Wondering how to make bone broth for dogs?
You’ve come to the right place.
This article will show you how you can make bone broth for your furry companion in 7 simple steps and recipes for different kinds of broth you can make at home.
Come with us, will you?
What is Bone Broth
Bone broth, otherwise called stock, is a savory, nutrient-rich liquid made by boiling marrow-packed animal bones and connective tissues in water. In making broth, bones from cows, chicken, fish, turkey, or pork are utilized. You can add vegetables such as carrots, celery, or fresh herbs to make it more flavorful.
7 simple steps to dog-friendly bone broth
Despite the long cooking hours, making bone broth is a straightforward affair. Additionally, you don’t need to break a bank to make it since it’s extremely inexpensive.
Follow these easy steps to make healthy bone broth at home for your canine companion:
1. Get your ingredients and equipment ready
You’ll need to gather all the items you need for the soup and get them ready. These include:
- Chicken
- Meat
- Vegetables like celery and carrots, and clean them well
- Herbs like parsley
- Himalayan salt
- Mesh strainer
- Stockpot or slow cooker
- Bowl
- Water
2. Put all the ingredients in the stockpot or slow cooker
Place the bones, vegetables, herbs, and salt in your stockpot and add water to cover them. Ensure you don’t overfill the pot to avoid spilling over while boiling.
3. Simmer for 12-24 hours
This step calls for patience as you will need to wait until the broth is done. To avoid accidents, only put them on the stove when you are nearby and have a functional smoke detector. Put your stockpot where your dog can’t reach to ensure its safety.
4. Strain out the broth
Once the broth is ready, use the fine mesh to strain the liquid into your bowl. This will leave the meat, bones, plus vegetables in the stockpot.
5. Let the broth cool down.
Give the broth some time to cool off. This will allow the fat to rise to the surface.
6. Remove the fat
Once the broth has cooled down, it will form a yellow or white solid fat layer at the top. This is not good for your dog. Scoop it out using a spoon, leaving the bone broth. At this point, you can serve the broth to your dog or move to the next step.
7. Use the broth to make other soups.
You can use your broth as a base for other soups. To make this, chop the cooked meat and carrots and add some broth.
10 Different Recipes for Bone Broth
Besides the chicken broth above, there are other broth recipes you can try for dogs. Check out the following.
Beef Bone Broth
Beef bone broth provides an easy and inexpensive way to treat your dog while offering nutrition.
Ingredients
- Raw marrow bones
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dog-friendly veggies like carrots, spinach, and celery
- Liver for flavor-boosting
- Kelp
- Herbs like parsley, dandelion, turmeric, and oregano
Instructions
To prepare this, follow these steps:
- Put the bones in your stockpot
- Add water such that the bones are fully covered
- Add in the liver, a splash of vinegar, and cover the pot
- Cook for around 1 hour over medium-high heat
- Reduce the heat and simmer for between 24-36 hours
- In the final 30 minutes, add the vegetables as desired
- Put in the herbs during the last 10 minutes
- Remove the pot from heat and skim any foam at the top
- Allow it to cool and remove the fats
- Serve your broth
Mushroom Bone Broth
The right mushrooms can make a great addition to your dog’s diet as they are packed with nutrients like antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that can promote its overall health.
Ingredients
- Preferred bones (chicken, turkey, lamb, beef)
- Raw apple cider vinegar
- Water
- Garlic
- Turmeric powder
- Chopped shiitake, Portobello, and Crimini mushrooms
Instructions
This how-to make this:
- Put the bones, raw apple cider vinegar, and garlic in a slow cooker and add water
- Cook for 20-24 hours
- In the last 10 minutes before the broth is ready, add the mushrooms and turmeric powder.
- Remove the broth from heat and let it cool
- Sieve out the broth
- Put the broth into containers and store in the freezer
- Serve as desired
Fiskesuppe
This is simply broth made with fish bones as the base.
