Can Dogs Eat Rice Noodles?

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So, it’s late. You’re home from a long day at the office, and Rover is super excited to see you.

That’s great! You reach for the dog food because he’s probably starving, only to see that it’s empty. Should you make an emergency trip to the grocery store?

Is the store even open at this time of night?

You rummage through the pantry, finding a packet of rice noodles. He could eat that, right?

Are rice noodles good for dogs?Let’s find out.

What are the ingredients of rice noodles?

Rice noodles are just that – rice. When you check the ingredients, you’ll see that they’re made from rice flour, water, and salt. No surprises here.

Are any of these ingredients toxic to dogs?

Rice noodles aren’t toxic to dogs, but it is high in calories and contains salt. Both of these can lead to problems when they’re enjoyed in excess.

We’ll chat about calorie overload later.

If your dog has too much salt he’ll get thirsty like mad, and he could get sodium poisoning.

Symptoms of sodium poisoning include diarrhea, vomiting, tremors, seizures, and a high temperature. In extreme cases, this could be fatal.

Before you get all freaked out, note that rice noodles generally don’t contain that much salt. So, if you’re not adding extra salt during or after cooking the noodles, your poodle should be fine.

How nutritious are rice noodles?

Rice noodles aren’t bad for dogs, but they’re also not the greatest. So we had a look at the general nutritional value of rice noodles and broke it down.

The guys over at AIMS recommend that dog food contains at least 0.3% sodium.

While too much sodium (salt) could lead to health problems and even be fatal, your pup does need it for normal growth and development.

Rice noodles contain 183mg sodium per 100g, which translates to 0.2% by weight. So, if you feed Rover some rice noodles and a few other snacks, he’s good to go in that front.

Dogs need quite a bit of calories, mostly from protein and healthy fats.

10% from protein and 5.5% from fats, to be precise. For an adult dog at around 10kg, this translates to 400 calories per day, preferably from protein and fats.

Rice noodles contain 364 calories per 100g. That’s nearly an entire day’s ration, contained in a tiny portion of noodles.

So, if your dog eats enough noodles to feel full, he’ll definitely ingest way too many calories.

If your dog follows a low-fat diet, his diet should contain less than 10% fat.

Rice noodles contain 0.6% fat, so he’s definitely not at risk of ingesting too much fat on a rice noodle diet.

Now, for the big one: protein.

Rice noodles contain 6% protein by weight (6g for every 100g serving).

Dogs need around 18% protein by weight in their diet.

This translates to around 2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight, so a grown dog of around 10kg would need 20 grams of protein in their diet.

As you can see, rice noodles on their own won’t cut it. Not by a long shot.

Rice noodles are absolutely loaded with carbs.

80g of the stuff for every 100g serving, to be exact. That’s a shed load.

Adult dogs need around 50% carbs in their diet, so rice noodles will overshoot that target by a mile.

If your dog mainly has rice noodles with very little other food, he’s likely to become severely overweight very quickly.

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, rice noodles aren’t bad.

They contain quite a lot of the stuff, and a wide variety, too. That’s probably why cooked rice with some chicken is so good when a dog’s recovering from illness.

What are the pros and cons of using rice noodles with your dog?

As with most things, there are plenty of pros and cons to feeding your dog rice noodles. Rice is a great source of carbs and easily digested.

This is great for when your dog needs an energy boost after sickness or if he’s elderly. Every bit helps, right?

Cooked rice is soft, so your pup doesn’t have to chew it. That’s great for older dogs that have already lost a few teeth—poor guy.

Unfortunately, that bunch of carbs has a risk: rice is super starchy, so overeating will increase your pup’s blood sugar level. If he eats a lot of rice noodles regularly, he could develop diabetes. Yikes

Then, there’s the convenience.

Most of us have rice noodles readily available at home, so it’s a good meal in a pinch. You know, like when you forgot to buy dog food on your last grocery run, and now you’re all out, and Rover is hungry.

Rice noodles vs. rice- which is more nutritious?

You’d think that rice and rice noodles are pretty much interchangeable when it comes to dog food, right? Wrong.

When making rice noodles, the rice gets processed quite a bit and mixed with water and salt. That changes the nutritional value quite a bit.

