Meals with Rice for dogs are among the most common fresh foods made. It adds a safe and relatively inexpensive carbohydrate component to the meal. Most dogs will happily eat a meal with meat, eggs, veggies and rice. Having said all this here is when everything can go horribly wrong for you and your dog’s health – if you do not get these following questions and answers right.
Why should I feed my dog Rice?
- Rice is a rich source of carbohydrates. This can be a good or a bad thing. Keep reading!
- It contains a decent amount of fibre and some protein. This will vary depending on what type of rice you use.
- Rice can provide some minerals and vitamins.
- Depending on the type of rice, it can provide satiety.
- If your dog needs to have very simple carbohydrate meals temporarily due to a medical condition – then rice, just like potatoes is a great ingredient.
- Organic rice, free of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals can be used as a filler for meals to make it more economical in fresh home-prepared meals.
If your dog is allergic to gluten, rice is a wonderful substitute, as it is gluten-free.
While rice is a food that can be directly given to dogs, it should be mixed with several other ingredients such as vegetables and meat. The five best types of meat for dogs that can be added to rice after cooking are chicken, pork, duck, lamb and fish. This leads us to the next question –
When should I consider adding rice to my dog’s diet?
- If you are trying to make a homecooked diet and can not afford a diet that is only meat and veggies in the right proportion. This would be ideal for the dog. just meat and veggies with high-quality healthy fats.
- If your dog is diagnosed with a medical condition like chronic kidney failure and needs to be on a high carb – low protein diet temporarily.
- If your dog has an upset stomach and got meat-based food poisoning and needs to be on a simple curd rice diet for a few days while he/she recovers.
Now that we have covered WHY? and WHEN? Let’s talk about HOW MUCH?
- If you are adding rice as a carbohydrate component to the meals to add to satiety and for economics, for puppies, you can go up to 30% of their cooked meals, for young adults up to 20% of their cooked meals, for adults between 15-25% of their cooked meals, for geriatric dogs mostly it is dependent on their medical conditions.
- For medical conditions of any kind, it’s best to get a diet formulated by a nutritionist that will suit your particular case. For custom diet, charts click here.
- For something like an upset tummy where you are only feeding curd rice with some added probiotics – either consult a nutritionist for a quick guide or feed the regular meal size made up of just curd and mushy rice.
Last but not least – WHAT KIND of rice?
White rice for dogs – High in glycemic index. can spike the sugar levels. may not be ideal for diabetic dogs. We tend to use white rice for condition-specific diets only. or for upset tummy’s as a temporary diet.
Red rice for dogs – In comparison to white rice, red rice is barely processed. Although it has a lower carb and protein content, it contains more fibre content than white rice. Red rice has a nutty flavour. It has the highest nutritional value among kinds of rice eaten with the bran intact. Red rice will be slowly digested and energy will be slowly released.
This will cause a slower increase in blood sugar levels. It contains high antioxidant levels that reduce free radicals in dogs.
Not only that, but it is also a richer source of iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc than white rice. We use organic red rice and all our meals compositions that contain rice in them.
As you can see, to ensure that your dog gets their required intake of proteins and all other nutrients daily, we recommend mixing organ meats, muscle meats and veggies in the rice. Rice is never a majority component in your dog’s bowl unless there is a medical reason for it.
Meat is ALWAYS in the majority unless there is a medical reason for it to not be there! This makes a wholesome species-appropriate diet for your dogs. We hope this blog has helped you understand the role of rice in your dog’s daily diet.
The most common mistake is to overfeed rice or carbohydrates in general. this will lead to a host of health issues such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, joint inflammation, heart disease and so on.
Keeping your dogs on a species-appropriate diet will maintain their health, weight and increase longevity.
Reach out to us for any further guidance. Happy parenting!