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Absolutely! Here’s a breakdown of making nutritious bone broth for your dog, plus the benefits, how to serve, and safe storage tips:
Why Bone Broth is Great for Dogs
- Joint Health Support: Bone broth is a rich source of collagen, glucosamine, and chondroitin – building blocks for healthy joints, especially in older dogs.
- Immune Boost: Nutrients in broth help maintain a strong immune system.
- Digestive Aid: The gelatin in broth can soothe an upset stomach and aid digestion.
- Packed with Minerals: Provides calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and other essential minerals for overall health.
Bone Broth Recipe for Dogs
Ingredients:
- Bones: A variety is best! Beef, chicken, lamb, etc. Use raw bones, roast them first for safety, or even leftover cooked bones (remove any spicy sauces first).
- Apple Cider Vinegar: A few tablespoons help extract minerals from the bones.
- Water: Enough to cover the bones.
- Optional: Dog-safe veggies (carrots, potatoes) and herbs for extra flavor.
Instructions:
- Prep: Place bones in a slow cooker or large pot. Add water and vinegar.
- Cook: Simmer on low heat. Cooking time depends on bone type – chicken (6-24 hours), beef (12-50 hours). Longer cooking = more nutrient-rich broth.
- Strain: Remove bones, veggies, and herbs. Let the broth cool completely.
- Remove Fat: Once chilled, a layer of fat will form on top. Discard this.
- Serve or Store: Your broth should have a jelly-like consistency when chilled. Warm it up before serving your dog.
How to Give Bone Broth to Your Dog
- Start Slow: Introduce small amounts first to avoid upsetting their stomach.
- Meal Topper: Add a few tablespoons to their regular food.
- Hydration Helper: Mix with water to encourage more water intake.
- Frozen Treats: Freeze broth in ice cube trays or molds for a cool summer snack.
Storage
- Refrigerate: Store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: Use freezer-safe containers or ice cube trays for longer storage.
Key Takeaways
- Bone broth is a healthy, delicious treat for dogs.
- Choose safe ingredients and adjust for your dog’s size.
- Monitor your dog’s response when introducing any new food.
- Store carefully to prevent spoilage.
Important Note: While beneficial, bone broth shouldn’t replace your dog’s regular diet. Consult your vet if you have any concerns about their nutrition or health.
Contents
Benefits Of Bone Scraps For Dogs:
Bone remains are rich in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Calcium is essential for the development and maintenance of healthy dog bones and teeth, while phosphorus plays a key role in the formation of DNA, RNA, and energy metabolism in the body.
Magnesium not only helps absorb calcium and phosphorus but also plays an important role in the functioning of muscles and the nervous system.
Strengthening Teeth And Gums:
Chewing bone scraps helps dogs strengthen their teeth and gums. This is due to the mechanical action of chewing gum on plaque and tartar, which helps prevent the development of gum diseases such as periodontitis and gingivitis.
Stimulation Of Saliva Production:
Chewing bone debris stimulates saliva production, which helps maintain oral health. Saliva contains enzymes and antimicrobial agents that can help fight bacteria and prevent problems with teeth and gums.
A Proven Way To Relieve Stress:
Chewing bone scraps can help relieve stress and anxiety in dogs. This is because chewing stimulates the production of endorphins, happy hormones that help your dog relax and feel better.
It is important to note that you should consult your veterinarian before adding bone scraps to your dog’s diet. It will help you assess the condition of your dog’s teeth and gums and choose the right chewing gum to avoid possible health problems.
How To Make Bone Broth For Dogs – Bone Broth Recipe:
Bone broth is a great addition to a dog’s diet. To prepare it, you will need bones, water, vegetables (for example, carrots, and potatoes), and spices to taste.
Bones should be baked in the oven first to kill any possible bacteria. Then the bones are placed in a saucepan, filled with water, and simmered over low heat for several hours.
Vegetables and spices are added as desired. After cooking, the broth should be left to steep and cool, then you can remove the fat from the surface and serve the broth to the dog.
Ingredients:
- Poultry bones, beef, pork, mutton, in short, all the bones that your butcher will have offered you, the bones that you will have recovered by deboning various pieces (turkey legs, chicken feet, whole chicken, pork loin, etc.), cooked bones from your table leftovers as long as you rinse them if they have been cooked in a sauce or with spices, but also fish heads and carcasses. It doesn’t matter the quantity, but the more you have the better, as long as it fits in your container: slow cooker, casserole dish, stock pot, etc.
- Aromatic plants for the smell: basil, sage, thyme, parsley.
