How to Prepare Bone Broth for Dogs

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Dogs love meat and bones; that’s not really a secret. However, there are some risks involved in giving your dog bones, both cooked or raw. Raw bones can contain dangerous bacteria, and cooked bones can easily splinter and get lodged in your dog’s throat or GI tract. Luckily, there is a safer option - Bone broth for dogs.

Bone broths can be incredibly healthy and beneficial for dogs. They are packed with healthy nutrients like minerals, glucosamine, vitamins, and collagen, but most of all, dogs love the taste. Bone broth is an ideal way to make your picky-eating dog actually consume their food. It is really a dog superfood, and if you have time, you can make a homemade bone broth for your dog.

If you are a new dog owner and not the most enthusiastic cook, there are finished products you can order online. However, we prefer preparing our own. We can control which ingredients we include and can be absolutely sure where those ingredients come from. Here is what you should know about preparing your homemade bone broth.

Benefits of bone broth

Feeding your dog something they won’t benefit from, makes no sense, but bone broth is not worthless for dogs. It is packed with healthy nutrients, and we don’t have to mention your dog will appreciate a warm meal, especially in those cold winter months. Here are some of the best benefits of bone broths for your dog;

Joint health

Collagen is crucial to the dog’s joints health. Luckily, bone broth is packed with glycosaminoglycans, a part of the “collagen family” of biomolecules. You have probably heard of glucosamine, which is one of the fantastic things that will help protect and heal your dog’s joints. This makes bone broth ideal food for arthritic senior dogs.

Gut health

Bone broth is packed with gelatin, which can help your dog’s gut restore balance and become healthy again. Dog’s gut is filled with microscopic holes that allow digested nutrients to pass. Over time, they might become damaged and enlarged, allowing unwanted things like yeast, bacteria, or undigested foods to pass. Gelatin will help close those holes up.

Liver health

Bone broth is ideal for liver detoxication. It is packed with an amino acid called glycine, the amino acid that helps with liver detox. This canine superfood is packed with these amino acids, and you can safely give it to your dog.

Bone broth alone will not help your dog; the basis for dog health is a balanced, high-quality diet. Check out this article for some top dog food recommendations - Best dry dog food.

Helps sick dogs

If your dog is sick or recovering from a sickness, getting them back on their food can be challenging. Your dog could have diarrhea, and their gastrointestinal tract could be severely damaged. If that is the case, you can give your dog bone broth. It is packed with beneficial minerals and glycine, the amino acid we mentioned, which helps digest foods quicker. It is an ideal food for sick dogs.

How to prepare bone broth for dogs?

While these things might sound really good, the reality is that dog owners rarely have time to cook in their busy lives. If that is the case, you can order bone broth toppings from online shops or find them in your local pet shop. But if you have enough time, you can make your own bone broth that will be completely controlled and organic. There are different recipes, but we will share with you our favorite ones. Here is how to prepare the bone broth for dogs in just 3 steps;

Step 1

Prepare all the necessary ingredients. Here is what you will need;

• 4 pounds of raw bones (we use chicken and beef)
• 2 ounces of parsley
• 3 inches ginger root
• 2 chopped celery stalks
• 4 ounces of Shitake mushrooms
• ¼ cup organic apple vinegar
• 6 quarts water

Make sure all ingredients are organic and weren’t treated with pesticides. The best thing you can do is thoroughly wash them. Don’t use any spices like salt or pepper since dogs do not tolerate it well. In fact, some spices are very dangerous for dogs.

Step 2

If you have a slow cooker, place all ingredients in the slow cooker; if not, a large soup pot will do the trick. The slow cooker has to cook the bone broth for at least 24 hours. If you are preparing it in a soup pot on the stove, leave it on low heat for at least 12 hours. Slow cooking time will extract all the best and healthy nutrients from the ingredients.

Step 3

After the cooking process is done, let the broth cool. Remove the bones and throw them away. You should never give your dog cooked bones. They are incredibly soft after so much cooking, and most of the nutrients are gone. Place the broth in the fridge, where the fat will rise up, and you can scoop it and throw it away. Your bone broth is ready for serving, and your dog will reap all the benefits from it.

There is another superfood dog owners should have at home. Check out this article for more information - Pumpkin for dogs.

How to serve bone broth?

The easiest way to serve bone broth is over your dog’s usual kibble. It will make their food palatable, and you will see your dog dive in their bowl head-first. Make sure you don’t overdo it with the broth the first time you serve it to your dog. If you have a small dog, add only a few tablespoons to their kibble. Your dog shouldn’t eat more than 6 ounces of bone broth a day (if they are a large breed).

How to store it?

The amount of finished bone broth is pretty large, and it is likely your dog won’t eat the whole pot in a few days. Luckily, bone broth can stay fresh in the fridge for 7 days. If you plan on helping your dog recover from an illness by using bone broth, you can just keep it in the fridge for a couple of days.

If you want to have some bone broth stock, you can freeze it. Bone broth can stay in the freezer for 12 months, and you can take small bits out when you want to spice up your dog’s diet, or your dog needs some additional help. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and only use one or two cubes for individual servings.

There is another aspect of dog diet owners often overlook. Check out this article for more information - Best fiber sources for dogs.

World Dog Finder team