Ingredients
- Fishbones including heads, tails, and trimmings thoroughly cleaned.
- Bay leaf
- Water
- Sea salt
- Herbs like parsley
- Vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and celery.
Instructions
To make this:
- Put all the ingredients in a stockpot
- Bring it to boil
- Lower the heat and simmer for one hour
- Remove the pot from heat and strain out the bones using a fine sieve or a cheesecloth
- Add the vegetables to the broth
Broth Boosters
In order to make your dog’s bone broth healthier and more nutritious, you can add all ingredients that you desire. Some of the healthiest ingredients you can add are pumpkin or butternut Squash.
Ingredients
- Bones ( chicken, fish, turkey, or beef)
- Raw apple cider vinegar
- Water
- Sea salt
- Herbs like parsley
- Vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and celery.
- Boiled pumpkin or roasted butternut squash
Instructions
To make this:
- Put the bones into the stockpot and add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar
- Simmer for 12-24 hours
- During the last 30 minutes, add the chopped veggies
- Add the herbs in the last 10 minutes
- Remove the pot from heat
- Allow it to cool and remove the fat on the top
- Strain out the bones using a fine sieve or a cheesecloth
- Put the pumpkin or butternut squash in a blender and some broth and blend to a consistent texture
- Serve
Anti Inflammatory Bone Broth
Bone broth has ani inflammatory properties which help relieve and reduce pain associated with arthritis and other bone and joint issues.
To make a good inflammatory bone broth, you’ll need:
- Chicken bones
- Chicken feet and necks
- Ground turmeric
- Fresh ginger
- Vinegar
- peppercorns
- Vegetables like carrots, celery
- Herbs like thyme, parsley
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a stockpot and add water
- Bring to boil
- Turn down the heat and simmer for 12-24 hours
- Skim any foam that comes on top
- Remove from heat and allow it cool
- Strain the broth and discard all the solids
Rabbit bone broth for dogs
This broth is a great alternative for pups with chicken or beef allergies.
Ingredients
- Rabbit bones
- Water
- Raw, organic, apple cider vinegar
- Chopped vegetables like carrots and celery
Instructions
- Put the bones and the vegetables in a stockpot
- Add water to cover the bones
- Stir in the vinegar and bring the mixture to a gentle boil
- As it boils, skim any foam that appears on the surface
- Lower heat and simmer for up to 24 hours
- Allow it to cool and strain out the bones
- Serve and freeze any remaining broth
Chicken soup broth
This broth is excellent for dogs with mild gastrointestinal upset like diarrhea
- Chicken bones
- Chicken meat
- Water
- Carrots and celery
- Apple cider vinegar
- Parsley
Instructions
- Put the chicken bones, meat, and vegetables in a stockpot
- Add water and vinegar
- Bring to boil
- Lower heat and simmer for 12-24 hours
- Strain the mixture and remove the bones
- Put the cooked chicken meat aside
- Allow the broth then remove the fat that forms on top
- Chop the cooked meat into small pieces
- Add to the broth and serve
Pork bone broth
To make this you’ll need:
- Raw pork bones
- Sliced ginger root
- Chopped parsley
- Celery
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic
- Water
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a large stockpot
- Cook on low heat for 12-24 hours
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- Strain and discard the bones
- Put the broth in the fridge
- Skim the fat that rises on top
Read our article on Can Frenchies Eat Pork? The Risk and Benefits of Pork to Dogs
Turkey necks broth
This requires turkey necks, water, and apple cider vinegar to make.
Instructions
- Combine the turkey necks and apple cider vinegar in a crockpot and fill up with water to cover the necks.
