White rice is one of the best things to feed a dog with an diarrhea and it’s one of the best things to add to homemade dog food, along with other ingredients to make up a balanced diet.
To make rice for dogs, heat 2 cups of water in a large saucepan. Once boiling, add 1 cup of plain white rice to the water and put the lid on. Wait for the water to start boiling again, then turn down the heat to simmer. Leave the rice to cook, with the lid on, for 15 to 18 minutes. Don’t add any salt or seasonings.
Making rice for your dog is very easy, but you might be wondering how much rice to make, how much rice you should feed your dog each day, and how long you should keep your dog on rice.
Changing your dog’s diet quickly can cause many tummy problems, so it’s important to feed the right rice, in the right amount, and for the right length of time.
I did some digging to get all the answers and this is what I found out…
Step-by-step instructions on how to make rice for dogs
1. Check how much rice to feed your dog per day
The more your dog weighs or the bigger the breed, the more rice your dog will need to eat each day.
Find your dog’s weight in pounds or kilos in the following table, then check the last column to see how much rice to feed your dog per day. Remember to ask your veterinarian for advice if you’re unsure about anything.
| Dog’s Weight In Lbs | Dog’s Weight In Kg | How Much Rice To Feed Your Dog Per Day In Total (Not Per Meal) |
| 1 – 10 lbs | 0 – 4.5 kg | Half a cup |
| 11 – 20 lbs | 4.6 – 9 kg | One cup |
| 21 – 30 lbs | 9.1 – 13.5 kg | One and a half cups |
| 31 – 40 lbs | 13.6 – 18 kg | Two cups |
| 41 – 50 lbs | 18.1 – 22.5 kg | Two and a half cups |
| 51 – 60 lbs | 22.6 – 27 kg | Three cups |
| 61 – 70 lbs | 27.1 – 32 kg | Three and a half cups |
| 71+ lbs | 33+ kg | Four cups |
For example, if you have a schnauzer that weighs 15 lbs, you should feed your dog 1 cup of rice per day in total, for all meals in that day. If you have a large bullmastiff that weighs 100 lbs, you’ll need to feed your dog 4 cups of rice per day.
2. Decide how much rice to make
Now that you know how much rice your dog needs to eat per day, you can decide how much rice you want to cook for your dog.
When uncooked rice is boiled in water it triples in size, so you’ll need to use a pot that’s big enough to hold at least three times the amount of rice you’re cooking.
Find the number of cooked cups of rice you want to make in the first column below. Then check the second and third columns to see how much uncooked rice and how much water to use for your rice recipe.
| How Many Cups Of Cooked Rice You’ll End Up With | How Many Cups Of Uncooked White Rice | How Many Cups Of Water To Use When Cooking The Rice |
| 3 cups | 1 cup | 2 cups |
| 6 cups | 2 cups | 4 cups |
| 9 cups | 3 cups | 6 cups |
| 12 cups | 4 cups | 8 cups |
Say you want to cook enough rice to feed your schnauzer for the next 3 days. You know from step 1 that your schnauzer needs to eat 1 cup of rice a day, so you’ll be cooking 3 cups of rice to last 3 days (1+1+1). This means that you need to use 1 cup of uncooked rice and 2 cups of water to get 3 cups of cooked rice.
If you’re cooking for your very large dog, such as the bullmastiff we spoke about above, then you need 4 cups of rice per day. That means you’ll need to make 12 cups of rice if you want enough rice to last 3 days. In the first column we find 12 cups of cooked rice at the bottom of the first column. Next to that we can see that you should use 4 cups of rice and 8 cups of water in this rice recipe for dogs.
3. Bring the water to the boil
Put the water in a pot that’s big enough to hold the rice once it has tripled in size, with enough room to allow the water inside to boil while the rice cooks.
Put a lid on the pot and make sure that it seals well. Now turn on the heat and bring the water to the boil.
4. Add the rice to the boiling water
If you bought the rice from a bulk bin, put it in a fine mesh strainer and rinse it well under running water. This washes dust and dirt away from the rice.
Once the water is boiling in the pot, add the plain white uncooked rice that you want to cook.
Don’t ever add any salt, herbs, oils, butter, spices, or seasonings when you’re making rice for your dog. Just use plain white rice and water.
5. Bring the water back to the boil
Now that you’ve added the room-temperature rice, the water in the pot will cool down and stop boiling. Put the lid back on the pot and make the stove’s temperature medium-high, to bring the water back to boiling point.
You’ll know the water is boiling when big bubbles are popping on top of the water.
6. Simmer for 15-18 minutes
Once the water starts boiling again, turn down the heat to bring it to a simmer. You’ll know it’s simmering when the bubbles are smaller than the boiling bubbles and there’s a constant stream of these little bubbles popping on top of the water. There shouldn’t be any quiet time without bubbles on top of the water.
