The Royal Family released a series of photographs online to celebrate Prince George's 3rd birthday. However, Kate and Wills have been criticised for one of the photos, which shows little George feeding ice cream to his pet dog. In the photos taken by Matt Porteous, Prince George holds out a white chocolate ice cream to the Royals' pet dog, Lupo. As soon as the photos appeared online, the royals were criticised by animal rights activists who accused them of neglect and even abuse of Lupo.
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On Twitter, many people let rip at the couple for allowing George to offer Lupo the ice cream, which can be highly toxic to dogs. Some even went so far as to chastise the young prince, with one calling him a 'monarchist MONSTER' and another asking 'Why is Prince George trying to kill his dog by feeding him a white chocolate ice cream?'
Vets explained that most dogs are allergic to lactose and that feeding them dairy products can therefore make them very sick. An RSPCA spokesperson said: 'It is lovely that Prince George is trying to help keep his family dog, Lupo, cool in these high temperatures. [But] we would advise people to be cautious when giving their dogs food meant for human consumption as some items, like chocolate, can be highly toxic to dogs and dairy items can be difficult for them to digest. Instead of ice cream we would suggest making an ice lolly from pet friendly ingredients. Making these can be really fun for children and the end product is both safe and enjoyable for dogs.'