White rice is often recommended to dogs, especially if their stomach is disturbed but can dogs eat black rice as it is rich in nutrients and has many health benefits.
Let’s get things underway to know about the health benefits of black rice for dogs and their nutritional value
Can Dogs Eat Black Rice? Should I Feed Him
Yes, you can serve your dog with black rice along with a meal as it will add nutritional value to their regular meal. Moreover, your dog will enjoy rice very much, positively affecting his overall health.
However, they take more time to digest, but it is nothing to worry about. Make sure you serve your dog fully cooked rice and never serve black rice as a full meal. Similarly, avoid serving your dog black rice daily as single dog food.
7 Reasons to Serve your Dog Black Rice
Black rice adds such amazing nutritional value to a dog’s meal that no other meal can beat it. Think I am exaggerating?
Bear with me because I am going to show you reasons why you should give your dog black rice.
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Contains Anthocyanins
Black rice is dark in color due to a pigment known as anthocyanins which have many health benefits. It plays a main role in protecting your dog from cardiovascular diseases.
If your dog is suffering from inflammation or at the edge of heart disease, add black rice to his meal and see him progressing.
Above all, anthocyanins are the best pigment for controlling diabetes. You will see improvement in your dog’s overall health as black rice prevents blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity, and sugar digestion.
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Improve Eye Health and Protect Skin
Black rice contains many carotenoids having anti-sunlight qualities, enhancing black rice’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Moreover, it contains antioxidants that protect dogs from eye and skin infections. Higher exposure to UV rays is deadly for the skin, but it can be controlled by adding black rice to your dog’s diet.
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Full of Nutrition
The most important reason for adding black rice to your dog’s diet is that it is full of nutrition. They contain many amino acids, fatty acids, antioxidants, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and more.
Besides all these, dogs get a lot of vitamins and minerals from black rice. They contain only a small amount of starch and are rich in dietary fiber, which plays a crucial role in maintaining sugar level and help in nutrient absorption.
Look at other ingredients: Vitamin E, Riboflavin, Beta-carotene, Niacin, Calcium, and Iron. Half a cup of boiled black rice contains 170 calories. Sounds good?
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Delayed Aging
It is very difficult for every dog owner to see his dog losing strength and aging. Thus owners go the extra mile to maintain the dog’s health and strength as much as possible.
Most dogs are considered old when they are 8 years old; however, some dogs do not show aging signs when they are 9 or 10 years old.
If you think your dog should be healthy and active for years and want to see him vigorous and strong, add black rice to his diet as they reduce the aging rate and maintain the dog’s health.
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Immune System Booster
The immune system shields us from foreign particles and increases our ability to fight certain infectious particles.
You can improve your dog’s immunity by adding black rice to his diet and making it easy for him to cope with certain infections.
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Substitute for Dogs with IBD
IBD, inflammatory bowel disease, is a syndrome, not a condition. A sort of reaction occurs in the intestinal tract due to chronic irritation.
If your dog is a victim of IBD, you should abstain him from certain foods. For such dogs, black rice proves to be the best substitute. The biggest pro of black rice is they contain a lot of fibers that are very good for the digestive system.
Above all, black rice contains 23 different antioxidants that protect from free radicals that can damage the cell membrane, enzymes, DNA, etc.
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Tolerance/Allergy Substitute
Some dogs can develop intolerance and allergic reaction to certain foods over a certain period. If the dog has become intolerant to a portion of food once, it will show negative effects.
Most dogs show intolerance to foods containing large amounts of proteins, such as meat, wheat, and milk products. However, black rice has proven to be the best substitute for such products as it does not cause allergies in dogs and has all the essential nutrients to fulfill the dog’s requirements.
Nutritional Value of Black Rice
Let us have a look at the nutritional value of black rice in detail.
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Glucides
These are sweet things related to carbohydrates, and they are not an essential part of a dog’s diet, but they are a vital source of energy for dogs like humans. That’s why you must be considerate about the glucides amount in your dog’s diet that can be fulfilled by black rice.
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Vitamins
Black rice contains all essential vitamins, including B, B2, and B3. Thus, stop confusing yourself over can dog eat rice and add them to his diet.
They improve the dog’s overall health and play the role of a strong shield in protecting your dog from certain infections and illnesses.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) is important for maintaining carbohydrate metabolism and sustaining energy in the dog. Moreover, it is very helpful in activating the channels of the ions in neural tissues.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) plays a crucial role in the absorption of nutrients, maintenance of tissues, and breakdown of food properties.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) helps dogs overcome skin infections like pemphigoid and lupoid conditions.
