Many dog owners want to know the answer to what happens when a dog gets a brain freeze question. Before we give you an answer, we would like to explain the matter in detail and give you all the main elements and facts you will need to know. It will be a fun matter so let’s get started.
What Happens When A Dog Gets Brain Freeze?
Yes, dogs can have a brain freeze
For those of you who believe that dogs cannot have a brain freeze, this section is ideal. All dogs can have a brain freeze also known as cold stimulus headache. This happens when a massive and strong cooling is present which triggers local vasoconstriction and it then sends pain signals using the trigeminal nerve. This is the process in humans.
But, dogs have the same nerve! It is around the eyes, face, and also the lower jaw. So yes, all dogs can have a brain freeze and therefore you may want to know what happens when a dog gets brain freeze.
When a dog can have a brain freeze is a bit obvious. If you share ice cream with him, he will likely get brain freeze. Dogs like to eat and they eat fast. Eating something that is very cold too fast will cause this issue.
Here’s how brain freeze looks in dogs
If you feed ice cream to your pet you will want to know how brain freeze looks like. In general, he may show the same symptoms as a human. His eyes will get wider and he may even open his mouth. You can notice that’s some dogs will shake their head and they will move slowly. These are symptoms that affect most dogs and usually, you can tell because you have just fed ice cream or something cold to your pet!
Keep in mind that dogs must not eat ice cream made for humans. It is not healthy and there are ingredients dogs don’t tolerate. You can make him a cold treat by yourself or purchase one which is made for the same purpose.
Another thing to know is that brain freeze causes blood vessels to become wider which the body treats as pain. The situation is the game in humans as well. A dog will experience sharp pain in the front of his head. He may show various symptoms that all suggest this is the cause.
Is brain freeze dangerous for dogs?
In most cases it is harmless. After all, you had a brain freeze a few times and you are perfectly fine. Just, humans have very advanced cognitive skills and they know that eating cold treats should be done slowly. Dogs don’t know this so they will eat fast. As such, the risk of a brain freeze is much higher. It means that it will almost always happen if you feed your pet cold treats such as ice cream.
You don’t have to worry about severe health issues. If your dog becomes lethargic after a brain freeze, you will need to take him to a vet. If there is no this and similar symptoms present, there is no need to do anything. He will feel normal almost instantly.
Eliminating brain freeze symptoms
As you know by now, brain freeze is not really dangerous for dogs but it is annoying. You need to do something about it as soon as possible. The first thing you need to do is to give warm water to your pet. Make sure that the water is warm and not hot. You may also want to rub his mouth using the tongue which should warm up the nerve and speed up the ‘’recovery’’. The last thing you can do is to cover his mouth and nose (leave him a place to breathe) and breathe warm air into his mouth. This should be a very simple and effective method.
Cooling down your pet safely
Most pet owners will give ice cream to their dogs during the summer, in an effort to cool down their dogs. As you may know by now, unless you are making cold treats for your dog, it is a mistake doing this. Luckily, there are a few methods you can do it safely and without the risk of a brain freeze.
The secret is in water. You need to add sprinkles to your yard and keep them on all the time, especially when the temperatures are high. This will cool down your pet and won’t cause any issues. Of course, you must not use this when the temperature is low.
The second thing you can do is to add ice cubes to the water your pet drinks. This is an effective method but it can cause brain freeze as well. Some dogs may even eat an ice cube and choke, so it is not a perfect option.
A much better alternative is to give him cool water in massive amounts. Dogs drink water to cool down and you can see that when the temperature is high, they will drink more water, obviously. As such, we can say that cool water is the best option. Replace it regularly during the summer and keep it in a shade. This is the ultimate choice.
You may want to keep your dog in a cool area if he doesn’t like high temperatures. The best example is Husky, but this applies to all dogs with thick fur that were bred for life in cold environments. In this case scenario, you may want to limit his movement during the day, when the temperature is high.
The final word
What happens when a dog gets brain freeze will depend on the dog and what he did in order to get it. Although it isn’t dangerous, it is far from pleasant, and knowing how fast dogs eat and drink, it is better to avoid it. There are several options that are much better and much safer than giving ice cream to your pet so you are better with using them. We have covered all the most effective methods here.
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