Thanksgiving Tips for Your Canine

Waste not! Make the most of your turkey leftovers by transforming them into a delicious and nutritious bone broth.

Cooking the bones over low heat for an extended time helps extract extra nutritional goodies. Bone broth is a great source of minerals, plus glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid, and proline, which are all beneficial for joint health. You can find a simple bone broth recipe below, along with other tips for the holiday season. Top your canine’s meal with BioStar’s Thera Calm K9 and Terra Biota K9 to provide additional stress relief and GI tract support!

Holiday stress tips:

Keep in mind that the holidays can be a stressful time for your four-legged family members. Even for dogs that love the extra action and attention from visitors, the departure from routine can manifest in anxiety or gastric distress. You can help your dog by providing a quiet place for them to retreat from the bustle. It can be as simple as covering their crate with a blanket and placing an old sweater in it for them to cuddle. Some dogs may appreciate a designated room where biped “puppies” are not permitted.

For nutritional stress support, try BioStar’s Thera Calm K9, a blend of adaptogens that help modulate the body’s response to stress.

Try BioStar’s Terra Biota K9 for full-spectrum support for the GI tract. Ingredients include a diverse microorganism population and a synergistic mushroom blend for prebiotic support, earth clays for minerals and alkalizing pH support, and cultured probiotics from healthy soils.

Other Thanksgiving tips:

If your dog is accustomed to a raw food diet, you can save some goodies from the bird before you cook it. Sharing the turkey neck and giblets is a great way to include your furry kids in the Thanksgiving fun!

Other dog-friendly Thanksgiving foods:

Don’t forget to save those fruits and vegetables! Your canine can benefit from the variety of Thanksgiving bounty from your table.

Cranberries (antioxidants)

Plain pumpkin (fiber source good for digestive health)

Carrots (rich in carotenoids)

• Steam them lightly otherwise you will likely see them come out the other end 😉
• However, munching on a raw carrot makes a great “toothbrush!”

Lightly-steamed green veggies like green beans, kale, broccoli, zucchini, and celery

Avoid carbs and starchy vegetables like potatoes and (often GMO) corn. Sweet potatoes may be given as they are loaded with carotenoids, but use sparingly and avoid them for dogs facing yeast challenges. As always, stay away from cooked bones, alcohol, grapes/ raisins, chocolate (especially baker’s chocolate), and Xylitol (a sugar alternative that can be found in sugar-free sweets, nut butters, and more).

Turkey Bone Broth Recipe:

You will need:

• 1 turkey carcass
• 2-4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Enough water to cover bones

You can also add:

• Trimmings from vegetables like carrots, celery, and green beans
• Other assorted bones- turkey neck/ feet, beef bones, etc.

1. Place the turkey bones in a large pot or slow cooker. If you bought a whole turkey including the neck and feet, even better!
2. Add enough water to cover the bones, plus 2-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (about 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar per gallon of water) and soak at room temperature for about an hour.
3. If you’re using a pot on the stove, bring to a boil, then simmer (covered) for 24-48 hours. If you’re using a crockpot, turn on high for 1-2 hours before reducing to low heat for 24-48 hours.
 If you are using only poultry bones, the cook time may be reduced to 12-24 hours, but a longer time is preferred, particularly when using larger bones like beef soup bones.
4. If you’d like to include trimmings from dog-friendly produce like carrots, celery, green beans, zucchini, kale, cranberries, etc. 
Rinse thoroughly and add to the broth in the last 2-4 hours of simmer time. If you would like the vegetables to remain in the finished product, add them after straining while the broth is still hot enough to soften them.
5. Strain the bone broth thoroughly, taking care that no pieces of bone remain in the final product. If you don’t have a strainer with small enough holes, pour the broth through cheesecloth or a similar porous material. Cooked bones are very dangerous for dogs, so this step is crucial.
6. Pour the broth into containers for storage and refrigerate for a few hours. Often, a layer of fat will appear on the top- scrape it off and discard it. Beneath, you should have a jelly-like broth. If your broth didn’t turn into jelly, that’s okay, it’s still a healthy addition to your dog’s dinner! Just use an extra tablespoon of vinegar next time or include bones with more cartilage. Use within a week or freeze some for later.
7. 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 or chicken feet the second time around!