McDonald’s didn’t add xylitol, a sugar alcohol toxic to dogs, to its soft serve ice cream

We’re not sure who is thinking about feeding McDonald’s ice cream to their dogs. But in case you know someone who is, a social media post offers this urgent, exclamation-point-filled message:

"WARNING!!! McDonald’s has added Xylitol to their ice cream!!! Xylitol is deadly to dogs!! Do not let your pups eat any type of ice cream from McDonald’s!!" reads an April 13 Facebook post.

But dog owners don’t have to worry too much — it isn’t true.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Xylitol, a sugar alcohol, can be deadly to dogs, but we could find no evidence that it was added to McDonald’s ice cream recipe. It isn’t listed as an ingredient in any of the company’s desserts.

McDonald’s also dismissed the rumor.

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"These claims are false," the company said in an email to PolitiFact. "Our soft serve, found in our cones and other desserts, does not contain xylitol."

This doesn’t mean that regularly giving your dog ice cream is a good idea, however. Pet companies and veterinarians warn that too much can make dogs sick, and some ice cream companies do include toxic ingredients, like xylitol. 

Even so, it’s not in McDonald’s ice cream, so we rate this Facebook post False.