Rice: longstanding staple for calories in dog and cat diets

Rice has been a staple in pet food diets for decades and despite some minor controversies remains a high-quality supply of calories.

Aldrich G 120x120 Headshot
Photo by Luis2007 | Dreamstime.com
Photo by Luis2007 | Dreamstime.com

In February 2004, the topic of rice in pet foods was covered in this column. What is new 14 years later? For starters, rice, along with other grains, has lost significant product share to non-grain carbohydrates like legume seeds (pulses) and tubers. There has been some research published that provides comparison between the two. Plus, there is some controversy in human foods regarding rice and its potential contamination with arsenic that has bled over into the pet food trade. Following is an update and summary of new information about its utilization and potential challenges.

Looking ahead: rice in the Dog and Cat Food Ingredient Database

Log in to view the full article
Page 1 of 3
Next Page