Recently, I mentioned in another dog diarrhea post about how some dog lovers and veterinary hospitals no longer recommend you give rice to dogs with upset tummies. When faced with a poopy puppers again in the last, week, here's why I can't stop using rice. TL/DR. It seems to work.
Where Does the Idea of Giving Rice to Dogs Come From?
Many of us give rice to dogs with tummy troubles based on the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet often recommended for people with diarrhea or the so-called stomach flu. Long term, of course, it's not really enough calories or nutrients, and some argue that it isn't nearly as easy to digest as many think. For a while though, or as a supplement to other foods, it's at least something in my mind and real life.
When You Give Rice to Dogs What Does It Do?
I'm oversimplifying, but white rice (especially) is lower in fiber, which kind of slows down gut movement, giving more time for solid stools to form. Notice your own bathroom habits after meals with white rice.
Why Can't I Give It UP?
Maybe I'm impatient, but when a dog's sickly poops continue for *several days* without improvement even when I'm using both dog probiotics and a special easily digestible dog food for upset tummies, then I can't help but go back to adding rice too. It just seems faster to me for the not-serious, passing dog diarrhea bouts we see at my house. Things improve faster, in my experience, and that makes me (and I hope the dogs) feel better.
I'm transitioning our eldest, Clover, back to her regular food now that she's had normal stuff coming out for a couple of days after more than a week of yuck.
We still do the same, give them a little rice and add some boiled chicken when it looks like the tummy problems are getting better. I guess you can't always teach an old dog to change their habits
Maybe that’s it. I’ve been doing it SO long. It’s hard to change. I’m 100% open to learning new things and doing better. Yet, rice really seems to work for my dogs.