Chicken and rice for dogs: is turkey and pumpkin a better choice?

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When your dog has an upset stomach, the advice to “cook chicken and rice” comes faster than you can ask what caused the upset stomach in the first place. This is one of the most persistent home recommendations in the dog world. However, integrative veterinarians, including Dr. Karen Becker, have suggested an alternative: lean turkey with pumpkin. I am a big fan of pumpkin and occasionally add it to my dogs’ food, even when their stomachs are perfectly fine.

But is chicken and rice bad and turkey and pumpkin always better? In my opinion, the question is not quite right. Diarrhea is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Before choosing a recipe, you should understand what problem the dog is facing and how long the dietary change is meant to last.

Look at the dog first, not the recipe

If an otherwise healthy adult dog has a soft stool but is eating, drinking and behaving normally, observation, water and smaller portions of their usual food can often be enough. Sometimes it is also worth considering whether the dog was given new treats the previous day, ate something outside or if their mealtime rhythm suddenly changed.

Repeated vomiting, blood in the stool, black tarry stools, severe abdominal pain, lethargy, bloating, fever, or suspected dehydration require prompt veterinary evaluation. The action threshold is lower for puppies, very small dogs, elderly dogs, or dogs with chronic illnesses. If diarrhea lasts more than 24 hours, recurs, or worsens, it is wise to consult a veterinarian, even if home-made food seems to help a little.

I would not recommend automatically fasting a dog with an upset stomach for a long time. The modern approach in many situations advocates early, small amounts of appropriate food. In cases of persistent vomiting or severe illness, feeding and fluid therapy should be decided by a veterinarian.

Why is chicken and rice so widely recommended?

A properly cooked skinless chicken breast is relatively lean, and properly cooked white rice is usually an easily digestible carbohydrate source. The idea behind this simple combination is to provide a temporary source of food that may be easier for the gut to tolerate.

This does not mean that chicken and rice are suitable for every dog. Chicken can be a known source of food intolerance or allergy in some dogs. The food choice for a dog with pancreatitis or on fat restriction will depend on the specific recipe. And a menu made with only two ingredients will not cover all of a dog’s needs for vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and other nutrients in the long term.

Veterinary nutritionists at Tufts University suggest chicken or turkey breast with well-cooked rice as a short-term, low-fat, home-cooked solution if recommended by a veterinarian. At the same time, they emphasize that this is not a complete, long-term menu. So there’s no need to declare chicken and rice as either a panacea or poison.

But why do integrative veterinarians recommend turkey and pumpkin?

There are several good points in this suggestion. Turkey can provide lean, easily digestible animal protein, and pumpkin adds water and fiber. Speaking of pumpkin, I’m particularly interested in how fiber affects the water content and consistency of stool.

However, here’s one common comparison that’s worth putting the brakes on: the claim that turkey always contains half the fat of chicken. It depends entirely on what part and in what form you’re comparing. A skinless chicken breast can be very lean; turkey skin and fattier ground meat are much fatter. If you’re aiming for low fat, compare specific cuts of meat and how they’re prepared, not just the name of the species.

Pumpkin is also not a one-to-one replacement for rice. Rice provides much more energy, while pumpkin is rich in water and relatively low in calories. If a dog needs enough energy during illness, a large portion of pumpkin in the food bowl can leave the diet too low in calories. Therefore, I see pumpkin more as a supporting addition in small quantities, and not automatically as a replacement for rice or a complete menu.

Fiber: Why can pumpkin be beneficial?

Fiber is often talked about as if it has only one job: to loosen or firm up the stool. In reality, the picture is much more interesting. Some fiber binds water, some helps to shape the stool mass, and some is food for intestinal bacteria. Bacteria can ferment certain fibers to produce short-chain fatty acids, which are involved in intestinal metabolism and mucosal function.

