikki summed it up wonderfully in her post above about possibly getting wet, I agree 100% with what she said. If the ice melts before she eats it all (or before I remove the left over piece), it's definitely not enough to melt into any sort of puddle.. that, and the carpet or her fleece would soak it all up before she had a chance to accidently step in it.

Weighing the pros and cons with what's been said, I feel it's safe if you take the right steps. I really appreciate all that's been said, thank you guys again! Hope to hear more opinions from others.