During hot weather, dog owners are desperate to help their furry friends by giving them ice cubes to help them cool down. But should you give your dog ice cubes?

Vets have weighed in and settled the debate after fears on social media that it can cause bloating and even induce heatstroke. Dr Scott, vet at Barking Heads, told Country Living: "Ice is just frozen water it is absolutely fine for your dog to have small ice cubes. They are a good way of helping your dog moderate its temperature during the warmer months. You can also add ice cubes to their water to help keep it cool when it gets hot.

"If you want to make them tastier for your dog, you can add some wet food to the ice cube but make sure you're not feeding them excessively if you opt to add wet food to their ice cubes."

The social media panic that giving a dog ice cubes can trick their bodies into actually warming up, increasing the risk of heatstroke, is also not true, vets have confirmed. Pet owners should make sure that the ice cubes aren’t large enough to pose a choking risk to their dog.

Alternatively, to help your dog cool down, you can provide them with a shady area, give them a paddling pool, put down damp towels for them to lie on, freeze a dog chew, or make them a dog-friendly ice lolly. Also make sure to walk them in the early morning or late evening to avoid the heat.

Keep an eye out for heatstroke. Symptoms include drowsiness, weakness, dribbling, heavy panting, diarrhoea, vomiting and collapsing.

Dogs at particular risk are those that are overweight, flat-faced, high-energy, older, larger, thick-furred, and with health issues. It is common in chow chows. Bulldogs, greyhounds, boxers, springer spaniels, cavaliers, pugs, retrievers, and staffies.

If you think your dog may have heatstroke, contact your vet while cooling them down. Research has found that in the UK, although 1 in 7 dogs that are taken to vets with heatstroke die, 98% that are seen early with mild signs are likely to survive.