Rice Bran In Dog Food

What Is Rice Bran?

Rice Bran is produced when the outer layers of brown rice are processed to remove their outer layers, which then creates white rice.

Rice Bran is, therefore, a by-product of this large-scale white rice production process, and many would believe that it is a waste product of this; however, it is not.

Rice Bran is saved by the fact that it contains many micronutrients and a large portion of dietary fiber, which we will discuss in detail later.

Over time, Rice Bran has been used to combat many disorders, conditions, and symptoms that humans suffer. Some of the most common examples of conditions that some use Rice Bran to help address are Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Obesity, and Stomach/Colon Cancer.

Why Is Rice Bran In Dog Food?

Rice Bran lacks the calorie-dense, starchy center of rice that White Rice or Brown Rice contains. While some may consider this a negative trait, others would think it a positive.

This is as the outer layers of rice contain the majority of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Examples of vitamins and minerals found in Rice Bran include the B Vitamins (Vitamin B1, B3, and B6), Iron, Manganese, Selenium, and Magnesium.

These vitamins and minerals can provide a range of health benefits to dogs. Iron is crucial for the creation of red blood cells, the B Vitamins can improve energy levels and fight infections, and Selenium can boost the immune system and help prevent heart disease.

Rice Bran also contains a significant portion of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important for dogs as it regulates digestion which ensures that the nutrients found in a dog’s diet can be effectively absorbed. It is also important to help maintain regular stools and avoid issues like diarrhea and constipation.

While dogs do not need a very high portion of fiber in their diet, a small portion of Rice Bran in the formula can make a significant improvement and bring it up to healthy levels.

Rice Bran Nutrition Details

Rice Bran lacks the calorie dense, starchy center of rice that White Rice or Brown Rice contains. While some may consider this a negative trait, others would think it a positive.

This is as the outer layers of rice contain the majority of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Examples of vitamins and minerals found in Rice Bran include the B Vitamins (Vitamin B1, B3, and B6), Iron, Manganese, Selenium, and Magnesium.

These vitamins and minerals can provide a range of health benefits to dogs. Iron is crucial for the creation of red blood cells, the B Vitamins can improve energy levels and fight infections, and Selenium can boost the immune system and help prevent heart disease.

Rice Bran also contains a significant portion of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important for dogs as it regulates digestion which ensures that the nutrients found in a dogs diet can be effectively absorbed. It is also important to help maintain regular stools and avoid issues like diarrhea and constipation.

While dogs do not need a very high portion of fiber in their diet, a small portion of Rice Bran in the formula can make a significant improvement and bring it up to healthy levels.

Two other ingredients you can regularly see in pet food recipes that are present for their fiber are Tomato Pomace and Dried Beet Pulp.

Dangers of Rice Bran

There are several risks of the consistent use of Rice Bran in dog food recipes. First and most importantly is not the danger of Rice Bran itself, but the risk it poses by replacing other important and nutritious ingredients.

Dogs need a diet high in animal-based protein and fat, but sadly, most dry dog food contains high proportions of vegetables and grains, including Rice Bran.

By filling a dog food recipe with high portions of Rice Bran, they would be denying those dogs meat ingredients and the protein and fat they can provide.

Another important risk is that Rice Bran contains a large portion of fat for a plant-based ingredient.

While there is nothing wrong with Rice Bran containing fat from a nutritional perspective, it does increase the risk of the Rice Bran going rancid. If the Rice Bran did go rancid, then it could cause a dog to become ill or unwell after digesting it.

Lastly, there is also some limited evidence that suggests some sources of Rice Bran contain high levels of Arsenic. Arsenic is a dangerous chemical and, if consumed in a large enough dose, could cause serious health issues to dogs and even result in death.

However, even if Rice Bran was extremely abundant, this level of Arsenal is not likely to be seriously high and worthy of deep concern.

Dog Food Brands That Use Rice Bran

While far from all brands make use of Rice Bran, there is a selection of recognizable brands that are currently using Rice Bran in their formulas.

It is worth noting that most if not all of these brands are lower-cost brands and that very few mid-cost and premium brands resorted to Rice Bran as an ingredient.

Some of the best-known brands that use Rice Bran include American Journey, Pure Balance, Vibrant Life, Nutro, Nature’s Recipe, and Diamond.

An interesting example of the use of Rice Bran is the ingredient list of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice formula, which you can see below.

As you can see, Rice Bran features as a minor ingredient just after Yeast and before Chicken Fat. Its presence here is most likely to reduce the cost of the food by including less Barley or Sorghum.

However, what makes this example interesting is the rice also contains Ground White Rice. We have a suspicion that Diamond used a mix of Ground White Rice and Rice Bran to avoid purchasing Whole Brown Rice instead.

As we mentioned earlier, it is likely that Rice Bran is included in recipes by these brands as it is low-cost. However, we can’t rule out the idea that these brands may be choosing to use Rice Bran over its alternatives due to the nutritional value it can offer.

If you’d like to avoid feeding your dog Rice Bran, we recommend closely studying the ingredient list of any recipe you are considering to see if it is present.

If you need help understanding and picking out a dog food recipe, take a look at our Dog Food Guide or our Pet Food Brand Review Index.