Rice and Dog Food: When and How to Add It

Boiled chicken and rice is probably the most widely repeated piece of dog food advice there is. It's also, according to more recent veterinary guidance, not quite the go-to it's made out to be. Here's the more accurate version.

The everyday recipe

Makes roughly 4 meal-sized portions for a 15–20kg dog.

Ingredients

1. 500g chicken breast, diced
2. 1.5 cups brown rice, cooked
3. 1 cup mixed vegetables, diced
4. 1 tsp olive oil

Method

1. Poach or bake the chicken until fully cooked through, no seasoning.
2. Cook the brown rice according to packet directions.
3. Steam the vegetables until tender, 8–10 minutes.
4. Combine everything with the olive oil, cool to room temperature, and portion.
5. Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze portions for up to 2 months.

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Where rice fits in an everyday recipe

Brown rice is a reasonable, easily available carbohydrate base for a homemade meal. It retains more fibre and micronutrients than white rice, thanks to the bran layer, which supports more stable digestion over time in a dog with a normal, settled stomach. This is the version worth using for regular, everyday feeding.

The classic "bland diet": an update worth knowing

The traditional short-term bland diet, plain boiled chicken and white rice for a dog with an upset stomach, is still extremely widely recommended and used. But it's worth knowing that VCA Animal Hospitals has actually walked this back somewhat in their more recent guidance, noting that a homemade chicken-and-rice bland diet is deficient in more than ten essential nutrients, has a variable calorie content depending on which cut of chicken is used, and isn't the best option for most dogs even short-term, largely due to how imprecise and nutritionally incomplete it is.

Source: VCA Animal Hospitals, "Bland Diet Instructions for Dogs and Cats"

Their more current advice is to talk to your vet about what they specifically mean by "bland diet" if it's recommended, since some vets now prefer a commercially available short-term GI diet over a homemade version, precisely because of the gaps above.

If you do go the homemade route short-term anyway, which remains extremely common in practice:

• Use plain boiled chicken breast (not thigh, for lower fat) and plain boiled white rice
• No seasoning, oil, salt, garlic, or onion, including anything from stock cubes
• Feed small, frequent portions rather than one large meal
• Use it for a day or two at most while transitioning back to regular food, not as an ongoing plan
• If symptoms last more than 48 hours, or include blood in the stool, vomiting, or lethargy, see a vet rather than continuing at home

White vs brown rice

White rice is generally preferred specifically for short-term digestive upset, since its lower fibre content is gentler on an already unsettled gut. Brown rice is the better everyday choice for regular meals, since the extra fibre and nutrients support more consistent digestion over the long run in a dog that isn't currently unwell.

Making it your own

• Regular meals: use the brown rice recipe above as your everyday base.
• Short-term digestive upset: use plain white rice and chicken breast only, no vegetables or oil, for a day or two.
• Ongoing feeding: rice-based recipes fed exclusively long-term should be checked against your dog's full nutrient needs. Our supplements piece covers what tends to get missed.