You’ve heard all the raves about how bone broth is chock full of collagen, gelatin, protein, and minerals (and if not, read this), but you’re not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered with a healthy, goof-proof version of bone broth designed just for your dog.
For our first bone broth recipe, we went with a combination of inexpensive and easy-to-find beef bones with marrow and raw, unsmoked pig’s feet. The marrow bones provide iron, protein, healthy fats, and minerals from the bone itself, while the pig’s feet are jam-packed with healthy gelatin, collagen, and amino acids from the cartilage that breaks down over the long cooking time.
You can substitute with chicken or turkey carcasses, and add turkey necks or chicken feet for the gelatin if your dog prefers.
We added carrots, celery, and parsley for flavor. Smells good? Yup, you can eat this too.
A word of caution: Most human bone broth recipes call for onions and garlic, which just aren’t good for dogs, so when buying commercial bone broths, read labels. And that’s why making your own is so great—you call the shots on every ingredient.
InstantPot or Slow Cooker Beef and Pork Bone Broth for Dogs
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 2-2.5 Quarts
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 pounds beef marrow bones
- 4 raw pig's feet (not smoked)
- 8 celery stalks
- 4 carrots or 2 Cups baby carrots
- 1 Cup roughly chopped parsley
- 1/4 Cup raw apple cider vinegar (some recipes suggest lemon juice but we do not recommend giving citrus to dogs)
- water
Equipment
- large roasting pan
- Instant pot, crock pot, or stock pot
Instructions
Place a rack in the middle of your oven.
Preheat oven to a hot-n-spicy 450º.
Grease a large roasting pan with the olive oil and place your bone in the center, pig's feet around the edges, and fill with the celery and carrots in the empty spaces.
Bake the bones for an hour, flipping the bones and feet halfway through. If things are getting too brown too fast, turn down the oven or just skip straight to loading the Instant Pot.
Put the roughly chopped parsley in the bottom of the Instant Pot or Crock Pot. Add the bones next, placing the marrow bones in the center and pushing the pig's feet around. Top off with as much of the veggies as will fit, filling in some of the cracks. Add the apple cider vinegar, then add cold water, leaving an inch of space under the max fill line.
Close and seal, cooking in manual mode for the max time of 240 minutes (4 hours). If your pressure cooker only goes to 120, just run it twice.
If you're using a slow cooker, set it on low for 24-48 hours to get the maximum benefits of the recipe.
If you're using a stock pot on the stove, get the broth up to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then cover and simmer on low 24-48 hours, checking the pot regularly to make sure the temperature is maintained and nothing is burning or sticking.
Use a natural release, then turn off the heat. When the pot is cool enough to touch, you can use a small strainer to remove the larger piece from the broth. Then strain the broth through a fine mesh colander to catch any loose bone bits.
Chill the broth in the fridge for a few hours or overnight until it (hopefully) sets into a gel.
Scrape the fat off the top of the gelatinized broth, pausing to appreciate how wiggly and jiggly it is.
Serve it up! You can freeze the broth, heat it up a little and pour 1/4-1/2 cup over your dog's kibble at mealtimes, or serve alone as a nutritious snack.
Courses Meal Mix-in
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Bone Broth Serving Suggestions
- Freeze bone broth into ice cube trays for individual portions
- Freeze bone broth and kibble into a Kong toy for a long-lasting treat
- Warm bone broth and serve over you regular dog food
- Serve chilled bone broth by the wiggly jiggly spoonful
- Give a small bowl of bone broth anytime
Tasting Notes
Bea gives this wiggly and wonderful goodness four paws up. Check her out eating in super-slow motion.
Health Benefits of Bone Broth for Dogs
- Collagen, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, and amino acids from bone broth are great for joint health and arthritis
- The easy to digest protein and minerals from bone broth can boost your dog’s diet without having to make a large change which may upset digestion
- Glycine and amino acids in bone broth can soothe and aid upset digestive tracts
- All these wonderful healthy ingredients are believed to boost the immune system and give your dog’s coat a shine boast too!
