Wondering what to do with your leftover turkey bones from your holiday dinner? Why not whip up a hearty bone broth for your dogs? Bone broth provides iron, protein, healthy fats, and minerals for pets. The gelatin from the connective tissue and cartilage are a great source of collagen and glucosamine for joint support, too. In this bone broth recipe, the long cooking time plus the acid in the vinegar helps release these elements. We used our Instant Pot, but it’s easy to modify for any slow cooker.
Turkey Bone Broth for Dogs
For our turkey bone broth recipe, we used the leftover carcass from our holiday dinner, plus some turkey necks from the butcher counter for more gelatin in our broth.
You could also use turkey or chicken feet if you can find them. 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.
Instant Pot Turkey Bone Broth for Dogs
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 3 quarts
Ingredients
- OPTIONAL 3 Turkey Necks or 6 Feet
- 1 Turkey Carcass
- 4 Celery Stalks
- 2 Carrots or 1 Cups Baby Carrots
- 1 Cup Roughly Chopped Fresh Parsley or 1/4 Cup Dried
- 2 Tbsp Dried Sage
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Water
Instructions
If using the turkey necks or feet, you'll need to roast them first.
Preheat oven to 400º
- Grease a roasting pan with olive oil and add the necks and/or feet. Add the veggies too, if you like.
- Bake for 40-60 minutes, until you get some nice color on the meat.
- Place the meat and bones in the Instant Pot, layering the veggies and herbs on top.
- Pour the vinegar over, then top up the bowl with water to the max fill line.
- Set the Instant Pot for 4 hours (240 minutes).
- After a natural release, remove solids from the broth with tongs.
- Pour the broth through a mesh colander into a bowl.
Place broth in the fridge until the fat rises to the top and the broth thickens. Overnight works great. Lastly, scrape the fat off the top of the broth and discard.
Serve broth warmed or cold over your dog's favorite meal, or just by itself. You can freeze it, too!
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Tasting Notes: Dog-Friendly Bone Broth
Bea gives this wiggly and wonderful goodness four paws up. Check her out eating in super-slow motion.
