Feeding cooked chicken & rice, why it’s not good.

Hidden danger’s when feeding cooked chicken & rice to your dog

My dog has an upset stomach..help!

I think the first time I was told to feed chicken & rice to my poorly dog by my vet was some 30 years ago, and still, this same old wives’ tale for want of a better analogy is still doing the rounds to this day.

It’s really hard when you find you’ve got a poorly dog with a digestion upset, diarrhea, and sickness and all you want is for him/her to recover quickly, our minds go into overdrive and we’re willing to take on board what’s been recommend from those we trust in the medical field because what would the outcome be if we don’t, are we going to make our dog more poorly by not following this old wives tale.

So why is feeding cooked chicken & rice to your dog so bad and how can it cause more problems?

Firstly, it’s primarily recommended because it’s bland, and nothing else and it seems to be repeated information wise as rinse and repeat, with no real thought behind it.
I remember my early days of owning my first dog I was also advised to feed cooked pasta when she had a bout of upset tummy. Pasta is as bad a rice.

I can’t believe I fell for it, but Hein-sight and further research are as they say a wonderful advantage.

I’ve heard many people over the years tell me “Well feeding chicken & rice worked fine for my dog” and yes that might well be the case but equally it wouldn’t have been the healthiest of choices for your dog.

Feeding your dog cooked Rice, here are the bare facts of why it’s bad for your dog.

Rice breaks down into sugar, sugar is now known to be a No1 contributing factor to cause inflammation within the body. Inflammation is the last thing your dog needs with an upset digestion that’s already inflamed.

Sugar whether a natural source or refined is a no, no for dogs. Sugar is known to feed the bad bacteria so their number increase, crushing out the good gut bacteria. This will invariably increase the chances of your dog suffering from yeast issues too.

Rice also contains arsenic; arsenic is a toxic trace mineral.

When your dog gets a bout of sickness and diarrhea there’s a risk of dehydration, they lose electrolytes and lack the ability to absorb nutrients.

Rice is recommended because it’s thought to have good fiber content, but research has shown it really holds next to nothing fiber-wise.
When dogs are feeling nauseous and don’t want to eat, we should be choosing something that’s gentler on the already inflamed gut system, something that the stomach doesn’t have to work hard to process.

How to settle a dog’s upset stomach

Use canned pumpkin (not the pie filling type) always check the back of the tin,  it shouldn’t have any other added ingredients but pumpkin.

The important thing to know about why pumpkin is so much better than the dreaded rice is that pumpkin is a soluble fibre.  This means it forms a gel-type substance that creates mucosa within the gut/bowel area, which helps to soothe any irritation.
It’s known to slow down the passing through of waste, so your dog will have less diarrhea.

Pumpkin also contains a mineral called potassium. The body needs potassium for almost every function. A dog who’s suffering from an upset stomach is likely to be low in potassium and the side effects of this will be stomach cramping and nauseous.

Here’s a quick & easy way to purchase pure  pumpkin from Sainsburys.

Make your dog bone broth, it’s cheap and very healing for the gut.

So now we delve into chicken, why is this bad to feed.

Chicken is mostly higher in fat than most meats whether it’s raw or cooked.
Cooking the fats within the chicken is also detrimental and can cause or aggravate pancreatitis should your dog be susceptible.
Chicken is also very high in Omega 6 which is an inflammatory omega.

A much better meat to choose from would be turkey, you can get boneless turkey quite easily these days either from your butcher or supermarket.
Rabbit is another very lean white meat.
It only needs a very light cooking, almost as if you’re searing a steak for yourself. You can also feed poached white fish and even small amounts of scrambled egg.

It’s important to note that a visit to your vet at the first sign of an upset tummy to rule out anything else is important but if he/she recommends a bland diet then don’t fall for the rice & chicken.
For a dog with diarrhea, I would usually feed smaller meals and make it 3 meals per day, making each meal a 50/50 ratio of turkey & pumpkin.

When my dog’s diarrhea has started to subside I gently transition back onto their raw foods but maintain feeding turkey & rabbit raw for a 10-day period.
At the same time, I add in a small measure of Dorwest Tree Bark powder for about 7 days  or and then move them onto Kiki Biotics for 30 days which will really help to bring back the good gut flora and increase the good gut bacteria.

Let me know if you find this blog has been helpful….