Insert Some Witty Remarks About Rice Here…
Not everyone agrees on whether dogs should consume grains such as rice. It’s a common filler in commercial dog food, but one that dog owners are increasingly looking to avoid. With raw and grain free diets becoming more popular, rice is becoming less so. Yet those of us with dogs who have sensitive stomachs, like my Kitsune, know that plain rice, possibly mixed with meat, can make a palatable but bland meal that can help our dogs get over GI upset.
Why Rice?
Rice, white rice especially, is easy to digest. As mentioned above, many owners use it as a ‘go to’ food for dogs who are experiencing GI upset. Because it’s cheap, easy to cook, easy for dogs to eat, and usually well tolerated, rice can be a helpful addition to the diet of dogs who are sick or elderly.
Brown rice is higher in protein and nutrients when compared to white rice. However, it’s also coarser, harder to digest, and many dogs don’t seem to like it as much as plain white rice.
Precautions
Dogs can be allergic to grains, including rice. For dogs who are not allergic, rice is a safe diet addition, but it shouldn’t make up a large percentage of their diet. Rice is fine as an addition to a home made diet, an occasional snack, or as part of a bland diet for a sick pup, but it doesn’t contain enough nutrients to keep a dog healthy long term and should not be fed exclusively.
What do you think? Do you ever feed your dog rice? Does he/she like it?
Not surprisingly, my papillon Kitsune readily eats, and seems to enjoy, white rice. My Alaskan Klee Kai, Fenrir, who can be quite picky when it comes to food, isn’t as impressed by rice. He’s more likely to make a mess with it all over my kitchen floor than eat it!
Looking for more ideas for healthy “human” foods you can share with your dog? Check out my other blogging from A to Z challenge posts!
3 Comments
Rice is a Godsend when the dogs have diarrhea or upset tummies. When they need a bland diet, I always make a big pot of rice and boil chicken breast. They tolerate it so well. I’ve never seen a dog who didn’t like rice. But you’re so right: rice has little nutrients and definitely should not be used as a regular/daily meal, unless it’s mixed in with kibble.
Good post!
Michele at Angels Bark
Thank you!
Before we got Kitsune’s tummy troubles more under control we ended up feeding him bland meals pretty often – white rice and beef for him since he can’t eat chicken. His tummy doesn’t act up nearly as much as it used to these days, but he really loves rice! I usually give him at least a little taste when I make it for us humans, just because he likes it so much.
Thanks again for your comments!
Rice has been a saving grace and staple in my FiveSibes home, too, for eons. My Gibson was an Epi-dog and had bouts of vomiting from meds, and my Wolfie had anxiety issues that would occasionally wreeak havoc on his gut, so white rice and boiled/roasted chicken or beef was a staple! I was fortunate that they tolerated it well and really enjoyed it. I still have a supply of rice and think of them even more every time I see rice.