Is your dog suffering from digestive issues? Are they pooping more than usual, and is the poop coming out soft or runny?
If you said yes to any of the questions, it is time to take your dog to the vet. Did you know gastrointestinal issues account for 10% of vet visits?
When your otherwise healthy dog is suffering from simple acute diarrhea, your vet might recommend a diet-based approach. Your dog’s diet will involve easy-to-digest food while giving its body the chance to heal on its own.
Chicken and rice is a food combination that keeps the dog full, provides them with nutrients, and is easy on the digestive system. Then, as the body’s healing mechanisms kick in and their poop returns to normal, you can slowly start feeding your dog its usual diet.
The article delves into the chicken and rice combo, the right way of feeding, how it works and helps normalize your dog’s poop cycle.
How Long Till a Dog Poops After Chicken and Rice?
The amount of time it takes for a dog to poop after chicken and rice depends on various factors. For example, what is their normal digestive cycle, how well is their metabolism, breed, and dog’s size?
If they suffer from digestive issues, it could take more time for their body to process the food. Or, if they already had food in their stomach, the process could be quicker.
Let us consider the digestive cycle of an average healthy adult dog. First, the food will enter the dog’s small intestines in four to eight hours. Then the gastrointestinal transit will take another six to eight hours. So dogs can take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours to digest a meal.
The time taken may extend if you feed your dog hard-to-digest foods like greasy meat from your plate.
When feeding your dog chicken and rice, make sure the meat is well-cooked. Do not add any spices, herbs, or sauces that you usually add to your food. The bland dish is easy on the stomach. It provides your dog with protein and carbohydrates while helping the healing process.
Your dog should ideally poop in a day or two after having chicken and rice. Take a look at their poop; check it for texture and consistency. Their poop should be solid and brown. It should come out like a log in one piece.
After two to four days of consuming a bland diet, consult with the vet if your dog has difficulty pooping or the poop color and consistency is still off. Further tests will be conducted to find the cause of the issue.
Why is the Chicken and Rice Diet Recommended?
If your dog is presenting symptoms of gastrointestinal upset, it is best to feed them a bland diet. The idea here is to give your dog’s gut a chance to repair itself. With easily digestible food, the amount of work done by the gut significantly reduces.
Chicken and rice are a low source of protein, fat, and a high source of carbohydrates. With low fiber, the digestive system gets the chance to heal. Therefore, it will be comparatively less stimulated. The reduced amount of fiber also helps solidify loose or watery poop.
How to Start a Dog on a Chicken and Rice Diet?
Do not feed your dog for the first 12 to 24 hours when starting with a bland diet. You can give them water during these hours as required. This step ensures that any other food in the body is eliminated and the digestive system is well-rested for the new diet.
The chicken should be well-cooked. Separate any fatty skin and bones from the meat. The rice and chicken ratio should be 2:1. Do not add spices, as it can have the reverse effect on your dog’s already troubled digestive system.
Give your pet small meals at regular intervals throughout the day. It can take 2 to 4 days for the dog’s poop to return to normal. Once the poop looks good, you can slowly start feeding your dog their regular diet.
How Much Chicken and Rice Should You Feed a Dog?
You can feed your dog ¼ to 1/3 cup of boiled chicken for every 20 lbs of their weight. You can add the appropriate amount of rice to maintain the 2:1 ratio mentioned above.
This is not a hard and fast quantity rule but a starting point for you to understand your pet’s needs. Weight should not be the only consideration here. Account for your dog’s age, the amount of exercise they get, and digestive issues.
Monitor their behavior after a meal. You can adjust the quantity of food depending on how they respond to the bland diet.
Can Chicken and Rice Make a Dog Constipated?
The common concern that pet owners have over switching to a bland diet is whether their dog will get constipated. It is a fair concern as you do not want a dog to jump from one gut issue to another.
To answer the question simply, no. Chicken and rice will not hurt your dog’s digestive system. The whole behind this dish is that it goes easy on the stomach, reduces workload, and helps the system repair and reset.
Your dog might poop less than usual, which is an acceptable reaction to the bland diet. As you switch them back to their everyday diet, they gradually get back to their poop cycle as well.
Moreover, chicken and rice are not a long-term solution or diet recommendation. We will see more on this topic below.
If you are unsure about the whole pooping situation, reach out to the vet if you feel your dog is constipated.
How Long Should a Dog Stay on the Chicken and Rice Diet?
Chicken and rice are a good diet for dogs with digestive issues for about a week until they regain their normal pooping ability. After that, however, the bland diet should not be a part of your dog’s routine diet.
The dish provides your dog with protein and carbohydrates. But it lacks other essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fats, and amino acids. The nutrients together offer a balanced diet for your pet. Moreover, growing puppies should not be on a bland diet for more than 3-4 days.
Dogs that are vomiting or have diarrhea will lose electrolytes and have a reduced appetite. Electrolytes are essential as they help convert food into energy and transport oxygen in the body. Chicken and rice cannot replenish the lost electrolytes. Feeding them a low-calorie diet for a long time will hurt their energy levels.
Chicken and rice are not bad for your dog. It is just not a complete meal. If you want to keep feeding your pet chicken, you can do so once or twice a week. Ensure their nutritional needs are met with other food sources or supplements.
How to Include Chicken in a Dog’s Diet?
Did you know that most dog foods include chicken as one of their ingredients? You might have seen bags of dog food in the supermarket that are labeled as ‘chicken meal.’ This means the meat has been rendered from clean, ground chicken. Such dog foods are good sources of protein.
You can also feed your dog boiled chicken. Make sure the meat is lean and skinless. While feeding the dog, separate the meat from the bone. You do not want your dog swallowing bone splinters. Do not cook dishes like chicken and rice and freeze them for later use. Feed your dog fresh food to avoid bacterial infections when it comes to meat.
A word of caution, chicken is also one of the top food allergens in dogs. So, if you are feeding your dog chicken for the first time, keep the quantity low. Ensure it is well-cooked. Please do not give them raw chicken as it carries the additional risk of salmonella.
Keep an eye on your pet after the meal. If their skin turns red or itchy, you see rashes or hives; it could indicate a chicken allergy. The face, ears, and abdomen are where you first see the infection.
Summary
Putting your dog on a bland diet when vomiting or having diarrhea is the approach suggested by many vets. Boiled chicken and rice are some of the common examples of a bland diet.
The ingredients in the dish give the dog’s digestive system time to reset while providing the body nutrients in the form of easy-to-digest food. In addition, the low fiber helps reduce pressure on the digestive system, and poop solidifies and regains its normal consistency.
So, the answer to how long till a dog poops after chicken and rice is two to four days. Then, once your dog starts pooping, as usual, you can gradually add food they eat every day and stop the bland diet.
Heather Abraham is a professional blogger who owns two dogs, a cat, a parrot, and a leopard gecko. She has a connection with animals since she was a child. She shares her love for all pet breeds and provides information on pet food, toys, medications, beds, and everything else.
She is committed to learning about the internal workings of animals. Her work permits her to work closely with knowledgeable vets and obtain practical expertise in animal care. When she is not working, her love of animals continues in her writing. Her goal is to educate and uplift readers who also have a passion for animals through her writing.