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Bone broth for dogs is gaining popularity in the pet community, and it’s not hard to see why.
Bone broth is full of protein, which comes from the collagen-rich filling of meaty bones. It also contains essential minerals (think calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus), which are important for balanced nutrition, plus joint-supporting glucosamine and chondroitin.
It’s an excellent choice to increase a dog’s liquid intake, and pet parents with picky eaters have sworn by it for years.
It’s magical stuff—but it’s still important to check in with your vet to make sure it’s a good idea for your pup, especially if you’re planning on introducing it into your dog’s diet in a significant way. It’s also worth carefully considering which bone broth you’re feeding.
We’ve rounded up the best:
How To Pick a Good Bone Broth for Your Dog
Not all bone broth is safe for dogs—especially those made with onions and garlic. So the first step when you’re looking for a good bone broth is to make sure the ingredient list is dog-friendly.
One easy way to do that is to buy dog-specific bone broth, which is usually sold in pouches and cartons with feeding instructions based on your pup’s weight. The pouches tend to pack a punch, both in terms of calories and flavor—they’re a great choice for picky eaters, but pet parents trying to increase a dog’s hydration or soften dog food for sensitive teeth might want to focus on lower-calorie options to maximize the amount they can feed.
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Powdered bone broths are especially versatile; they have a long shelf-life and don’t take up much storage space. They’re a little more work to prepare, since you have to add warm water and mix them, but if you have a small pup or use bone broth so infrequently that it’s likely to go bad before you finish your supply in the fridge, powder is the option for you.
You can also make things simple by choosing a dog food that incorporates bone broth in its makeup, offering lots of the nutritional and flavor benefits without worries about measuring it out or using up a full carton before it goes bad. This doesn’t offer all the hydration benefits of a true bone broth—but if your goal is tempting a picky eater, it’s hard to beat.
If you’re a fan of DIY projects or stock-making, you can make your own dog-safe bone broth. It’s a nice way to control the ingredients, especially if you have a pup with food allergies, and it’s not as hard as it sounds, since the stove does most of the work!
Bone broth can be served chilled, warmed, or at room temperature—whatever best suits your pup.
Carton-Style Bone Broths for Dogs
Best for Small Dogs: Castor & Pollux Pristine Beef Bone Broth
The Pristine product line from Castor & Pollux offers a range of flavors with different proteins and grain-free options (including a beef version without turmeric). It’s made in the USA from grass-fed beef that’s been raised responsibly, and the 8.4-ounce cartons are recyclable.
We especially like the relatively small amount of liquid per container, since it makes it easy to get through a carton before it goes bad after a week in the fridge. It’s also one of the broths that goes the furthest on the fewest calories, which helps dog parents intent on maximizing liquid intake.
Key features:
- Beef, chicken, and turkey options (with and without turmeric)
- Ideal carton size for minimal waste
- $0.39 per ounce
- Serve 1/4 cup per day per 10 pounds of body weight (~24 calories per cup)
Best for Protein: CARU Free Range Chicken Bone Broth
Made with 100% human-grade ingredients, this bone broth has been slow-simmered for flavor. It features a limited list of ingredients, starting with free-range chicken bones, and it has a higher protein content than similar carton-style broths.
This dog-friendly bone broth also freezes well, which makes it a popular choice for summer treats and pet households that have trouble getting through a whole carton.
Key features:
- High in protein
- Beef and chicken options
- $0.68 per ounce
- Serve 1/4 cup per day per 25 pounds of body weight (~40 calories per cup)
Best for Big Dogs: Brutus Bone Broth for Dogs
Brutus Bone Broth is hugely popular, thanks in part to its low-sodium recipe that maximizes glucosamine and chondroitin for bone and joint health. Its eco-friendly packaging is a big plus for environmentally conscious pet parents, and the company supports a number of animal organizations through a portion of its proceeds.
It comes in a large two-pound container, but once opened, it stays good in the fridge for 30 days—longer than most bone broth cartons, which need to be consumed within a week. Still, the significant volume makes it a good choice for households that expect to go through bone broth quickly or have a multiple picky eaters on their hands.
Key features:
- Lasts for 30 days in fridge once opened
- Beef and chicken options
- $0.33 per ounce
- Serve 1/4 cup per day per 25 pounds of body weight (~12 calories per cup)
Pouch-Style Bone Broths for Dogs
Best Flavor Range: Solid Gold Chicken Broth Dog Food Topper
Solid Gold’s 8-ounce pouches are a little more affordable than most of the pouch options on the market—and if your dog is a regular bone broth consumer, a few cents can make a big difference over the course of a year. This recipe prioritizes collagen for gut and joint health, plus soothing lavender and chamomile, and a little goes a long way.
If you’re looking to soften food or significantly increase your dog’s water intake, a lower-calorie option might be better—but for flavor boost on a budget, this is a strong choice. We also like Solid Gold’s range of flavor options, which are nice for variety. The novel proteins probably aren’t the answer to allergy problems, though, since the ingredient list is complicated.