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Proteins
Protein naturally provides amino acids to the dogs’ body; dogs can only produce 22 amino acids. But you can fulfill the requirement of the remaining amino acids by adding black rice to your dogs’ meal.
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Mineral Salts
Finding a balanced diet for dogs containing all essential nutrients has never been easy. However, black rice has made it very easy for all pet owners.
There are many essential minerals in black rice, for example, zinc, selenium, iron, and calcium. These are very important for dogs’ health and must be included in their diet.
These minerals help in the proper functioning of dogs and their development. Thus, adding a little black rice to your dog’s diet can help him achieve his optimum health.
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High Amount of Fibers
Constipation and diabetes can be relieved by increasing the intake of fibers. Moreover, fibers break down the caloric density of the dogs and make them fully satisfied after eating a meal.
Moreover, if your dog is overweight, fibers can help him lose weight. However, by just eating black rice, he will not lose weight. You need to regulate the time and quantity of black rice you give him.
Besides, fibers are important for healthy cell function, fecal consistency, and minimizing constipation.
Side Effects of Feeding your Dog Black Rice
No, feeding black rice has no significant side effect; however, if there is an overconsumption of black rice, the stomach of the dog can be upset.
Most people are very conscious about anti-oxidants present in the black rice as they may cause changes in dog behavior and can affect dog health.
However, there is no such evidence; thus, you do not need to believe these myths. However, if you see negative changes in the health of your dog after feeding him black rice, for example, diarrhea or vomiting.
Stop giving him black rice and immediately rush to a certified vet as it can be due to other health issues or the effect of an allergy.
How to Cook Black Rice for Dogs?
Follow the steps given below to cook black rice for dogs.
Wash Before Cooking
You may accidentally eat arsenic with black rice, a toxic metal that can badly affect the kidney, liver, heart, and central nervous system.
Thus before cooking rice, thoroughly wash them with clean running water so that all toxins are washed away.
Black Rice Cooking Methods
You see, there are different methods of cooking rice, and all of them are discussed here. Choose the one which you think is the most suitable one for you.
Method 1: Absorption – boiling the rice
It is the most basic and popular method of cooking rice. You need to add a specific amount of water so the rice can absorb all water until the end of cooking. Best of all, you can use broth instead of water to enhance rice’s flavor and nutritional value.
But you need to remember the correct water and rice ratio. If all water has been absorbed and rice is still uncooked, you can add a few tablespoons of water.
Method 2: Pasta Method
It is the easiest method of cooking black rice and goes well with black rice as you do not have to remember the exact water and rice ratio.
Best of all, the rice cooked by this method has a very nice and non-sticky consistency. However, the one drawback of this method is that we can only use water, not broth, as we discard water at the end, and all nutrients will be discarded with the water.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This is the part where all your remaining confusion will be cleared as I have answered the questions that arise in the mind of most people. So read on
Can Dogs Eat Black Wild Rice?
Yes, dogs can eat wild black rice; however, if consumed in a large amount can upset the stomach and result in vomiting. To save your dog from this situation, ensure you give him only a small amount of rice and never feed him regularly.
Can Dogs Eat Black Glutinous Black Rice?
Glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice, is very good for dogs as it is rich in phosphorus. In other words, if you want to serve your dog the best food, serve him glutinous rice.
Is Black Rice Easily Digestible?
It was believed that black rice is not easily digestible; however, evidence has proved that black rice is more digestible than brown rice.
Can Dogs Eat Brown Rice?
Yes, dogs can eat brown rice as it is rich in nutrients that are very good for the dog’s overall health.
What To Do If Dog has Eaten a Lot of Uncooked Rice?
Your dog has eaten more than enough uncooked rice, do not let him eat anything. Instead, ask him to drink only water for two hours.
If you see uncooked rice in a dog’s stools, resume feeding him once diarrhea has been controlled. But if the condition is not in your control, take your dog to the vet immediately.
To Sum up
In essence, black rice is very good for the health of dogs as it contains a lot of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fibers. They increase the immunity of dogs, improve eyesight, protect skin from UV rays and delay aging; thus, dogs can eat black rice.
So, now you know everything on “can dogs eat black rice”.However, do not serve your dog rice daily; keep an eye on the amount they are consuming as overeating can upset his stomach. Moreover, different ways of cooking black rice are also given above.
Thank you for your read!