 The Short Answer is: |
Rice pudding can be eaten by your dog. Rice pudding should only be fed as an occasional treat in small quantities to your dog because it does not have a place in any healthy diet. Be prepared to clear up diarrhea caused by the sugar and milk content if you do decide to feed it as a treat. |
The purpose of this article is to explain “Can Dogs Eat Rice Pudding?“.
Rice pudding can be eaten by your dog.
I have examined a number of recipes for homemade rice pudding and a few items you can buy at your local supermarket and none of the ingredients are toxic to your dog.
Nevertheless rice pudding should only be fed as an occasional treat in small quantities to your dog because it does not have a place in any healthy diet.
Be prepared to clear up from diarrhea caused by the sugar and milk content if you do decide to feed it as a treat.
A rice pudding is one of those old-fashioned desserts that often comes with a topping.
Rice pudding can also be purchased in pots ready to eat which come in a variety of flavors.
Your dogs stomach will be upset by most toppings or flavorings.
However some are poisonous to dogs such as raisins and chocolate.
However I will look at what ingredients are used to make rice pudding in the next section.
What are the main ingredients of rice pudding?
In its purest form rice pudding should only be made with:
- Rice
- Milk
- Eggs
- Butter
- Sugar
Taking a quick look at those ingredients reveals that there is nothing poisonous in them.
Egg and milk are the standout ingredients when it comes to nutrition. The rest are either carbohydrates or calories.
Let me walk you through them one by one.
Rice
How many calories are in 100g of white rice?
Isnot it amazing that it is 79% carbohydrate?
To be fair plain white rice does provide a good amount of vitamins B5 and B6 both of which are necessary for the conversion of food into energy.
Minerals are also delivered.
With a lot of copper (vital to red blood cells) and a little-known substance called manganese (which helps reduce inflammation and keep our bones in good shape).
Many dog foods contain rice and it is also used as a home remedy if your dog has an upset stomach.
Milk
Lactose intolerant dogs should not be allowed near dairy products although it is highly unlikely.
I grew up believing that milk is the best source of calcium as far as nutrition is concerned.
Bone health depends on vitamin D.
The benefits of milk are numerous.
B2 and B12 are the most abundant B vitamins.
It is essential for the conversion of food into energy that B vitamins play a role.
Although it contains lots of calcium it is also a good source of phosphorus.
Did you know that? Calcium and phosphorus contribute to the health of your dogs teeth.
Eggs
Nearly 10% of eggs are fat and 13% are protein.
As well as B5 and B12 these foods contain large amounts of some key B vitamins.
I would not repeat myself because we already know how important B vitamins are to our dogs.
Have you heard that eggs are a great source of selenium?
It plays an important role in ensuring your dogs thyroid is functioning properly.
The amino acids in eggs which are essential to your dogs health are highly concentrated in eggs because of their protein content.
Hormones are controlled among other things by amino acids.
Butter
The fat content of butter is 81%.
There are a majority of saturated fats a few unsaturated fats and a few polyunsaturated fats.
I will not engage in a debate over healthy vs unhealthy fats.
A dogs diet should contain the least amount of fat possible.
Sugar
I think I do not have to spend time here discussing what nutrition sugar adds to a dogs diet since it does not.
They just add more belly fat and more cavities to their mouths if they consume too much of it.
After examining the ingredients used in traditional rice pudding I now want to touch on some of the “sweet garnishes” that are sometimes added to it.
What your dog can eat and whether it is safe.
What are the most commonly used extra ingredients?
On top of my head I can think of four common toppings people might use on rice puddings.
The following are their names:
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Jam
- Raisins
Out of these four toppings two are “dog friendly” one is borderline dangerous and one is extremely dangerous.
I will explain this in reverse order starting with the most dangerous.
Would you believe that raisins pose the greatest threat?
Now some dogs are immune to raisins and grapes while others might suffer an emergency trip to the vet if they eat a handful of raisins.
Nobody knows why that is- scientists have yet to find the chemical within a raisin that causes so much trouble.
The less troubling but still dangerous topping to avoid when your dog is around is vanilla extract.
Vanilla extract contains 35% alcohol did you know? I was unaware…
Though rice pudding uses a relatively small amount of vanilla extract it is still important to know.
My next task is to make a jam.
Jam is fine for dogs to eat as long as we recognize that jam is mostly sugar and sugar does not have any nutritional value.
You might have already crossed it off your list if thats the case…
However some sugar-free jams can kill your dog.
This jam contains an ingredient called xylitol which is sugar-free.
If you would like a spoonful of sugar-free jam on your rice pudding please carefully read the ingredients.
Cinnamon is no different.
Please do not worry sprinkling cinnamon over your rice pudding is fine.
It is a completely safe ingredient for dogs.
Cinnamon is composed of 53% dietary fiber.
Can you tell me if anyone has ever used it to help with their dogs’ digestion?
Additionally it contains a huge amount of manganese which is very important for your dogs ability to fight disease.
So if you plan on topping your rice pudding with a topping cinnamon is your best bet while raisins should never be used with your dog.
We have looked at rice pudding so far from the perspective of making it yourself at home but now we will explore some ready-to-eat rice puddings.
Can dogs eat tinned rice pudding?
Ambrosia rice pudding is among the best-selling tins of rice pudding.
There are the following ingredients: full cream milk skimmed milk whey rice (9%) and sugar.
The whey protein found in milk is an interesting ingredient because it is added to foods as an extra source of protein.
Neither of these ingredients is toxic for your dog but neither will they be beneficial to your dogs diet either.
As a result feeding your dog tinned rice pudding every once in a while in small quantities is a harmless treat.
This isnot an ideal food to add to your dogs diet on a regular basis.
Can dogs eat flavored rice puddings?
Rice pudding comes in a variety of flavors in the United States and the United Kingdom.
They are made by companies such as Muller in the UK.
The products are made in the United States by companies such as Sun Tropics.
Among Muller Rices flavors are strawberry vanilla custard apple chocolate and original.
Sun Tropic offers a variety of coconut rice puddings with a variety of flavors.
Chocolate cinnamon and salted caramel are some of the flavors available.
Sun Tropics and Muller pots contain similar ingredients including lots of milk products some rice (7%) and lots of sugar and sweeteners.
The products from either company are not suitable for feeding your dog.
You can expect your dog to have a touch of diarrhea after eating most of these flavors.
However chocolate flavors have the potential to poison your dog and cause real harm.
Even a spoonful from these pots of chocolate is too much for dogs who are allergic to a chemical in chocolate.
Can puppies be weaned using rice pudding?
This question can be answered quickly with a “no.”
In addition there are two very good reasons for this.
The first problem is that rice pudding is made with cows milk which is really hard for puppies to digest.
Puppy can not digest cows milk very well because it contains a lot of lactose (milk protein).
Puppy milk should be lower lactose milk such as goats milk if it needs to be fed to puppies.
Its not recommended to use rice pudding with your puppy unless you’re making some with goats milk at home.
As for weaning ideally the puppy should be eating the food it will be eating for the next few months when it comes to weaning.
An example would be a high-protein kibble specially formulated for puppies.
As a result we wean our puppies by feeding them warm water-soaked puppy kibble.
Pudding made from rice is not nutritious enough to feed a puppy regularly.
Amanda (Author)
With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.
Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)
Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.