Leave the lid on the pot and let it simmer like this for 15-18 minutes. Try not to take the lid off at all – if you do, you’ll let the hot air out and cool down the water.
The cooking time will vary depending on your type of pot, your stove, and the rice you use. If you’re unsure about how long to simmer your rice, rather cook the rice for 18 minutes and see how it turns out. Overcooked rice is easier on a dog’s tummy than undercooked rice.
If the rice is overcooked after cooking it for 18 minutes, make a note for next time to try cooking it for a minute less. Keep doing this and testing things out until you find the best cooking time for your rice.
For the best cooked white rice, leave the lid on and don’t remove it while the rice is simmering. If you don’t have a clear lid and you must take a look inside, take a sneak peek in the last minute or so of the cooking time, closing the lid as quickly as possible.
7. Let the rice steam in the pot
Once the rice has simmered for 15-18 minutes, remove the pot from the stove’s heat. Leave the lid on and let the rice steam inside this hot pot for 10 minutes.
This is when the rice absorbs any water left in the pot.
8. Rake the rice with a fork
Now you can take the pot’s lid off and rake through the cooked rice with a fork, to separate the grains and help make it fluffy.
9. Add boiled chicken to your dog’s rice
It’s a good idea to add boiled chicken to your dog’s rice. This will give your dog more nutrients to heal and regain strength, all while being very gentle on the tummy.
To make boiled chicken for your dog, cover skinless, boneless chicken breasts with water in a pot. Bring the water to a boil and cook the chicken for 10-12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Pour off the water and shred the cooked chicken with a fork.
Don’t add any salt, pepper, oil, spices, or anything else to the chicken. Don’t keep the skin or any chicken bones either. I keep the water and use it to soak kibble.
The formula to feed rice and chicken to your dog is two parts rice and one part chicken.
Your dog’s size and weight will determine how much chicken your dog needs to eat with their rice every day. Look up your dog’s weight in the following table to find out how much shredded, boiled chicken your dog needs to eat per day in total (not per meal):
| Dog’s Weight In Lbs | Dog’s Weight In Kg | Chicken Per Day In Total |
| 1 – 10 lbs | 0 – 4.5 kg | One-quarter cup |
| 11 – 20 lbs | 4.6 – 9 kg | Half a cup |
| 21 – 30 lbs | 9.1 – 13.5 kg | Three quarters of a cup |
| 31 – 40 lbs | 13.6 – 18 kg | One cup |
| 41 – 50 lbs | 18.1 – 22.5 kg | One and a quarter cups |
| 51 – 60 lbs | 22.6 – 27 kg | One and a half cups |
| 61 – 70 lbs | 27.1 – 32 kg | One and three-quarter cups |
| 71+ lbs | 33+ kg | Two cups |
10. Start feeding your dog the rice
If your dog has an upset stomach, don’t give your dog any food for 12-24 hours. This gives the tummy time to settle. After this fasting period, you can start feeding rice and boiled chicken.
Don’t give your dog the full day’s portion of rice and chicken in one meal as it’s far too much for one sitting.
Mix the rice and chicken that your dog needs for the day, then divide it up and feed your dog several small meals throughout the day if your dog has tummy issues.
Feed this chicken and rice mixture to your dog until there is a normal stool for a day or two, or until there’s no bowel movement for a day. This means that your dog’s diarrhea is going away.
If your dog doesn’t have tummy issues and you’re just feeding rice and chicken for a change, then there’s no need for a fasting period. You can divide the day’s food in two and feed half the chicken and rice in the morning and the rest in the late afternoon or evening.
11. Store the rice in the refrigerator
Keep the rice in a sealed container in the refrigerator, where it will last for up to one week.
If your cooked rice starts drying out, add 2 tablespoons of warm water to it before feeding it to your dog, to add some moisture.
If you want to save time, cook more rice than you need and freeze it in smaller portions.
12. Slowly introduce your dog back to regular dog food
If your dog’s stool normalizes, start adding some kibble to the chicken and rice meals. Each day, check your dog’s stool and add a little more kibble, reducing the amount of chicken and rice as the amount of kibble goes up.
Do this over a few days until your dog is eating regular dog food again and having normal bowel movements.
If your dog’s tummy gets upset one day, then increase the rice and chicken and feed less kibble that day.
What to add to rice for a dog
There are many things you can add to boiled rice to give your dog a more balanced diet, such as:
- Boiled chicken
- Hamburger meat
- Other dog-friendly proteins
- Dog-friendly vegetables
- Dog-friendly fruits
- Dog-friendly fats and oils
It’s important to get the balance right, especially if you plant to feed rice and other ingredients to your dog for a long period of time. If your dog doesn’t get the right balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, your dog could become malnourished, get growth deformities, and become sick or be more prone to infections.
