Lizzy’s Wisdom: Bone Broth for Dogs (Recipe!)
Bone broth is the supportive food I most frequently recommend during my canine consultations. It’s a cost-effective way to enhance the health of the entire GI tract, the liver, and the joints. On top of aiding in the normal detoxification process, bone broth serves as an amazing moisture-rich topper for dogs who eat kibble and/or are transitioning to a diet that includes more fresh foods. It’s a GI first aid must-have in my freezer, too!
Bone broth is a powerhouse of nutrition–here’s why:
- Bone broth provides gelatin. Well-known for its high glycine content, bone broth helps the body detoxify very gently. This amino acid is GOLD for dogs who have “leaky gut” symptoms (as well as mobility issues).
- The major nutrients that help the bone, soft tissues, and joints in their natural repair processes are glycosaminoglycans, which can also be found in bone broth.
- Other nutrients like proline and collagen are in abundance and support tissue healing.
Basic bone broth recipe:
Here are the basics of preparing bone broth. Keep in mind, this is far from an exacting project! Cooking the bones over low heat for about 24 hours in water with apple cider vinegar is what leaches the minerals and nutrition out of the bones and marrow so you can provide it to your dog.
- A variety of bones with cartilaginous joints and marrow. Examples include: turkey or chicken wings/necks, chicken feet, beef or bison marrow bones. Avoid any bones that are smoked.
- 2-4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Enough water to cover bones by a couple of inches
- Trimmings from vegetables like carrots, celery, leafy greens, and green beans
- OPTIONAL: a couple pinches of sea salt
- STOVETOP: Bring to a boil, then simmer (covered) for 24 hours.
- SLOW COOKER: Turn on ‘high’ for the first hour, and then reduce to ‘low’ heat for around 24 hours.
- Strain the bone broth thoroughly. Make sure that no pieces of bone remain in the final product. Cooked bones are very dangerous for dogs, so don’t skip this part!
- Pour the broth into containers for storage and refrigerate for a few hours. Ice cube trays make it easy to prepare “broth-cicles” for a refreshing hot weather treat. The frozen cubes are great GI first aid items, ready to thaw as needed.
If you really want to make the most out of your leftover bones, you can repeat the process again, especially if you add a couple more turkey necks or wings or chicken feet the second time around!
– Photo credits: Lizzy Meyer