Pumpkin contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. Therefore, a small amount of unflavored pumpkin puree may help firm up overly soft stools in some dogs. In others, the same amount may cause gas or make no difference at all. Pumpkin can also sometimes be helpful for constipation, but the effect depends on the availability of water and the cause of the problem. If your dog is straining without success or is in severe pain, a larger portion of pumpkin is not the right first solution.

I have seen that pumpkin often works very well for my dogs. This experience is reason enough for me to consider it if necessary. But I cannot conclude from this that pumpkin cures all causes of diarrhea. If the dog’s stools improve, that is a good result. It does not tell us why the stomach was upset in the first place.

Should rice be avoided because it is a grain or because it contains arsenic?

Being a grain does not make rice difficult for dogs to digest. Cooked white rice is well tolerated by many dogs. Some dogs may not tolerate a particular starch source, but this is an individual matter.

Rice can contain inorganic arsenic. This is a real food safety issue, especially if the same rice forms a large part of the diet over a long period of time. However, when talking about a short-term chicken-and-rice diet coordinated with a veterinarian, it is not justified to say that rice should necessarily be replaced with red or wild rice just because of arsenic. These varieties are not automatically arsenic-free and may not be more easily digested for a sick dog.

If rice is used, it is important that it is well cooked, fresh, and the dosage is appropriate for the dog’s condition. There is no need to make one ingredient the culprit of the entire diet.

When is pancreatic disease a completely different situation?

In the case of pancreatitis, fat tolerance and nutritional needs can be very different from a normal passing stomach upset. Some dogs require a complete veterinary diet with a strict and measured fat content. Here, you cannot decide only based on whether there is chicken or turkey in the bowl. The total daily fat intake, sufficient energy and the patient’s clinical condition are important.

The same applies to chronic enteropathy, diabetes, liver or kidney disease. The low energy content of pumpkin does not mean that it will cure diabetes, and the individual studies with pumpkin extracts do not give reason to expect the same effect from ordinary cooked pumpkin puree.

How would I choose food for a dog with a mild digestive upset?

I would start with four questions: is the dog otherwise in good general condition; what has he eaten in the last few days; does he have any known allergies or illnesses; and what do we want to achieve with the chosen food?

If your vet recommends a temporary home-made, easily digestible diet, this may include skinless, cooked chicken or turkey breast and a suitable well-cooked carbohydrate. For some dogs, a small amount of pumpkin may be appropriate as an addition. The recipe, amounts and duration of use should be adapted to the dog. If more than a few days are needed, I would prefer a suitable complete veterinary digestive diet or a separate balanced recipe.

If you are trying pumpkin puree for the first time, start with a really small amount and monitor your dog’s stool and any gas. I wouldn’t add pumpkin, banana, psyllium, probiotic, and new meat all at once, because then you won’t know what the change was. The pumpkin should be unflavored: no sugar, salt, garlic, or pie filling.

In conclusion

Pumpkin will continue to hold a place of honor in my kitchen. It’s a practical, easy, and often well-tolerated way to add a small amount of fiber to my dogs’ food bowl. But I wouldn’t declare chicken and rice obsolete or dangerous because of that. Nor would I declare turkey and pumpkin the universal new standard. Although my own preference would be turkey and pumpkin.

The right question is what the specific dog needs. In the case of stomach problems, it is often wisest to start not by changing the food, but by getting to the root cause.

Sources

• Tufts University, Petfoodology (2022). Does My Pet Need a ‘Bland Diet’? https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/2022/02/22/does-my-pet-need-a-bland-diet/
• VCA Animal Hospitals. Bland Diet Instructions for Dogs and Cats. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/bland-diet-instructions-for-dogs-and-cats
• Merck Veterinary Manual. Disorders of the Stomach and Intestines in Dogs. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/digestive-disorders-of-dogs/disorders-of-the-stomach-and-intestines-in-dogs
• Merck Veterinary Manual. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals: Dietary Fiber. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-small-animals/nutritional-requirements-of-small-animals
• VCA Animal Hospitals. Diarrhea in Dogs. https://vcahospitals.com/annandale/know-your-pet/diarrhea-in-dogs