How to Cook Grains for Dogs (For Beginners)

If you’re looking for a natural food item that is affordable to add to your dog’s diet, cooked grains are a great choice. Grains must be fully cooked before feeding to your dog so they can be digested properly. To cook grains for your dog, you simply prepare them the same way you would for yourself, but without any additives.

There are many nutritious foods that can be added to your dog’s diet, and grains shouldn’t be ignored. If you want to learn more about how to cook grains for dogs, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about feeding grains to your dog.

How can I prepare grains to feed my dog?

There are many grains that are a nutritious choice for your dog, but the key is to make sure they are cooked all the way through. If the grains are raw or only partially cooked, your dog may have trouble digesting them.

The easiest way to prepare grains for your dog is on the stovetop in a pot with boiling water, the same way you would prepare grains for your own breakfast. However, avoid adding things like sugar, honey, salt, etc because those ingredients could give your dog a stomach ache.

What kind of grains can dogs eat?

There are many types of grains that you may already have in your pantry that are suitable for a dog’s diet. If you have a picky dog, you may have to try a few in order to find a grain that they enjoy.

Some of the grains that are healthy to feed your dog when cooked include oatmeal, rice, couscous, barley, bulgar, quinoa, spelt, amaranth, millet, and wheat berries.

Why is it important that the grains are fully cooked before feeding them to dogs?

Dogs have more difficulty digesting uncooked grains because their intestinal tracks are shorter than animals that eat grain regularly. While grains are a healthy food for them to eat, they need to be partially digested before the dog can eat them.

When you cook grains, the cooking process starts to break up the grains. This is essentially starting the digestion process, which makes them safe to feed to dogs.

How often can I feed my dog cooked grains?

Cooked grains can be given to your dog daily. However, they should be served to your dog in ratios depending on its size.

Dogs should only eat up to 1 cup of cooked grains per day, and an easy way is to feed it to them with their regular dog food. You can feed them half a cup or less with their food twice per day.

Are there any nutritional benefits to feeding dogs grains?

Grains are not just a filler in your dog’s dish, there are actually many nutritional benefits packed in those little morsels. Your dog can benefit from the additional source of fibre, magnesium, and iron.

Many grains are also a great source of Vitamin B and Vitamin D, which is essential for providing them with energy and maintaining strong bones.

Should dogs who eat grain-free food be given cooked grains?

Many dogs eat grain-free food because for many years it was believed that they were not able to digest grains safely. However, over the years many dogs’ genes have been modified which allows them to digest more foods.

As long as the grains have been fully cooked, you can still give them to dogs that have been eating grain-free food. Now that it is known that dogs are able to digest cooked grains, you don’t need to keep them on a grain-free diet.

Can dogs on a raw diet eat cooked grains?

If you feed your dog a raw diet, you can still introduce them to cooked grains. The best types to add to a raw diet are oatmeal, barley, and brown rice.

When it comes to introducing your dog to grains like rice and couscous, you should always choose brown over white. Although they can safely eat white, there are more nutritional benefits to brown rice.

Which grains are not healthy for dogs?

When you begin feeding your dog grains, you should avoid feeding them anything corn-based, such as popcorn and cornmeal. Dogs have a more difficult time digesting corn products than other whole grains, like oats and barley.

It’s also a good idea to stick to gluten-free grains when including them in your dog’s diet. While many dogs are able to digest gluten, they have a more difficult time with it.

Oats vs rice, which one is better for a dog’s diet?

Oats and rice are two of the best grains to add to your dog’s diet, as long as they are gluten-free. The matter of which one is better all depends on which one your dog prefers to have in their dish.

Both oats and rice are similar in calories and nutritional content. The most important part is that they are both adequate sources of fibre to keep the dog’s digestive system healthy. 

Do dogs enjoy quinoa?

Many dogs enjoy quinoa, which is a very nutritious grain to add to their diet. Since quinoa is a seed, it is one of the more nutritious grains to feed them. 

Quinoa is an ingredient that is often used in high-quality dog foods because of its nutritional benefits. It is one of the preferred starches to use when making dry dog food.

Is it okay to feed a dog lentils?

Lentils are technically a legume and not a grain, but they are still nutritious to cook for your dog because of the high fibre content . When you serve lentils to your dog, they must be washed and thoroughly cooked without any seasoning. 

Another great thing about lentils is that they also provide your dog with healthy protein. Adding lentils to their diet will help your dog stay full for longer so they aren’t begging for treats between meals.