Self-proclaimed 'Dogfather' Graeme Halls recently voiced his opinions on the controversy surrounding giving ice cubes to dogs, while also giving alternative tips that dog owners can use to cool down their pets.
With a massive heatwave scorching the UK over the past few weeks, many dog owners have opted to ease their pooch's discomfort by giving them an ice cube.
However, this has become the cause of a massive debate as some dog owners believe that giving ice to them may be doing more harm than good.
This is when the star of Channel 5's hit series Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly voiced his opinions on this argument and spoke to The Mirror about different ways people can cool their furry friends in the summer.
Graeme said: "Consensus among vets seems to be that giving ice cold water to drink isn't likely to cause bloat, but ice cubes can be a choking hazard or to lead to tooth damage."
Elaborating further, Graeme said: "Nothing in nature prepared dogs for ice on a summer's day. On the other hand, we do need to protect them.
"Cool pack mats, which are quite a new thing, are great for dogs to lie on and less messy than wet towels, but it's important to avoid walking in the worst of the heat.
"Remember, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, after all."
Turning his attention to when to walk a dog during the heatwave, Graeme had a warning to dog owners, especially those who chose the lockdown as the moment to get a puppy for the first time.
He said: "Not only can high temperatures cause breathing problems, with older and short-nosed dogs the worst affected, and heatstroke, but hot pavements burn paws.
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*Series 2 of Talking Dogs with Graeme Hall podcast is available on all the usual Podcast platforms.
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