Researchers at the University of Helsinki have released a study regarding arsenic exposure to dogs consuming a food containing rice (high on the ingredient list).
“Hair arsenic level in rice-based diet-fed Staffordshire bull terriers” compared the arsenic levels in hair analysis of dogs fed a diet high in rice (rice listed as the first or second ingredient) to dogs fed a diet with no rice. The hair arsenic analysis “was significantly higher in dogs fed a rice-based diet.” “The results suggest that eating a rice-based diet for long periods of time represents a risk for chronic iAs (inorganic arsenic) exposure in dogs.”
The study states:
“In human beings, chronic exposure to iAs has been associated with tumours of the skin, bladder and lungs, and with alterations in gastrointestinal, neurological, cardiovascular, immunological, haematological, pulmonary and developmental function. In dogs, research has mainly focused on nephrotoxicity (toxicity in the kidneys).”
“Even though the legal safety limit of total As content might not be surpassed in most pet foods, iAs is considered a non-threshold carcinogen and any exposure constitutes a health risk.”
“In conclusion, dogs eating a diet of rice-based dry dog food had higher hair iAs levels than dogs that did not eat any rice. This suggests that eating a rice-based diet for long periods of time represents a risk for chronic iAs exposure in dogs. These results emphasise the need to establish a less monotonous diet for dogs to minimise the risk of accumulating a certain contaminant.”
Cats were not tested in this study, however we can safely assume the same risk applies to cats fed a continuous diet of a rice-based pet food.
Interpretation of “a less monotonous diet“: vary your pet’s food ingredients. Don’t continuously provide your pet with the same food, same ingredients day in and day out. Vary the diet including variations of ingredients your pet is consuming.
To read the full paper, Click Here.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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Jo-Anne
January 27, 2020 at 4:15 pm
If this is true, I wonder why Asians who eat rice basically every day do not show illness from arsenic. To be clear, I am not doubting the story. I am wondering why don’t Asians show illness.
Jane Democracy
January 28, 2020 at 2:44 am
The rate of stomach cancer is higher in Asia. However, arsenic levels in rice decrease when the rice soaked and rinsed well, rice in dog food is never rinsed or soaked. It is ground in the hammermill and the mixed with the other in ingredients and steamed as a mash before being extruded.
Karen Mitchell
January 28, 2020 at 5:30 am
I set out on a mission a few years ago to find out why vets recommend feeding rice and chicken to dogs who are trying to recover from sickness. Feed a bland diet they say. IMHO, dogs shouldn’t be fed chicken nor rice when their system is recovering or trying to heal itself.
I’m not an Asian, so I can’t answer you’re question, but I can share this. Perhaps they do something like this, I don’t know.
Here’s How to Remove as Much as Possible: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/rice-filled-with-arsenic.html
Terri Sidell
January 27, 2020 at 4:37 pm
Jo-Anne I wonder why too!! Perhapes it is the way the rice is rendered in the dog food.
Patricia Riddle
January 27, 2020 at 8:23 pm
possible because the rice is not processed the same way for human consumption? Not sure but heard a long time ago about rice being a problem…Or in other countries it is processed differently…
Terri Sidell
January 27, 2020 at 9:57 pm
I posted this study on my facebook page. A lady replied that she did some research on how to cook rice, which I was not aware of . She recalls reading that rice should be “rinsed until the water is clear, and cooking it with 2 parts water 1 part rice… lowers the arsenic levels by a large percentage”.. I read last year that nuts should be soaked overnight to release the chemicals, before eating, so they would be easier to digest.
Karen Mitchell
January 28, 2020 at 5:30 am
Here’s How to Remove as Much as Possible http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/rice-filled-with-arsenic.html
Terri Sidell
January 28, 2020 at 4:45 pm
Thank-you very much for the info!!
Lisa G
January 29, 2020 at 2:15 am
Gee, this is just wonderful news…..I feed my long haired chihuahua a homemade diet, which includes brown rice every day….I guess I will be removing this from his diet now!! God, just when you think you are doing every single thing to help your dog live his very best life, you find out something else! I give him liquid vitamins, Epakitin (a phosphorus binder) to keep his kidneys in check because his SDMA level was going up, he’s on Denamarin for his liver, and he’s now on Standard Process Hepatic Support for his liver (because his liver failures have been high for months (probably because he’s been on 2 eye drops-NeoPolyDex and Tacrolimus for YEARS-1 of them being a steroid, which over time is being absorbed into his body and is affecting his liver). He’s now been started on FloVent breathing treatments for his lungs, because he has inflammation in his lungs-kinda like asthma. He’s almost 15 years old, and acts and seems much younger than his age.
I get emails from this page, but I must have missed the email about rice having arsenic in it. I came to this page just now because I was writing a review on Amazon about Newman’s Own Turkey and Sweet Potato dog treats, and how wonderful they are, and I remember reading a 4 or 5 star review from either DogAdvisor.com or Truthaboutpetfood.com, and I was wanting to put a link on Amazon to the review, but I can’t seem to find it.
Jan Lavis
February 2, 2020 at 1:00 am
How does rice have so much arsenic in it in the first place? Is it from chemicals used in farming? If so, would that explain why traditionally grown Asian rice isn’t toxic?
Ginger Fawcett
February 3, 2020 at 9:23 pm
What about organic brown rice? I can’t imagine this has arsenic in it. That is part of my dogs homemade food.
Terri Sidell
February 5, 2020 at 7:56 pm
What I have heard Brown rice has a higher content of Arsenic in it. For years all I heard was Brown Rice is better for you. Now I guess it isn’t.
Witt Linda
February 22, 2021 at 2:56 pm
The arsenic is natural in the soil, but is increased in some due to crop rotation esp. in the south. They plant cotton and treat with arsenic then plant rice the next season. Just adds to the amounts in the rice. Brown rice is higher due to the outer layers absorb. These layers are removed to make white rice so lower amounts but still is there. Rinsing before cooking until water runs clear helps, but rice in dog food is not rinsed and will have the outer hull (brown) still in it.
Witt Linda
February 22, 2021 at 3:02 pm
Organic addresses many aspects of a product. Mostly no listed harmful chemicals such as fertilizers, weed, bug, killers. It does not address the naturally occurring compounds in the soil absorbed in the food. Brown rice is recommended for its high fiber due to the hull being intact. However that does not address the problem arsenic.
Ingrid Angel Lee
March 19, 2020 at 3:18 pm
I make my own dog food at home and I have been adding rice the entire time. However I do wash the rice till the water is clear and I buy organic rice from Whole Foods. I feel terrible now. Is this article more towards the commercial dog food industry that just doesn’t care where the rice is from or how its processed?
EvanJo
June 14, 2020 at 9:02 pm
The arsenic comes from the soil. It is a naturally occurring element. The concentration of arsenic differs in different soils, and arsenic was used for many years as a pesticide, and it persists in the soils for an indefinite period of time. Rice has a tendency to accumulate the arsenic, partly because it is grown in flooded conditions, but partly just biology. The arsenic tends to accumulate in the outer hull, so brown rice around 80% more arsenic than white rice. In the US, rice grown in the south tends to have the most arsenic. Rice grown in California has much less arsenic. Unfortunately, they don’t tell you in dog food where the rice is sourced.
Asians eat white rice, and tend to rinse the rice before cooking (rice used to be much dirtier and contain stones, which made it necessarily to rinse – think beans – so that continues). So, they get a much lower arsenic load (and one of the worst offending arsenic locations is the southern US, so they also get rice with naturally less arsenic).