- Boil on high heat for 12 hours then lower the heat and simmer for 12-36 hours
- Remove from heat and remove the bones
- Cool and serve
Lamb bone broth
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this lamb broth:
- Lamb bones
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Water
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees
- Roast lamb bones in a pan till brown
- Add oil in a stockpot and place over medium heat
- Put carrot, celery, thyme, and rosemary and saute for 5 minutes
- Add lamb bones into the pot
- Add water and allow it to simmer
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 8-24 hours
- Remove from heat and strain
Bone broth serving suggestions
There are several ways you can serve your bone broth including:
- Serve as it is: put the broth in a feeding bowl and allow your dog to consume it. This helps increase your dog’s liquid intake
- Pour the broth over your dog’s kibble to make it more flavorful and appealing to fussy eaters
- Make broth popsicles by freezing the broth in popsicle molds and feeding it to your dog
- Make a broth slushie by blending the frozen it until it achieves a slushy
Health Benefits of Bone Broth for Dogs
These are the benefits of bone broth for dogs:
- Promotes gut health: Bone broth is loaded with nutrients that help improve digestion in dogs. It contains gelatin which aids in the restoration and protection of the gut lining helping to prevent leaky gut and aiding digestion.
- Joint rejuvenation and protection: Senior dogs are especially prone to joint problems as the joint cartilage wears down with continual use and becomes worn out. Bone broth is an excellent source of glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, and gelatin which help improve joint health.
- Helps detox liver: Bone broth is super-rich in an amino acid called glycine which helps the liver to filter out toxins and perform optimally.
- It’s hydrating: Since bone broth is in liquid form, it acts as a fantastic way of adding moisture to your dog’s diet and helping to keep it hydrated.
- Boosts immune system: Bone broth is loaded with nutrients such as vitamins, antioxidants, and other minerals which help improve the immune system of dogs. It’s particularly helpful in helping sick dogs fight diseases and recover.
- Improves skin and coat health: the gelatin and collagen in bone broth help to maintain a youthful skin texture and appearance in dogs.
How to store bone broth for dogs
You can store any excess broth for future use. The best way to do this is by freezing it in zip-lock bags, plastic containers, ice cube trays, or glass jars. Frozen bone broth can last for 6 months.
Is homemade bone broth good for dogs?
Definitely, homemade bone broth is not only good but also highly nutritious for dogs. While making homemade, you are able to ensure that you use only dog-friendly ingredients that won’t cause your dog any harm.
How much turmeric do I put in my dog’s bone broth?
You can add between a ⅛-½ teaspoon of ground turmeric to your dog’s broth depending on its weight. Turmeric is generally safe for dogs in small amounts.
Can I give my dog bone broth every day?
Yes, you can give your dog bone broth every day in small amounts based on its weight. Bone broth contains collagen, which is good for joint health, and glycine which helps detox your dog’s kidneys and liver.
Can dogs have cold bone broth?
Yes, cold bone broth is perfectly safe for dogs to consume. This provides an excellent way of keeping your dog hydrated especially on a sunny day.
Is onion in bone broth OK for dogs?
No, onion is highly toxic to dogs, and adding it to your dog’s broth will also make it toxic. It’s thus best to avoid it and include only safe ingredients for dogs.
Read our article on: Can Dogs Eat Onions? What You Need to Know
Can you give vegetable broth to dogs?
Yes, dogs can safely take vegetable broth if it doesn’t contain onions and garlic. Vegetable broth is nutritious and has many health benefits for dogs.
Is Garlic in bone broth Ok for dogs? How Much Garlic Should I add?
Yes, bone broth with very small amounts of garlic is okay for dogs to consume. You can add between a ⅛-¼ teaspoon of ground garlic to your dog’s broth.
Over to you
Bone broth is nutritious and makes an excellent addition to a dog’s diet. It’s packed with minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that play important roles in dogs’ health.
Bone broth can help maintain a healthy gut, promote digestion, strengthen the immune system, improve skin and coat health, aid in liver detoxing, reduce inflammation and improve joint health. It can also help ailing dogs fight diseases and infections and recover.
We have given you several recipes that you can try and find out what works best for your pup. Go ahead and give it the healthy boost it deserves today.
