Bone broth is increasingly considered a canine superfood! And no matter what, bone broth for dogs is a tasty addition to their diet.
According to veterinary nutrition experts, bone broth for dogs can be important during hospice care. It’s also known to help with GI upset, finicky eating, liver detox, and improve joint, skin and coat health. Bone broth also provides healthy hydration for pets on an exclusively dry food diet. Bone broth is also popular for humans; in Chinese medicine, it’s used to nourish the kidneys, support our vital essence (qi), and build blood.
The founder of the Smiling Blue Skies Cancer Fund, Audi Donamor, is an advocate for bone booster broths for dogs and cats. She has used them with her dog, and states, “they’re an easy way to provide him with quick nourishment, support the healing process, and give him an extra boost during strenuous activities.”
An easy way to provide nourishment, support the healing process, and give an extra boost during strenuous activities.
Kiki Kane
What is Bone Broth?
Bone broth is derived from the parts of an animal that can’t be eaten, such as the bones, skin, tendons, ligaments, marrow, and feet. All of these are simmered to create this broth.
You can use bone broth as a supplement for home-cooked meals, as a snack, or simply add to kibble.
Benefits of Bone Broth for Dogs
Protein
When you boil down the bones, it causes collagen to be released, which, when simmered, forms gelatin. Collagen is an important protein and the main component of tissues such as cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone, and skin. In one study with mice, collagen was also shown to form a protective layer in the gut and reduce inflammation. This is one reason bone broth is a popular component of “leaky gut” diets (though research is mixed as to the effectiveness of those diets).
Liver health
According to Dogs Naturally, the liver’s capacity to detoxify is limited by the availability of the amino acid glycine. And bone broth has a ton of glycine!
Joint health
Collagens are a large family of biomolecules, which include the glycosaminoglycans—great for joints! Drinking collagen doesn’t directly lead to building bone or joint tissue, however; the collagen in bone broth will be broken down into amino acids and used to build tissue where the body needs it.
Bone broth is also excellent for a sick or ailing cat or dog. It provides great hydration, for one. Dr. Cate, the author of Deep Nutrition, adds that bone broth also helps get the GI tract working again after an illness.
How to Make Bone Broth
Ingredient choices are nearly endless when it comes to making a good bone broth for dogs.
You don’t have to be a mad scientist to make bone broth in your kitchen. Dr. Karen Becker demonstrates how she makes bone broth for her pets in this video:
There are easy bone broth recipes you can make at home. And some brands carry bone broth that’s simply rehydrated. Honest Kitchen makes a beef broth with pumpkin, parsley, and turmeric. Primalvore carries a unique broth made with collagen peptides.
People have been making bone broth for hundreds of years, so you can’t mess this up!
As Dr. Becker mentions, bone broth alone is not a complete and balanced diet for your dog. Be sure it’s being used as a supplement, and never feed your dog cooked bones, as these can be a choking hazard. Also, avoid added sodium (and watch for added sodium in commercially-available broths.)
What type of broth would you recommend for dogs with protein allergies (to chicken, beef, turkey)?
Can your dog eat fish? You could use fish bones and heads to make a bone broth (be sure to strain it).
My dog is also allergic to poultry, but fortunately beef bone broth doesn’t bother her (beef-meat- in small portions doesn’t either, but I tend to avoid it). I make her food and cook the grain portion (brown rice & quinoa) in it.
I read that bone broth is helpful to restore bone loss in teeth. I made a huge batch and have been feeding it to my dog who had an early onset of gingivitis and lost 6 of his teeth:( After a good cleaning and my promise to brush his teeth every day the gums are healthy again but are still recessed and some teeth over exposed (bone loss?). Have you heard of bone broth reversing this loss and/or have you personally witnessed its success?
If choosing an off the shelf organic bone broth what is a safe amount to feed a 60 lb dog when facotring in the high sodium content of most broths?
Also I would imagine homemade broth is likely to have high sodium as well no?
what is the quantity that one should feed and how many times?
Hi there–interesting read. I just wanted to point out a couple things that I think could be improved to lend a little more credibility to the article. I’m not trying to be nitpicky but a particular passage struck me as pretty “loose.”
You cite that studies in the 1800s showed that gelatin could potentially decrease the amount of needed protein in the diet. Although there is no threshold for “oldness” of studies, it might’ve been a good idea to do a little research to find something within the last 100 years that supports (or refutes) the above statement.
Moreover, the link in that passage just points to a Humane Society blog article that says the same thing verbatim without a cited source.
Read the ingredients before buying any commercial bone broth off the shelf from the grocery store as most (if not all) contain onion, which is bad for dogs.
Interesting article. Something I noticed concerned me though. In the picture of the bowl of broth I see carrots and an onion(!). I was under the impression onions are toxic to dogs. You might want to leave the onion out of your broth recipe. You might just poison your dog!
Hi John, fear not! These are just stock photos used to illustrate the story. Unfortunately, they do have some shallots and garlic in them, which you are absolutely right, not on the menu for dogs. Thanks for your concern, and good eye! -Kiki
The onion is the first thing I noticed ad well! The problem with using a stock photo and not mentioning the onion right away in the write up is that people who don’t know that they are toxic to dogs may not bother to read the recipes and think pictures sum it up, typical broth, “yeah I know how to make that.” Those photos should be pulled pronto if you care more about dogs safety than your article.
I’ll do you one better Christine Murdoch, I made my own batch of bone broth and have replaced the photos with my very own. Recipe will be up shortly! :)