Read This Before Feeding Your Dog Rice!

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Rice is a staple food in much of the world. And this partially explains why we’re often asked if dogs can also eat this cereal grain seed.

Can I Give My Dog Rice?You may be surprised to learn that lots of pet foods contain rice as an ingredient. As such, many canines consume it quite frequently without incident.

The thing is though, to save on costs, most commercial dog foods add what can only be considered low-quality grains.

Be selective if you want to feed your dog rice. Done right, it is a good source of carbohydrates.

Your Dog Can Eat Rice, But Go With Quality

And be reasonable by sticking to modest amounts.

Despite low levels of arsenic, premium rice has nutrition to offer. But rice is actually most useful for nursing a sick pup back to health.

FYI: Lentils are an even better option to consider.

Good Quality is Important

There are times you can feed rice though it isn’t exactly a natural fit for carnivorous canines.

Some studies suggest dogs can handle carbohydrate diets almost as well as meat-based protein packed meals.

Be smart!

Again, stick to good quality human-grade. Purchase premium rice to ensure your dog gets that nutritional value.

Human Versus Feed Grade

Premium rice is definitely worth it.

To use industry terms, there’s human-grade rice and then there’s feed-grade. Think of rice feed as filler that lacks all of the nutrients.

To make matters worse, the feed kind often contains preservatives and mystery chemicals.

So all of these factors makes providing your dog with a low quality rice a bad proposition.

Your objective is to not only fill your dog’s stomach, but to do no harm and also provide nourishment.

White, Brown And Wild

You want to eat the good stuff, for both you and your dog.

It can be difficult to know the quality of the rice you are eating. For example, sushi has it but is it the good kind?

Get brown or wild rice instead of the plain white kind. Your dog will get lots of fiber and minerals.

Besides, white rice has more of a negative affect on blood sugar levels than other varieties.

Use Rice For Recoveries

You can nurse a sick dog back to health with a bland diet.

Rice and boiled chicken are good for this purpose. This soothes the stomach when a dog is vulnerable.

Withhold food for a time before feeding. If your dog is ill then white rice is okay.

To be clear:

You may not want extra fiber in such a situation. Your goal here is bland but also something healthy.

The Bottom Line

You can feed your dog some rice, but go with quality. White rice has less nutritional value than other varieties.

Arsenic is not a factor since you won’t be feeding it regularly.

Quality rice contains carbs and nutrition which are both useful for active dogs.

What Do You Think? Have Your Say Below…

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9 thoughts on “Read This Before Feeding Your Dog Rice!”

  1. My 16 month old dog refuses to eat cooked white rice. I have put chicken broth, beef broth, and even pieces of cooked chicken. He will eat cooked turkey breast deli pieces.

    At one time, when I felt he was very sick, I used an old family remedy. Basically, I got him interested in a clean cloth soaked with cold Chamomile tea. That got him hydrated and responsive.

  2. How many calories are in a cup of plain cooked white rice?

  3. Can I feed my dog boiled or steamed rice after he has a bout of pancreatitis? He is a Fox Terrier-cross.

  4. Well, being Asian, we have rice every day. There are occasions when we have leftovers and that’s when my German Shepherd gets rice (sometimes with an egg mixed in).

  5. Do dogs face the same issue humans do with starch (carbohydrates) in that it increases the level of insulin and sugar in the blood?

    1. Rice is the staple diet in most part of our world. I have a 3 year old Rottweiler and I give her rice everyday with some yogurt, vegetables and 2 eggs. Sometimes rice and chicken too.

      Feed your dogs good quality white rice. Never go for brown rice because digesting brown rice is very difficult for dogs because of the high fiber. If you want to remove starch, boil the rice with more water.

      Once rice is cooked, strain the water and serve it. You can add lentils but not all kind of lentils are good. They may cause gas and acidity.

      Go for split green gram lentils. It’s good for dogs in small quantities. If rice is 1 cup add split green gram lentils – 1/4th cup or bit more.

  6. I cook for our dogs too and I use rice. I find chicken, gizzards, ground beef and ground turkey on sale. Then I use my pressure cooker to cook the meat first. I use about 3 pounds of meat and cook in 4 cups of water. After about 20-30 minutes, I add 2 cups of rice and veggies like pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes.

    Cook that 10-12 minutes more until the rice is done. Our Lab eats 2 cups, 2 times a day. She’s almost 11 and she has thinned down and is more active. She just about leaps out of her skin at feeding time.

    1. That sounds like a simple yet efficient way to prepare food for my doggie. I have been looking for the best way to feed her. Thank you for your comment!

      1. Can I use minute rice? It is all we ever have. Are you using a pressure cooker to cook the meat, rice and veggies? What kind of meat are you using exactly?

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