Is boiled chicken and rice a complete and balanced diet for dogs?

This would not be a complete diet for Peanut and would not meet all her nutritional needs. I'd recommend a high quality dog food like Hill's Science Diet or Royal Canin. If you really want to home cook for Peanut you can look into balanceit.com for nutritionally balanced home cooked options. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Yes, it is bad for his health because boiled chicken and rice is not a nutritionally complete food for dogs. He has decided what his diet will be, but that is not his job . . . it's yours. Stop feeding him the chicken and rice. Put regular dog food in a bowl on the floor without fuss and leave it for 15 minutes. After that time, pick it up whether he has eaten or not. Do not give him anything--no treats, snacks or human food--until his next scheduled mealtime. Then repeat the process. It may take several times for him to realize that there will be no more chicken and rice, and that he must eat his food. Remember that you are not starving him–he is choosing not to eat. When he is hungry enough, he will. Do not give in or "feel sorry" for him. It will only make it harder to correct. He must have a nutritionally complete diet, and chicken and rice is not sufficient.

Hi there. No, this is not a nutritionally complete diet for long-term feeding. If Butter won't eat dog food and you prefer to feed him human food, you will need to make sure that his diet is still complete and balanced. You can use the website www.balanceit.com to put together recipes for him using ingredients of your choice, or use a commercial fresh food diet that is formulated to be complete and balanced, such as www.thefarmersdog.com

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. In terms of diet, a well balanced kibble is best as it will have all of the nutrients needed for a dog. If you need to make a home cooked diet, boiled/boneless/skinless chicken breasts with boiled rice along with added cooked vegetables is a good idea (pumpkin, carrots, broccoli, etc.). You can add in vegetables to make it more balanced. Avoid raw food and bones as they cause many dietary issues. Also, avoid onions, garlic, chocolate, grapes and raisins because these are very toxic to dogs. Best of luck with Jessi!

Too much chicken is not a problem, but this diet would not be nutritionally balanced for long term feeding. If you want to continue to cook for your dogs I would recommend consulting a veterinary nutritionist to create a balanced recipe. This website has nutritionists on staff and you can create a recipe that uses their vitamin supplement: https://secure.balanceit.com

Poor Sadie! I'm sorry to hear about her dental issues. Chicken and rice can work well in the short-term, but it's not appropriate as a long-term diet because it isn't nutritionally complete or balanced. It's fine to stick with the chicken and rice for the next few days if she's doing well on it, but I would be looking for a good commercial dog food that she likes and doesn't upset her stomach. You can try some different brands of canned food, or dry kibble moistened with warm water if she prefers this. If she has a sensitive stomach, you can also ask your veterinarian about a prescription GI diet like Hills i/d or Purina EN - these are very easy to digest and often work well for dogs who get diarrhea easily. Both also come in a canned version, so this would be fine for her teeth as well :)

Home prepared diets can be very difficult to balance long term and I strongly recommend a consult with a specialist nutritionist such as through tuft clinical nutrition unit in order to ensure he is receiving all of the trace elements, vitamins, minerals and energy he requires. In food sensitivities, a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic can be very effective also. Chicken and rice is a very bland and effective diet in the short to medium term but would need supplemental feeding in the long term