My dog won’t eat just anything, but he loves ice cream — and who can blame him? I once gave my toy poodle a lick of vanilla soft serve and now he pulls me to the ice cream truck when he sees it parked on my street. The thing is, while dairy isn’t toxic for dogs, it can upset their stomach. It’s also high in sugar. So when I heard that my favorite ice cream shop, Van Leeuwen, was releasing its first-ever ice cream for dogs, I knew I had to get some for my fur baby.
Ollie
The limited-edition flavor won’t be around fur-ever — pick up a pint while you can.
That’s right: Van Leeuwen, the New York City-based ice cream company, has released a limited-edition ice cream for dogs in collaboration with dog-food brand Ollie. The high-protein Peanut Butter and Banana ice cream is dairy-free, made with oat milk and coconut cream, and contains real peanut butter and bananas for a salty and sweet treat specially made to agree with dogs’ delicate tummies.
I like to eat straight from the pint (don’t judge), so once I got my hands on some of this dog-friendly ice cream, I let my pup take a few licks right out of the carton. The ideal serving size is 1/4 cup for a 50-pound dog (less for a smaller dog), Ollie says — and treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake, according to the American Kennel Club. That said, my chief taste tester was pretty pleased. He enjoyed quite a few licks, so I put a spoonful in his bowl and it was gone in seconds.
And sure, it’s easy to assume my dog would love any treat — especially this one — but he’s an anxious, fickle little fella. He doesn’t usually like peanut butter and even turned down a slice of turkey earlier in the day (although I think he knew his heartworm pill was hiding inside). We’ve tried other dog-friendly ice creams in the past, including Purina’s Frosty Paws, and he’s left those in his bowl. So when he scarfed down all of his Van Leeuwen and Ollie ice cream, I knew it must be good.
If you want to get your paws on this sweet treat, you can purchase it from Van Leeuwen scoop shops, add it to your Ollie subscription box or pick up a pint in your local Petco, where you’ll find plenty of other frozen options ideal for a little summer indulgence. My pup eats Ollie’s fresh dog food, so we’ll be adding a pint to our monthly shipment — and hopefully no longer chasing the ice cream truck all over town. (A girl can dream.)
Ollie
Add this frozen treat to your Ollie dog-food subscription or pick up a pint from your local Petco or Van Leeuwen.
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