Rice (white or brown) is a popular nutritious meal humans eat as a standalone or along with almost any food from chicken, beef, pork to vegetables.
Interestingly, rice is great for dogs to eat, and no health risk is associated with feeding your dog white rice.
It offers nutrients beneficial to a dog’s system and eases gastrointestinal problems.
Many experienced dog owners go as far as adding white rice to their dog’s diet.
They do not require much to prepare, and your canine buddy can easily digest them, plus they’re low in fiber.
The real question is, ‘can dogs eat fried rice’?
This article explores everything you need to know about feeding your dog fried rice.
Is Fried Rice Good For Dogs?
In many commercial dry dog food, rice is one of the common ingredients used due to its safety and health benefits.
49% of rice makes up for the ingredients used in the production of dry dog food and 30% in wet dog food.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean fried rice is by default safe for dogs consumption.
Of course, dogs can eat fried rice, but there are caveats. Fried rice is not ideal for feeding your dog, even though dogs can eat them.
They do not contain vital nutrients beneficial to a dog’s system; rather, they’re filled with a lot of carbs that can cause unhealthy weight gain.
Salty and spicy food are not good for dogs, and fried rice is a product of both.
Not to mention it includes other ingredients such as garlic, monosodium glutamate, chili pepper, soy sauce, sodium, fat, and onion that are extremely toxic to dogs.
From a neutral view, you might be misled into thinking fried rice is good for dogs seeing as it contains quite a lot of veggies (green peas, tofu, broccoli), but that is far from the truth.
A closer look at the ingredients used in cooking fried rice says otherwise.
Below is a breakdown of the nutritional value of fried rice (137g)
| Nutritional Info | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 238 |
| Fat | 4.1g |
| Sodium | 530mg |
| Carbohydrates | 45g |
| Fiber | 1.5g |
| Sugars | 0.8g |
| Protein | 5.5g |
| Vitamin A | 7.6% |
| Vitamin C | 8.7% |
| Calcium | 1.3% |
| Iron | 5% |
Can Dogs Eat Fried Rice?
Dogs can eat fried without suffering any health complications as long as it is in small quantity and not frequently.
Ideally, feeding your canine buddy fried rice once in a week is more than enough. Please do not make it its primary diet.
If you’re opting for commercially prepared fried rice, ensure you check the ingredients used in preparation before buying, and Chinese takeout is a big no!
Can Dogs Eat Chicken Fried Rice? What about Egg Fried Rice?
Absolutely yes. Both are great sources of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, which are all vital nutrients beneficial to a dog’s health.
Many pets food experts regard egg alone as a complete food for dogs.
Risk of Feeding Fried Rice to Your Dog
Dogs’ digestive systems are very sensitive.
The usual method of fried rice preparation is not fitting for dogs to eat and thus can result in digestive complications that can lead to vomiting and diarrhea.
For optimal digestive health, dogs depend greatly on a delicate balanced diet; any reckless change in nutrient balance will cause complications to their digestive tract.
A healthy diet meal for a dog revolves around 10% of fat; anything beyond that can lead to health complications.
Fried rice offers dogs more fat than needed which may lead to obesity.
Aside from that, the ingredients in fried rice, when consumed in excess, will lead to an imbalance in essential body functions in dogs, resulting in severe health issues later on.
It is worth mentioning that too much high-fat diet such as fried rice can cause pancreatitis in dogs.
Symptoms of pancreatitis in dogs include:
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Fever
- Frequent fatigue
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
While pancreatitis has no specific symptoms, notwithstanding, the symptoms mentioned above, especially severe diarrhea, are the most common signs of this disease in dogs.
If your dog is experiencing any of the above symptoms mentioned above, it would be advisable to see a vet for diagnosis and confirmation of your dog’s health condition.
Pancreatitis can be a life-threatening disease in dogs if not properly treated, but most times, dogs survive it.
However, as a loving caregiver, you wouldn’t want to put your dog through such pain.
Hence, you should avoid fat-laden meals such as fried rice or, better still, make a healthy version of it yourself for your dog and feed it occasionally.
How to Prepare Fried Rice for your Dog
Being the caring dog giver you are, you could decide to prepare a healthy version of fried rice rather than go with commercially prepared ones.
That way, you’re in control of the ingredients used and can exclude using potentially toxic ingredients.
In preparing healthy fried rice suitable for your pet dog to eat, fry the rice with the necessary healthy recipes, i.e., without butter or spices, and it’s ready for eating.
You could add a bit of vegetable or scramble an egg on the side to go along.
This is by far a healthy, wholesome meal for your dog, free from the risk associated with commercially prepared fried rice, and your dog will no doubt enjoy it.
What will happen if my dog eats fried rice?
If you continually feed your dog fried rice, you’ll notice your dog will fall ill and begin vomiting severely.
This is a result of a condition known as pancreatitis resulting from too much consumption of fried rice.
Pancreatitis is a digestive problem that happens when the pancreas begins producing pancreatic enzymes before reaching the colon.
Can dogs eat anything fried?
It is not advisable to feed your dog anything fried.
Dogs’ frequent consumption of anything fried puts them at risk of developing pancreatitis, fever, vomiting, chronic fatigue, swollen and painful abdomen, hunched posture, and loss of appetite.
Can dogs eat Chinese fried rice?
It is not healthy to feed Chinese fried rice to your dog. They contain too much spice, salt, soy sauce than a dog need, making it unsuitable for your canine to eat.
Can rice upset a dog’s stomach?
Only when cooked with spices and seasonings will rice upset your dog’s stomach. Dogs do not need those extra ingredients. Plainly cooked rice is the best to feed your dog.
What kind of rice is good for dogs?
White rice and brown rice are good for dogs to eat. However, white rice is the best for dogs.
Brown rice is more fibrous than white rice because it still has its outer layer of the grain, making it not as safe for dogs to eat in comparison to white rice.
Final Thoughts
No doubt, rice is quite delicious and also very nutritious.
As a loving dog owner, you may want to treat your pet to some tasty human meal and thus may want to offer fried rice to your furry friend.
While it is relatively safe to feed fried rice to your pet dog in small proportions, it is best to stay clear of it.
Hopefully, this article has enlightened you on the risk and dangers of excessive fried consumption to your canine buddy.