Rice noodles contain three times the amount of calories that plain rice contains. That’s rough.

So, when you’re trying to manage the number of calories your dog ingests, it’s probably better to stick to rice. 

Rice contains 28% carbs by weight, compared to 80% in rice noodles. So that’s another vote for rice since an overload of carbs isn’t healthy for your pup.

Here’s one in favor of rice noodles: they contain 6% protein, compared to only 2.7% in plain rice. Your pup needs quite a lot of protein, so you’ll need to add some stuff to rice to help your pup along.

Armed with this info, I think it’s safe to say that rice instead of rice noodles are generally the better option for your dog.

Brown rice is often a better option than white rice since it contains more fiber, which is great for gut health.

It’s a bit harder to digest, though, so stick to white rice when your pooch has an upset tummy.

Rice noodles vs. instant noodles: which are more nutritious?

Since we’re talking convenience, let’s chat about instant noodles.

I mean, who doesn’t have a pack of the stuff lying around somewhere in the pantry, right?

This stuff is loaded with calories, even more so than rice noodles. While rice noodles contain 364 calories per 100g, instant noodles contain a whopping 457 calories per 100 gram.

That’s why your mom warns you against eating so much of it – you’ll put on an insane amount of weight in no time.

Instant noodles also contain an alarmingly high amount of fat: 19% per weight, compared to the 0.6% of rice noodles.

Oh man, that’s rough.

The same goes for sodium, which is 2% compared to 0.2% in rice noodles. That’s ten times more! Definitely not a healthy option for your pooch.

Instant noodles do have one thing going for them: protein.

These ones contain 8.6% protein by weight, compared to 6% in rice noodles.

So, if you have a choice, don’t use instant noodles.

Your dog is much better off having rice noodles for dinner.

What is the best food that is high in carbohydrates to feed occasionally to our dogs?

So, we know that both white and brown rice are good options for dogs, but what other high-carb foods can you feed your pup occasionally?

The selection is quite broad, including barley, oats, whole wheat, whole corn, potato, sweet potato, and millet.

All of these contain high-quality carbs combined with fiber, which is essential for good gut health.

Sweet potato doesn’t sound like traditional dog food, but it’s actually great and much healthier than white potato.

Yes, white potatoes are generally cheaper than sweet potatoes, so your wallet might not be happy.

But, white potatoes contain far more carbs than their sweet cousin. This carb overload could lead to obesity and blood sugar problems, which would suck big time. 

As a bonus, sweet potatoes contain tons of beta-Carotene.

That’s the stuff your pup’s body converts to vitamin A, protecting him against heart disease and cancer.

It also contains tons of minerals, like potassium and manganese, extra fiber, and very little fat. White potatoes don’t have this going for them, so sweet potatoes definitely walk out victorious in this duel.

Can I feed my dog rice noodles every day?

In a word, no.

Rice noodles don’t contain all the nutrients that a dog needs to stay healthy.

While it does contain lots of good things, and it’s undoubtedly excellent as an occasional addition to your pup’s food, it’s not enough.

The nutrients in rice noodles aren’t balanced according to what a dog needs, so they’ll get way too many carbs while not getting enough protein.

They also don’t contain enough fiber for good gut health. So, your dog needs other foods to keep him healthy.

A balanced meal is the answer.

Ensure that your pup’s diet follows the guidelines set out by experts, keeping him healthy and fit.

The occasional scoop of rice noodles will do wonders, but only if it goes with a well-balanced diet that contains all the goodies your pup needs to flourish.

Should dogs eat rice noodles?

So, while dogs can eat rice noodles, it’s not the best option for a diet staple. Rice noodles are definitely fine in a pinch, like when you’re low on dog food and can’t get to the store right now.

That said, they’re high in carbs and low on basically everything else your dog needs to stay healthy. Therefore, it’s best to use rice noodles as an occasional addition to a well-balanced diet.

James Grayston

My name is James and I love dogs. have owned four Golden Retrievers in the past 15 years. Currently I own two "Goldies"- a five year old and a seven month old. The photo shows me with our youngest when she was about 7 weeks old!