There was a discussion on the Reddit group I belong and in this discussion, dog parents shared situations where they used rice water for dogs and it benefited them and how they prepared the rice water.
I noticed a lot of dog parents in the group found it beneficial, so I decided to make a post about it because other dog parents may need it.
I have also had situations where I used rice water for my dogs, so in this post, we will be looking at the benefits of rice water for
dogs, how to prepare it, the best rice water, and more.
dogs, how to prepare it, the best rice water, and more.
Benefits of rice water for dogs
Rice water for dog diarrhea
When you boil rice some starch from the rice is suspended in the water and that starch is useful for diarrhea. The starch helps to absorb water in your dog’s digestive tract which helps to firm up his/her stool thereby reducing diarrhea.
Some dog parents usually ask what rice type of rice to boil for rice water, well if you are boiling the for only water and you are not planning to feed your dog the rice for their diarrhea then you can boil any type of rice whether brown or white because the water gets only the starch out of rice, so the nutritional content of the rice doesn’t matter, it is the starch that is useful.
Rice water would keep your dog hydrated while it helps reduce the diarrhea.
You can give your dog as much water as they want for the first day of diarrhea, if the diarrhea persists to the second day then their fluid intake should be 50% rice water and 50% water.
I would teach you how to make you how to make rice water if you don’t know how to but that would be later in this post.
Rice water can help your dog’s hair growth
There is research that claims that women in the Heian period (794 to 1185 CE) in Japan had very long hair that could touch the floor which they kept healthy by bathing it in rice water.
Let’s not go too far in the past, have you heard of Yao women, who live in a village called Huangluo in China, they are famous for having long hair with an average length of 6ft.
Whenever the Yao women are asked about their hair they say it is because of the rice water they use, they say it makes their hair long, and thick and helps it maintain its color.
Rice water is said to contain amino acids which have a lot of benefits to your dog’s fur.
Amino acids can help reduce your dog’s shedding because they strengthen the hair follicles at the root of your dog’s fur and the shaft of their hair strands
Amino acids can help hydrate your dog’s fur and boost the shine because they increase you’re the ability of your dog’s fur to take in and hold moisture and an increased moisture would make the fur shine more.
Rice water contains antioxidants that are very beneficial to your dog’s fur
When it comes to using rice water for your dog’s fur, I advise you to use fermented rice water because it contains more antioxidants which is beneficial to your dog’s fur.
How to use rice water for dog’s fur
If you plan to use shampoo, apply it first
rinse thoroughly with water
pour rice water into your dog’s fur
massage the rice water into the fur and skin
leave it on for up to 20 minutes
rinse hair thoroughly using warm water
Rice water for dog skin
Rice water can help promote firmness of your dog’s skin
Rice water has antioxidants that reduce elastase in the skin, elastase is a compound in the skin that weakens the skin through the degeneration of the elastic fibers in the skin.
Rice water can help improve dog skin damage due to the sun and also protect their skin from damage
Dogs can have sunburns and other complications or diseases associated with sun exposure.
There was a study in 2013 that showed that fermented rice can help improve skin damage from the sun. Fermented Rice water increases the collagen in your dog’s skin which keeps it supple.
Fermented rice water also rice sunscreen properties, chemicals contained in have been shown to provide some protection to the skin against sun rays. There was a study in 2016 that showed that chemicals from rice combined with some other plant extract is an effective sunscreen.
Rice water can help with dog skin irritation and damage caused by SLS
Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) is found in some animal and human skin and hair care products like shampoo, it usually irritates the skin.
Some people have shared stories of how using rice water twice a day helped their skin that was irritated and damaged by sodium laurel sulfate. I believe if it worked on human skin, it would work on dog skin.
How to use rice water for dog’s skin
pour rice water into your dog’s fur
massage the rice water into the fur and skin
leave it on for up to 20 minutes
rinse hair thoroughly using warm water
Best rice water for dogs
I have been asked this question a lot and most times there are usually two things dog parents want to know “Is it better to use White rice or brown rice” and “Should it be boiled rice water or fermented rice water”, my answer is always “it depends”.
I say “it depends” because if you plan on using the rice water for diarrhea and you don’t plan on feeding your dog the rice then you can use any rice because what you need is the starch for diarrhea and they are both rich in starch. However, if you want to use rice water for your dog’s skin or fur, you should use brown rice because it is higher in antioxidants than white rice.
And about which is better, boiled rice water for dogs and fermented rice water, if you want to use the rice water for your dog’s diarrhea, you can use either boiled or fermented rice water because each of them contains an adequate amount of starch that would help with diarrhea but if you want to use the rice water for your dog’s skin or fur, you should use fermented rice water because there was a study in 2012 that showed that fermented substance have higher amounts of antioxidants.
How to prepare rice water for dogs
How to prepare boiled rice water for dogs
Put ½ cup of rice into a pot
Add water that is double the amount of water typically used for cooking.
Cook the rice in boiling water and strain the rice water into a clean bowl before use.
How to prepare fermented rice water for dogs
take ½ cup of uncooked rice
rinse it thoroughly
put the rice into a bowl with 2–3 cups of water
leave to soak for 24 hours
strain the rice water into a clean bowl
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FAQs about rice water for dogs
Is rice water good for dogs?
Yes, rice water is good for dogs, it has benefits like curing diarrhea and also benefits your dog’s fur and skin as I have mentioned in this post.
How much rice water can I give my dog?
If it is for diarrhea, you can give your dog as much water as they want for the first day of diarrhea, if the diarrhea persists to the second day then their fluid intake should be 50% rice water and 50% water.
Important information
I am not a vet, any advice shared in this post is from my personal experience, deep research, and advice from dog parents, and vets in the Reddit and Facebook dog groups and dog forums that I am a member of.
A Lot of dog parents don’t know how beneficial rice water for dogs is and how to prepare or use it, so if this post was helpful to you, please share it with people or groups that might need it.
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