What happens if I give rice to my dog?

Adding a dog to our home is always a joy and a learning experience. Mutual learning: we will learn from that puppy’s kindness, from his loyalty, from his level of play. And we will teach you to live together at home, to learn guidelines and rules. As if he were one of our children.

And, of course, one of our obligations is to take care of them from birth, give them all their vaccines and take them to the vet if they have the first problem. And he teaches them how to eat. Make sure they eat a healthy diet that will allow them to live many healthy years.

It is very common, in cities, for most urban dogs to be raised on dry, balanced food. It is true that they are not a delicacy, but they ensure our dogs have the necessary and balanced doses of proteins, fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

In the countryside, or in the homes of small, sparsely populated towns, it is more common for dogs to eat foods similar to ours, prepared with natural foods. And mix the meats with rice, or pasta, or polenta, vegetables and fruit.

What happens if I give rice to my dog?

If our puppy is an apartment puppy and eats only balanced foods, the first thing we must observe if one day we give him rice (or polenta, or pasta, cheese, etc.) is whether the dog tolerates that food we give him try. If you are not allergic to it. For example, rice.

So, if we give rice to the dog, nothing will happen. He won’t hurt you. We are talking about white rice, not very salty or super seasoned as we often eat.

The dog expert Graciela Castillo, veterinary doctor with registration 5169, tells us that “rice is a cereal that can be part of a portion of natural food. Rice, like pasta, serves as the basis for making a portion of natural food, for example in the afternoon, to which the portion of dry or balanced food is added in the morning”.

The doctor, from the Honduras Veterinary Clinic (Honduras 6049), in Palermo, adds that “in any case, rice cannot be considered a daily ingredient in the dog’s diet. But occasional, or every now and then, like pasta, eggs, fruit, vegetables. But rice is good as the basis of a serving that contains half-cooked rice, no salt, 30 percent protein, such as meat, chicken, fish or eggs, and 20 percent vegetables, fruit, oil or fat. This would be for an adult dog. Now, a very young, energetic dog that is growing will need more protein and fiber than hydrates.

How much rice can a dog eat?

Rice has some advantages when it comes to choosing it at home for your puppy. It is easy to prepare, does not cause allergies, is not fattening like pasta and is low in fat. But it doesn’t contain the nutrients a dog needs to thrive.

The specialized site Animal Expert tells us on its website that “The nutritional needs of dogs focus on the consumption of proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and other elements in smaller proportions. Therefore, an optimal diet for a dog should not include carbohydrates (rice, pasta) as the main source of energy.

But Animal Expert does not hesitate to include rice among the human foods that dogs can eat, even if occasionally, not every day.

And he adds that, although to a lesser extent, rice also provides some proteins, such as lysine and tryptophan. And a good dose of vitamin B3 and B6.

Regarding the dose of rice for a dog, the specialized site reports the following table with white rice for dogs:

• Dogs 7 to 13 kg: 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups
• Dogs from 23 to 32 kg: 3 cups
• Dogs from 33 to 44 kg: 4 cups
• 45 kg dogs: 5 cups

It is also clarified that, if we aim for a mixed diet (a dose of balanced food in the morning and another of natural products in the afternoon), once our dog has adapted well to rice, it can be administered every day.

But always contemplating balance with balanced foods in the morning. If the balanced food contains carbohydrates in the morning, feeding him a base of rice in his natural dish every day would cause the dog to gain weight due to the excess of carbohydrates.

How to cook rice for a dog

You must always remember that you cannot add salt or strong seasonings to rice, as well as other human foods that dogs eat. It is always white rice that will serve as a base for adding protein to meats, fiber, fruits, oils and fats.

The specialized site Recetas Barf, an expert in natural nutrition, states that the nutrients of white rice are much better than those of balanced rice-based foods. And you have to be careful about excesses, in cases where rice is combined with other foods containing carbohydrates.

On its site Barf Recipes also offers recipes for dogs based on rice, chicken livers, chicken legs and pumpkin. A great option for natural food for our beloved pet.