There’s nothing quite like a glass of lemonade to cool you down on a hot summer’s day or with a spicy dish.
Naturally, you may be wondering whether you can cool your dog down with a little bit of lemonade.
After all, if it’s tasty for you shouldn’t it be tasty for your dog too?
Let's explore whether dogs can drink lemonade safely (and whether they should)...
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Can Dogs Drink Lemonade?
We all love giving our dogs our favorite treats - some of us may even make a whole portion of Sunday roast for our dogs.
But what about lemonade - is this delicious treat one that we can share with our dogs?
No.
You should not allow your dog to drink lemonade if you can avoid it. While lemonade can be good for us because of the Vitamin C content, this is most certainly not the case for dogs.
There are two key reasons why you can’t give your dog lemonade. First of all, lemonade has a high citric acid content, and this can upset your dog’s stomach.
Your dog’s digestive system is very different from yours and this means that they can’t deal with citric acid as well.
Secondly, lemonade contains a high sugar content which is very bad for your dog.
It can disturb their stomach and in short, you really don’t need to give your dogs fruit anyway for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Of course, a dog will usually avoid anything acidic as they know it won’t react well with their bodies, but some dogs may just eat or drink the acidic items anyway in order to appeal to their owner.
This can have bad effects on your dog.
You may notice when you first give your dog something acidic that they will give a negative reaction, sometimes licking excessively or starting to curl their lips up because they can’t handle the taste.
Your dog knows what they’re eating isn’t good for them.
This is a fairly short term problem, but a longer term issue can arise if your dog begins not to trust the different things that you’re feeding them.
They could also vomit, get fevers and just feel miserable and uncomfortable in general. A high acid diet over time can even result in worse problems.
What Do I Need to Do If My Dog Drinks Lemonade?
As we’ve already established, drinking lemonade is not good for your dog and it should be avoided if possible.
Of course, dogs are unpredictable creatures and sometimes they can get themselves into some awkward situations - such as stealing and drinking your fizzy drinks.
One second of looking away and they’ve drunk the entire bottle.
What should you do in such a scenario?
The first thing to do is stay calm. Having a tiny bit of lemonade shouldn’t cause your dog massive harm in the long run.
They may have a bit of acid in their stomach for a short time that could cause them discomfort in their bowels and stomach, however.
If you do find yourself in this situation, you should provide your dog with a little bit of clean water because they may begin to feel very dehydrated after they’ve had the lemonade.
Of course, keep your eye out for any signs of a bad reaction in your dog, and if you are concerned please do not hesitate to get in contact with your vet.
What Should I Give My Dog Instead of Lemonade?
Don’t worry that you can’t give your dog lemonade, as they don’t need to drink it to make themselves feel refreshed when its hot.
All a dog needs for its health is a full bowl of clean, filtered water. Make sure you keep your dog’s bowl fully stocked with H2O to keep them well hydrated all throughout the day.
Summary
So, should your dog drink lemonade? In short, the answer is no.
Lemonade may be a great thing for you to drink, it is not a good idea to give it to your dog as it can have bad effects on their health in the long term.
Your dog probably wouldn’t even want to drink it anyway as they know their digestive systems won’t work well with it.
If you want to cool your dog down during the hot weather you can simply give them a big bowl of clean water to drink and this will work wonders for them and keep them hydrated all through the day.
If your dog has drunk lemonade, keep an eye out for any potential problems and don’t hesitate to speak with your vet if you have any concerns.