Should dogs eat rice?
The answer is quite simple: No.
Physiologically a dog can digest rice. Rice doesn’t contain fat, salt or cholesterol … and it’s loaded with carbohydrates that provide energy. But as long as a dog has plenty of meat, healthy fats and some nutrient-rich vegetables and fruit, he doesn’t need carbs.
What Are The Nutrients In Rice For Dogs?
Rice is a carbohydrate so it doesn’t have a lot of other nutrients. Dogs don’t need carbs … but if you want to feed carbs, there are better, more nutritious sources of carbs than rice.
If you analyze anything that might constitute food or nourishment, anywhere in the world, it will be low in starch and sugar. The average starch and sugar content of meat, fish, eggs, insects, plants, fruits, berries, and vegetables is about 4%.”
But most dry pet food is about 40% carbohydrate, increasing the demand for insulin in a dog’s body … daily. And that can happen multiple times a day with additional feedings of commercial kibble.
So, yes, dogs can eat and digest carbs and store the excess as fat, but it shouldn’t be a substantial part of their diet. And there’s another problem with feeding dogs rice.
Rice Can Increase Risk Of Diabetes In Dogs
The carbs in rice are turned into blood sugar quite quickly. Rapid spikes from a constant diet of carbohydrates increase the demand for insulin in your dog. When this is a regular occurrence, it can stress the pancreas that produces the insulin. There was a substantial study done in 2012 that found those who ate the most white rice had a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. Insulin functions the same way in dogs as it does in people.
So it begs another question.
Why Is There Rice In Dog Food?
Rice is used as filler in processed dog food because it’s cheap. But here are the problems with that:
- Rice is missing key nutrients, which are then added in the form of synthetic vitamins, minerals and amino acids that aren’t properly recognized in your dog’s body
- Rice can contain mycotoxins which are byproducts of mold and fungus
- AFB1 is an aflatoxin, a well-known mycotoxin, that the FDA calls “the most potent known natural carcinogen.”
- It’s not a complete protein source (hence the addition of amino acids)
- Most rice is genetically modified (GMO), and GMOs destroy good bacteria in your dog’s gut
- Pesticides are sprayed on crops like rice that are then used to make dog food
- Starches like rice make up a huge percentage of the ingredients in dog food so there’s less need for more nutritional … and more expensive … ingredients like meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Is Rice Safe For Dogs?
No, it’s not. And that’s because it’s common to find arsenic in rice. Widespread pollution has led to a major increase in the amount of arsenic in the environment. Organic arsenic is found in plant and animal tissue. But inorganic arsenic, the more toxic type, is found in rocks and soil and dissolved in water
Arsenic is passed into the environment through pesticides and herbicides, wood preservatives, phosphate fertilizers, industrial waste, mining activities, coal burning and smelting. It often drains into the groundwater that feeds wells and is a source for irrigation on farms.
And rice is particularly at risk because:
- Arsenic can accumulate in the soil of paddy fields
- Rice appears to absorb more arsenic from water than other crops
- If cooking water is contaminated, rice will absorb even more arsenic
What Are The Health Effects Of Arsenic In Dogs?
Here are some risks that eating arsenic can cause:
- Cancer
- Vascular disease by narrowing or blocking blood vessels
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Neurotoxicity and diminished brain function
And arsenic can be passed from mother to baby or mother dog to puppy, leading to birth defects and irregular development.
High doses of arsenic are toxic … and dietary doses are thought to be okay. But eating it over the long term can cause problems. Most commercial dog foods contain rice and dogs eat them every day for their entire life. And that’s a problem.