Don’t ever add salt, pepper, seasoning, spices, or flavors to the food you feed your dog.
Adding white rice to your dog’s regular food
White rice is a tummy filler and doesn’t add many nutrients for your dog. If your dog is on a healthy, balanced diet (this is the kibble my veterinarian recommends I feed my dogs), then there’s no need to add any rice to your dog’s food.
White rice is a great food to feed a dog that isn’t feeling well, has an upset tummy, or is too fussy to eat. You can feed your dog white rice and boiled chicken as a meal, or mix some into the kibble.
In fact, two parts white rice mixed with one part boiled chicken is a very tasty meal for most dogs, even though it’s pretty bland to you and me!
Some white rice mixed into dog food often gets a dog’s appetite going again. But feeding white rice to a dog isn’t a long-term solution for an upset tummy or a fussy eater.
If your dog has tummy issues that last a long time or your dog refuses to eat for a few days, it’s time to visit your veterinarian for advice and a checkup.
Can you give your dog rice every day?
White rice doesn’t provide all the nutrients your dog needs to maintain good health. Dogs need a balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in their daily diet, and white rice doesn’t provide many of these things.
Some white rice mixed into your dog’s kibble every day isn’t bad for your dog, but it might cause your dog to pick up weight over time, if your dog is overeating.
You can use white rice daily as an ingredient in homemade dog food, but be sure to know the real costs involved to make your own dog food and the ingredients you need to feed your dog a balanced diet.
If your dog is eating a good-quality dog food, then there’s no need to feed your dog rice every day.
How much rice to give your dog
The amount of rice your dog needs every day depends on your dog’s breed and healthy weight range. If your dog is overweight, you should use your dog’s ideal weight to calculate how much rice to give your dog.
The following table shows exactly how much rice to give your dog daily. Weigh your dog, then find your dog’s weight in the first or second column. The third column shows you how much rice to feed per day in total, for all the meals your dog eats that day.
| Dog’s Weight In Lbs | Dog’s Weight In Kg | Rice Per Day |
| 1 – 10 lbs | 0 – 4.5 kg | Half a cup |
| 11 – 20 lbs | 4.6 – 9 kg | One cup |
| 21 – 30 lbs | 9.1 – 13.5 kg | One and a half cups |
| 31 – 40 lbs | 13.6 – 18 kg | Two cups |
| 41 – 50 lbs | 18.1 – 22.5 kg | Two and a half cups |
| 51 – 60 lbs | 22.6 – 27 kg | Three cups |
| 61 – 70 lbs | 27.1 – 32 kg | Three and a half cups |
| 71+ lbs | 33+ kg | Four cups |
How much chicken and rice to give a dog by weight
When feeding your dog white rice and boiled chicken, you need to feed two parts rice to one part chicken. So, if you are feeding your dog one cup of chicken for the day, you’ll add half a cup of boiled chicken to the mix.
The following table shows you how much boiled chicken and white rice to feed your dog per day, based on your dog’s weight:
| Dog’s weight in lbs | Dog’s weight in kg | Rice per day | Chicken per day |
| 1 – 10 lbs | 0 – 4.5 kg | Half a cup | One-quarter cup |
| 11 – 20 lbs | 4.6 – 9 kg | One cup | Half a cup |
| 21 – 30 lbs | 9.1 – 13.5 kg | One and a half cups | Three quarters of a cup |
| 31 – 40 lbs | 13.6 – 18 kg | Two cups | One cup |
| 41 – 50 lbs | 18.1 – 22.5 kg | Two and a half cups | One and a quarter cups |
| 51 – 60 lbs | 22.6 – 27 kg | Three cups | One and a half cups |
| 61 – 70 lbs | 27.1 – 32 kg | Three and a half cups | One and three-quarter cups |
| 71+ lbs | 33+ kg | Four cups | Two cups |
How long to feed your dog chicken and rice
If your dog is on a diet of chicken and rice because of an upset tummy, you’ll need to keep an eye on your dog’s bowel movements to see how long to keep your dog on this diet.
Give your dog a break from all food for 12-24 hours, so the tummy can settle down. Then start feeding the rice and chicken mixture in small meals throughout the day.
Keep doing this until your dog has a normal bowel movement.
When this happens, you can start adding a little kibble to your dog’s meals of chicken and rice. Each day, add a little more kibble and a little less chicken and rice. If your dog’s stools remain normal, then keep doing this over the course of a week.
The following diagram gives you a one-week plan on how to move your dog over from rice back to regular dog food:
If your dog’s tummy is upset or constipated again, go back to feeding only chicken and rice. IF your dog is still having tummy troubles after a few days, get in touch with your veterinarian for advice as there may be a more serious issue or time to deworm your dog.
