wheat gluten,rice and pets good or bad?

[Susan Sadeghian]

Hi there was a while when many pets in CA were dying and the cause was blamed on wheat gluten which dogfood from China seems to have had.
I also noticed that rice has either wheat,gluten or wheat gluten and I stopped sharing our rice but I also heard that rice is of great nutritional value and good for dogs and to give them rice and chicken and similar, so which is it good for them or poisounous?

[Dana Farbman]

Hi Susan,

Wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate were two key feed ingredients involved in the pet food recall crisis of last spring; for a list of recalled foods and updated information, please visit www.aspca.org/recall.

A diet of cooked rice and chicken can be eaten by dogs, but we would recommend that you consult with your dogs' regular veterinarian to get advice on the most appropriate diet that will meet their nutritional needs.

[Susan Sadeghian]

so rice is only bad if its not cooked,only poisonous than?

[Dana Farbman]

I'm sorry, Susan- I should have been more clear. Rice itself is not considered to be poisonous...the health issue related to the pet food recall centered on rice protein concentrate used in pet foods.

Hope this helps clarify!
Dana

[Eric Dunayer]

Susan,

To clarify a little more, the problem with the rice and wheat gluten was that chemicals were added to them to make them appear to be a higher quality than they were. It was these chemicals that caused the problems, not the gluten itself.