- Pros Of A Chicken And Rice Diet
- When To Feed Your Dog Chicken And Rice Meals
- How Much Chicken And Rice Should You Feed Your Dog?
- Chicken And Rice Recipe
Chicken noodle soup is a classic meal when we are feeling under the weather, and our dogs have a similar meal they can enjoy when they aren't feeling their best. A homemade chicken and rice diet is perfect for the sick dog with an upset stomach, and pet parents will be delighted to know creating these meals at home is as simple as can be.
Pros Of A Chicken And Rice Diet
While chicken and rice meals may seem like they might make for a bland diet, they are often just what the veterinarian orders when our furry friends are struggling with upset stomachs. They are hardy, but easily digestible food that's loaded with a lot of essential vitamins and minerals.
Rice is rich in starches, vitamins D and G, calcium, iron, and riboflavin. While chicken is high in protein, omega-6 fatty acids, and glucosamine.
Together the protein and starch combination come together to simulate a dog's appetite while delivering a low-fat meal. Additionally, this makes a chicken and rice diet a great choice for dogs that struggle with fatty meals (as seen in cases of pancreatitis). Along with dogs that deal with food allergies and require an elimination diet to figure out the culprit allergen.
Now, it's important for us to mention that a chicken and rice combo won't provide a complete and balanced diet as it won't contain all the essential nutrients. As such, these simple diets are only used for short durations.
However, with a few modifications, such as switching from white rice to brown rice and a couple of extra ingredients, such as green beans, canned pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, you can turn chicken and rice meals into your dog's normal food. We'll help you with this later in our article.
When To Feed Your Dog Chicken And Rice Meals
When you need to know for sure when it's the right time to put your dog on a chicken and rice diet, your vet is the best person to contact. However, there are several warning signs you should be on the lookout for, so you know when it's time to make the call.
- Chronic diarrhea, gas, or constipation
- Recovery from a serious illness or surgery
- Loss of appetite or vomiting for more than a few hours
- Food allergies
How Much Chicken And Rice Should You Feed Your Dog?
Your dog's weight will be the biggest factor in determining how much chicken and rice you should feed them. Generally, dogs need between 20 and 30 calories per pound of their body weight a day. 4oz of chicken breast is about 123 calories, while 8oz of rice is between 250-300 calories, giving you a chicken and rice dish between 375 and 423 calories.
A 50lb adult dog needs around 1000 to 1500 calories, depending on their energy level and whether they are neutered or intact. That's a pretty big range, but thankfully, your vet can help you with that. Another great idea is using the ChefPaw app, which takes into account a number of factors that can influence how many calories your dog should be getting in a single day. Regardless, you want to carefully monitor their weight to see if you need to make any adjustments to their daily caloric intake.
Chicken And Rice Recipe
Creating both simple and complex chicken and rice meals doesn't need to be complicated, especially when you're creating homemade dog food with ChefPaw, which does pretty much all the work for you.
Best Cut of Chicken?
In most cases, skinless chicken breasts are the best cuts to use thanks to their lower fat content. Dark meat can be used, especially when making chicken and rice meals part of their regular diet. For upset stomachs, we generally want to keep our fat amount low
While there are advantages to a raw diet, cooked chicken is definitely the way to go, with unseasoned boiled chicken being the best. As well, make sure you remove any fat and bones before serving.
White Rice or Brown Rice?
Both long-grain white rice and brown rice are excellent options. Generally, brown rice is preferred. However, if your dog needs to avoid a high-fiber diet, then your vet may recommend that you avoid brown rice.
Simple Chicken And Rice Dog Food Recipe
Our simple chicken and rice recipe includes just 2 ingredients: chicken and rice!
Step 1: Debone and remove the fat and skin from your chicken breasts.
Step 2: Fill a cooking pot with water and gently boil the chicken, regularly skimming off the fat that collects on top of the chicken broth, until it's fully cooked. A cooking thermometer is really handy to have as it will allow you to perfectly cook the chicken to 165F. Undercooking chicken can result in a food-borne illness. Overcooked chicken can result in a loss of nutrients.
Allow the chicken to cool completely, then shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces. The chicken stock can be discarded, but can also be used to replace some of your dog's water, helping them get in some extra nutrients with some tasty chicken soup.
Step 3: To cook the rice, follow the directions on the label. If you don't have directions, typically, a 2-to-1 ratio of water to rice works great. Brown rice will take significantly longer to cook. Regardless, make sure you wash your rice until the water is coming out clean and not cloudy before cooking.
Bring water and rice to a boil, then cover with a lid and simmer until liquid is nearly absorbed. Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and let the rice sit for about 5 minutes to absorb the rest of the water.
Step 4: After both the boiled chicken and the cooked rice have cooled, mix the chicken and rice together at a ratio of 1-to-2. So if you want to mix 1/2 cup of chicken into rice, you want 1 cup of rice.
Chicken and rice will be kept for 3-4 days in the fridge but up to 2 months when freezing, so no worries if you create too much for a single day or two.
Using ChefPaw To Create Chicken And Rice Dog Food
Creating a simple chicken and rice meal is pretty easy, as we just saw, but these meals are only a short-term replacement for their regular dog food as they don't provide all the essential vitamins and nutrients your dog needs for optimal health. For that, we need to include other great ingredients. In fact, even a dietary supplement is a good idea to ensure you are satisfying your dog's nutritional needs.
Now, while there are so many positives to a fresh diet, pairing the right ingredients together and in the correct amounts can be a bit too much for the average pet parents. Well, that was until ChefPaw!
ChefPaw will basically do all the work for you, from telling you how much chicken and rice you'll need to preparing and cooking the ingredients for you. The ChefPaw app will give you a detailed breakdown of the vitamins and nutrients your dog is getting with their homemade dog food meals.
Bet yet, ChefPaw isn't just there to help your dog as it also helps you save money! ChefPaw comes with suggested recipes>, many of which include chicken and rice. As well, it lets you create customize meals, so you can easily swap out an expensive ingredient that isn't working for your dog for one that is.
How Often Should You Give Your Dog Chicken and Rice?
Most dogs are fed about two times a day, but when your dog's digestive system is under stress, it's best to split their meals into smaller portions and feed them four to six times a day.
Alternatives To Chicken And Rice
While chicken and rice are often the best thing to soothe a dog's upset stomach, there are several other great foods you can give them. Just like with our chicken and rice, we want to choose foods that keep them on a bland diet so we don't overexcite their upset stomach.
When I notice my dog having some minor backdoor issues, such as constipation, a scoop of canned pumpkin or oatmeal is often enough to help get things flowing and they are both very easy on a dog's stomach.
Final Thoughts
Whether you're using it to replace your dog's regular food or to temporarily help out your dog's upset stomach, chicken and rice meals are a fantastic choice. Remember, if you're looking to give your dog homemade dog food, you'll need to add a few extra ingredients to create a complete and balanced diet. And ChefPaw, the home dog food maker, is perfect for helping you do just that!