Animal Planet

Just a reminder. All adult mammals are naturally lactose intolerant. And that means no matter how hot it gets, be real careful about sharing your ice cream with your pets.

Vets already know this. The Cincinnati Enquirer ran an article quoting Dr. Tony Buffington, a veterinarian and clinical nutritionist at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State University.

Moderation is everything, even for animals, Dr. Buffington rightly says:

Give the pooches ice cream in moderation, he suggests, and cut back on other high-fat treats.

"Dogs are also more likely to be lactose intolerant than humans," Buffington says.

But that doesn't mean they can't enjoy a little ice cream occasionally. If the animal shows persistent symptoms of lactose intolerance, such as diarrhea or bloating, then maybe it's time to stop dishing out the ice cream.

On another hot button issue, Dr. Buffington has only seen one case of chocolate intoxication in dogs in 25 years of practice, BTW. Still, his advice is simple: if you want to give your dog a taste of ice cream, make it vanilla.