White Rice

Rice mills turn harvested grain into white rice by removing its outer layers. Milling also breaks some kernels, creating lower priced grades alongside whole rice. Either form supplies starch for pet food.^1,5,6

1. 01 // Source Harvested rice Rice reaches the mill as rough grain with its outer hull still attached.
2. 02 // Process Hull removed Removing the hull leaves brown rice, which still has its bran layer.
3. 03 // Process Bran polished off Further milling takes off the bran and most of the germ, leaving the pale kernel.
4. 04 // Process Kernels sorted Mills separate whole kernels from broken grades; rice used in a dog diet may be ground.
5. 05 // Output White rice Dry whole, broken or ground kernels are ready to be mixed into a recipe.

1. 01

   Supplies digestible energy

   Cooked rice starch is readily digested. In one controlled dog comparison, the rice diet was among the most digestible diets tested.^1,2

2. 02

   Helps form kibble

   Starch helps the food mixture bind and expand as it cooks. Rice supplies that structure while adding calories to the finished food.¹

3. 03

   Uses lower priced grades

   Milling produces broken white kernels that USDA says sell at a considerable discount to whole kernels. That gives manufacturers a lower cost rice stream.⁶

How much One controlled dog comparison used about 36% rice powder in its rice diet; that tested amount is not a recipe standard.¹

1. Brands say

   White rice gives dogs easily digested energy

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   An 8-dog comparison measured 92.45% dry matter digestibility for the rice diet, close to corn's 92.95%. A separate 36-dog trial found brewer's rice among its most digestible starch sources. That supports energy supply, not a unique health benefit.^1,2

2. Owners say

   White rice settles an upset stomach

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Cornell includes cooked white rice in short-term bland meals, and an 8-dog feeding comparison supports rice's digestibility. Neither tested whether rice alone stops diarrhea. The cause of the illness and the rest of the meal matter.^1,8

3. Brands say

   White rice keeps blood sugar steady

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a 36-dog trial, brewer's rice diets produced a greater early glucose and insulin response than pulse and sorghum diets. The study measured responses after meals, not long-term health, and gives no support to a steady-blood-sugar promise.²

4. Critics say

   White rice is just filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Polished rice is 85.5% starch on a dry matter basis, and dogs digested the rice diet well in an 8-dog comparison. It supplies calories and helps form kibble. How much room it takes in the recipe is the fair question.^1,4

5. Owners say

   Rice in kibble poisons dogs with arsenic

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A comparison of 7 dogs on rice-based diets with 9 dogs eating no rice found more inorganic arsenic in the rice group's hair. It measured exposure, not illness, and does not show that ordinary rice-containing kibble poisons dogs.³