- Cider, white, wine, or lemon vinegar to help dissolve large pieces. Many recipes vary in quantity: from one teaspoon to one tablespoon per liter of water.
- Water to cover all the bones.
- Kneecaps, beef femur, and turkey carcasses.
- Sliced lemon and basil.
Cooking Time:
Depending on the bones you choose, it may take longer or shorter for nutrients and collagen to be released from the bones. But as a general rule, the longer you let your broth simmer over low heat, the more gelled your broth will be.
I was surprised to see that the most beautiful broths I made cooked for 8 hours on gas, whereas after 24 hours of cooking my first broth cooked on an electric hob had been a real fiasco.
While browsing various sites and blogs (French and English), I noticed that the general average cooking time was around 20 hours. However, all the recipes agree that the longer you simmer, the better.
Here is an example of recommendations:
- Chicken: 6 to 24 hours
- Beef: 12 to 50 hours
- Fish: approximately 4 hours
You can also make your broth in a Cookeo-type multicooker. Members of our Facebook group have successfully used it in pressure mode by repeating the operation several times.
Preparation:
- Dog broth is prepared in a saucepan or slow cooker. First, bones or chicken legs are placed in the vessel. Then you need to fill the container with water so that the bones are completely covered.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. The component enhances the benefits of gelatin, which is found in bones. The broth is then cooked until the meat on the bones is completely cooked. The exact cooking time in a multicooker depends on the features of the device. After cooking the broth, you need to strain the meat and bones.
- Chicken bones are dangerous for dogs. They need to be thrown away. The dish can be supplemented with bean pods, broccoli, or dried seaweed (kelp). When the broth has cooled, it must be placed in the refrigerator. After a few hours, the surface of the dish will be covered with fat. It must be removed and thrown away.
- The chilled broth under a layer of fat resembles the consistency of jelly. Before offering soup to your dog, you need to warm it up.
- This is a fairly economical dish. It can be stored in a saucepan in the refrigerator. The broth stays fresh for four to five days.
- It is not recommended to store the dish longer. It’s better to prepare a fresh batch for the next few days.
- If the owner has one or two large dogs, the broth can be poured into glass jars.
- If the animals are small, you can place the dish in ice cube trays. Just take out one square at a time, defrost, and reheat.
- Keeping a stock of bone broth in the refrigerator will allow the owner not to worry about what to feed the pet. This soup is suitable for animals that have health problems. During illness, experts advise feeding your dog chicken broth. It is quite nutritious, does not contain much fat, and is rich in nutrients that will help the animal recover faster.
- In the process of preparing the broth, the owner can be creative. Complement the dish with a small amount of vegetables or herbs. But before adding foods to the soup, you need to make sure that they are harmless to dogs.
Packaging and Storage:
- Once cooking is complete, remove the bones, vegetables, and herbs and strain your broth through a strainer. You can also choose to recycle bones, meats, and vegetables in your composter.
- Place your broth in a large container to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. This way you can easily remove the fat that has solidified on top.
- Then, distribute your broth in ice cube trays, in molds, or small jars, or cut them into cubes (if your broth is well-gelled) which you can put in freezer containers.
- You can keep your portions of bone broth for several months in the freezer and 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
How To Give Bone Broth To Your Dog?
Any new food must be introduced in small doses to respect the intestinal flora of your canine companion. First, add small amounts of bone broth to your daily ration. Start with a few tablespoons then gradually increase the intake. As a general rule, we recommend 30 grams of broth or 2 tablespoons per 5 kg of weight.
- You can serve this food in different ways to your doggie:
- As a garnish to his ration to encourage him to eat;
- In his water bowl to encourage him to hydrate;
- In gourmet and fun creations.
When the weather is hot, you can create frozen treats for your little one using paper cups or cake pans. You can also use this tasty broth to use the water you use to make your homemade treats.
In any case, always make sure to leave a bowl of fresh water available for your dog. More than bone broth, it is water that best ensures hydration and allows your dog’s liver and kidneys to detoxify his body.
Conclusion:
A properly formulated, balanced diet for feeding a dog is a very important part when organizing animal care.
Thanks to proper nutrition, your pet’s body will work smoothly without any disruptions. It is important to understand which foods are allowed for your pet and which ones should be avoided.
This applies not only to prohibited marinades, pickles, and smoked meats from the human table. There are a number of products that can cause allergies in an animal. Before moving on to the 6 most necessary products in a dog’s diet, it is necessary to understand the peculiarities of feeding animals.
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