Chicken and rice
The most prescribed home meal in veterinary practice, and the most misunderstood. Here is what it does well, and the one thing it cannot do.
Why this base exists
Vets reach for chicken and rice after a bout of diarrhea, during recovery from surgery, or while a dog is being transitioned off a prescription diet. It is bland, highly digestible, and almost every dog will eat it. White rice is mostly starch with the fiber stripped out, which is exactly why it soothes an irritated gut: there is very little left for the colon to work on.
It is also, on its own, an incomplete food. Chicken breast is lean and low in calcium because there is no bone in it. A dog eating skinless chicken and rice for weeks is eating a diet deficient in calcium, and the body takes calcium from the skeleton to compensate. That is why this base is a starting point that needs a formulated supplement, not a permanent diet.
What goes in — per 1 kg of finished food
About 1,300 kcal per kilogram. Weigh every component separately; a mix that looks right can be 30% off on calories.
| Component | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, boneless, skinless | 400 g | Poached or baked plain. No salt, no oil, no seasoning, no onion or garlic in the water. |
| White rice, cooked | 300 g | Cook in plain water. Rinse after cooking to remove surface starch if your dog has a sensitive stomach. |
| Carrots and zucchini, cooked | 200 g | Steamed or boiled until soft. Grated carrot cooks faster and mixes better. |
| Added fat — salmon oil or olive oil | 50 g | Needed for omega-3 and for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. Not optional in a lean recipe. |
| Vitamin and mineral supplement | 50 g | The part that makes it a diet. Use a veterinary completer or a recipe formulated by a board-certified nutritionist. |
Method
- Poach the chicken in plain water until it reaches 74°C internally. Cool, then shred or cut into pieces small enough that your dog cannot gulp them whole.
- Cook the rice in a separate pot of plain water. Do not cook it in the chicken water — that liquid concentrates fat and protein and upsets the proportions.
- Steam or boil the vegetables until a fork passes through easily. Dogs digest cooked plant matter far better than raw.
- Weigh each component separately. Weighing the finished mix tells you nothing about the balance.
- Mix, add the oil and the supplement, and portion into containers by weight.
How much to feed
Per day, for a neutered adult at moderate activity. Two meals a day is standard for adults; puppies under six months need three or four smaller meals.
| Dog weight | kcal / day | Food / day | Per meal (2×) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kg (11 lb) | 374 | 290 g | 280 g |
| 10 kg (22 lb) | 630 | 480 g | 480 g |
| 20 kg (44 lb) | 1059 | 810 g | 820 g |
| 30 kg (66 lb) | 1436 | 1100 g | 1100 g |
| 40 kg (88 lb) | 1781 | 1370 g | 1380 g |
Calculated for a neutered adult at moderate activity. Use the calculator for your dog’s real numbers.
When to use it
Use it as a short-term bland diet for two to three days after a stomach upset, or as the base for a properly supplemented long-term diet. Do not use it as a permanent diet on its own.
What this recipe is missing
The calcium and phosphorus ratio. Chicken breast has almost no calcium; rice and vegetables contribute little. Without a supplement the ratio is far outside the roughly 1:1 to 2:1 range a dog needs, and the deficit is paid out of the skeleton. Other gaps: taurine, zinc, vitamin D, iodine, and most of the B vitamins lost in the cooking water.