Key features:
- Beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, and salmon flavors
- $0.50 per ounce
- Ingredients prioritize gut health
- Serve 1/4 cup per day per 25 pounds of body weight (85 calories per cup)
Best for Food Sensitivities: Merrick Grain-Free Chicken Broth Topper
This human-grade recipe made in Merrick’s Texas kitchens in the US keeps things simple. Its only ingredients are chicken bone broth, sweet potato, apple, parsley, and turmeric, which makes it easy for dogs with food sensitivities. (If chicken is your dog’s nemesis, try one of the other equally simple beef or turkey recipes.)
The option to choose between pouch sizes will be welcome to pet parents with pups of different sizes, and this recipe allows you to feed a little more broth per pound of bodyweight than other pouches—which is nice if you’re aiming to maximize liquid intake.
Key features:
- Chicken, turkey, and beef options with simple ingredient lists
- 7- and 16-ounce pouch options
- $0.64 per ounce
- 1/8 cup per day per 10 pounds of body weight (26 calories per cup)
Best Low-Calorie Broth: Nulo FreeStyle Grain-Free Classic Turkey Recipe
With just 20 calories per 20-ounce pouch, Nulo’s bone broth for dogs is much easier to feed in greater volumes than your typical bone broth. Its high liquid content makes for a lightly flavored broth that might not please picky eaters (it doesn’t pack as much of a flavor punch)—but it’s a strong choice if hydration is your goal.
One watchout? These are big pouches, and they’ll need to be used within the week once opened. If your dog is only an occasional bone broth drinker, it might be better to try for a smaller pouch or a powder option.
Key features:
- Chicken, beef, and turkey options
- $0.55 per ounce
- 20 calories per pouch (8 calories per cup)
Powder-Style Bone Broths for Dogs
Best for Easy Storage: The Honest Kitchen Beef Bone Broth for Dogs
Honest Kitchen’s bone broth comes in powder form, which is a boon to pet parents who have trouble getting through a full container of bone broth every week—or have limited shelf space for a lot of cartons. Just mix the recommended amount with hot water, let cool to drinkable temperature, and serve either by itself or as a meal topper.
It comes in a 3.6-ounce canister of powdered bone broth or a box of single-serve packets, and the ingredient list is short: just beef broth, beef, pumpkin, parsley, and turmeric.
Key features:
- Beef and turkey options
- $2.99 per ounce (dry), $0.21 per ounce (mixed with water)
- 13 calories per 1/2 tbsp mixed with 1/4 cup water (52 calories per cup when mixed)
Best for Simple Ingredients: Nature’s Logic Dehydrated Beef Broth
This dehydrated dog-safe bone broth powder from Nature’s Logic comes in a six-ounce container and contains just bone broth—so if your pup turns their nose up at recipes that get too fancy, this is a good choice. The brand has a wider range of flavors, including chicken, pork, and turkey, and the six-ounce container size is nice for minimizing frequent refills.
A few pet parents have noted that the powder can be tricky to mix with anything but boiling water (which means you need to let it sit before serving), and the smell is more appealing to pups than people, since the brand has skipped the herbs humans like for a pared-down recipe.
Key features:
- Bone broth is the only ingredient in beef, chicken, pork, and turkey recipes
- $2.99 per ounce (dry), $0.21 per ounce (mixed with water)
- 12 calories per 1/2 tbsp mixed with 1/4 cup water (48 calories per cup when mixed)
Best Dog Food With Bone Broth: A Pup Above Bone Broth Food
One especially easy way to get the nutrients and flavor benefits of bone broth is dog food that’s made with bone broth, like this option from A Pup Above. Fresh ingredients are simmered in bone broth and cooked via a nutrient-preserving sous-vide method that helps them retain both the protein and the flavor from the broth.
The food arrives frozen and thaws in your fridge before mealtime, making it one of the more convenient fresh food options on the market. We like that you don’t have to worry about using up your carton of bone broth before it goes bad or measure out broth before you serve. Plus our testers found it a huge win with picky eaters; it got an enthusiastic four paws up.
Key features:
- Nutrition and flavor profile of bone broth for picky eaters
- Convenient to feed without worrying that bone broth will go bad
- Transparent ingredient sourcing
- Minimal food and packaging waste
What to consider:
- Freezer space—unlike with kibble, you’ll need to store whatever you’re not ready to feed in the freezer
- For pet parents prioritizing hydration, bone broth food does have a higher moisture content than kibble—but it can’t be used quite as freely as a low-calorie liquid broth
For more information, visit A Pup Above on the web and use discount code ROVER50 for $50 off your first order.
Buy on A Pup AboveFurther Reading
- Is Bone Broth Good for Dogs? We Ask the Experts
- How to Make Bone Broth for Your Dog in a Few Easy Steps
- Here’s What People Get Wrong About Dogs and Bones
