Bone broth for dogs is a favorite supplement in our pack because it’s both tasty and packs a ton of health benefits.
It’s a warming, soothing food during the colder months, and can also be served cold as a refreshing summer treat.
In this post, I’m sharing the recipe for homemade bone broth with you, how to feed it to your dogs, and where to buy it pre-made if you don’t have the time to make your own.
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Bone Broth For Dogs: The Benefits
Bone broth has a ton of health benefits for dogs and ourselves, too:
1. Overall immune system booster because of all the minerals that are released from the bones into the broth.
2. Gentle on the digestive system and helps with an upset stomach.
3. Does wonders for achy bones because of all the chondroitin and glucosamine that seeps out of the bones and into the broth.
4. Detoxifies the liver.
5. Great meal topper for picky eaters.
How To Make Bone Broth For Dogs (& Yourself!) – My Favorite Recipe
It’ll take a little over 24 hours to make a batch of bone broth, so it does require a little planning. All you need besides time is:
- A Crock-Pot or Instant Pot
- Joint bones (chicken or duck feet/necks, oxtails, beef soup bones)
- (Filtered) water
- Apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- Garlic
- Some spices and/or veggies (optional)
1. Put all the bones and garlic into a crockpot, then add enough filtered water to cover everything by 1-2 inches. Add 4-5 tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar. Cook it on “high” for 1 hour.
2. Reduce the heat to “low” and let it cook for 24 hours.
3. Remove the bones. It’s important to strain the broth well. That way, you can remove any tiny bone fragments, both for your own and your dog’s sake.
Good to know:
Never feed your dogs cooked bones as they can do a lot of damage to your dog’s internal system. The only bones that are safe to feed are non weight-bearing raw, meaty bones.
4. Optional: Add frozen kale and turmeric powder to the broth, stir well.
5. Once you strained it, let it cool off, then put it into the fridge for 3-4 hours. Next, remove the layer of fat that will have formed.
Good to know: If there’s no layer of fat, you didn’t use enough apple cider vinegar!
6. Now it’s ready to use!
Alternative – Where To Buy Bone Broth For Dogs
If you don’t have the time or energy to make your own bone broth, you can also buy it pre-made.
Raw Feeding Miami sells bone broth (turkey, chicken, beef, veal, pork), and so does The Honest Kitchen (turkey and beef).
Local grocery stores carry it too, and you can also find it on Amazon.
How To Feed Your Dog Bone Broth
For feeding it to Missy & Buzz, I simply add a few tablespoons on top of their raw dog food and then mix everything together.
They love the taste! They also got some cooked sweet potato that I mashed with a fork and then topped off with bone broth.
You can definitely warm it up a little if you feel like your furry friend might like it better that way, but it’s not a must.
Update 2020: My current pup Wally loves his bone broth, too!
For anyone coming across this recipe in warmer temps – you can also pour the broth into ice cube trays and offer it as a refreshing treat.
How to drink it yourself!
Of course you can share the bone broth with your furries – if they’ll let you, ha!
You can pour the bone broth into a cup and drink it first thing in the morning, or whenever you feel like it, really.
It tastes great warmed up, especially on a cold winter day, but you can also enjoy a cold cup during the heat of the summer.
I personally prefer to use it for cooking purposes and boil my rice in it. I also like to pour it over mashed (sweet) potatoes that I serve along with meat, like sautéed chicken breasts. Yummy!
How To Store Bone Broth for Dogs
Once you’ve discarded the top layer of fat, you can pour the broth into mason jars or any other type of food storage container.
Whenever I make a fresh batch of bone broth, I put one or two bone broth containers into the fridge to use within the next few days. The others go into the freezer as a back up for upset doggie stomachs.
Bone Broth For Dogs: Final Thoughts
It’s totally up to you and your dog’s potential food sensitivities as far as which kind of joint bones you use to make your bone broth.
I decided to use duck feet, turkey necks, beef oxtails and beef soup bones because that’s what I had in the freezer.
You can also stick to just one protein and make a chicken, duck, beef, or whatever else-only broth.
I bought the duck feet from Raw Feeding Miami, found the oxtails and beef soup bones at Walmart, and the turkey necks are from my local grocery store.
What I like about bone broth is that it’s a superfood for both myself AND my pups (cats can eat it, too).
Leave your comments or questions below in the comment section!
Related Reading:
- Add This To Your Homemade Pumpkin Puree for Dogs!
- 5 Natural Antioxidants for Dogs that Boost the Immune System
- How to SafYely Feed Your Dog Raw Meaty Bones
- Can’t Get Your Dog to Eat Raw Dog Food? Try These Easy Hacks!
Thank you for sharing, Barbara! We’ll be repeating allergy test and I hope I can make some broth for Rocky. I use pressure cooker though.
Hi Anna, sure thing! Yes, a pressure cooker is a good alternative, thanks for mentioning that. I personally don’t have one, but my mom does.
I’ve got two…they are very handy to 2 and 4 legged animals:-) I’ve been cooking food after we got an infection…
Definitely, especially with two! You’ll be able to make a huge batch! What infection?