Feeding our pups the best of the best is often a top priority for dog owners. Due to the rise in popularity of so-called “superfoods” for humans, dog owners wonder if the same benefits humans enjoy, such as weight loss, improved energy levels, and disease risk reduction, can be passed on to our pups if they’re fed the right foods.
Like raw dog food diets and giving your dog probiotics, many pet parents praise the positive results that they notice from incorporating bone broth into their dog’s diet. Dogs generally love it because it has a hearty, meaty taste. Because of its great taste, bone broth can also be used to spice up bland dog food that you might otherwise have trouble convincing your dog to eat—such as diet dog food varieties for weight loss or special, veterinarian-formulated prescription dog food to treat conditions such as urinary tract issues, allergies, and more.
In this article, we explore more about bone broth for dogs, including whether it is as good for dogs as pet owners think it is, the potential benefits of incorporating bone broth into your dog’s diet, recipes that guide you on how to make bone broth for dogs, and much more.
As a staple food cooked in kitchens worldwide, people have been using bone broth for centuries due to its supposed medicinal benefits, including its ability to strengthen the kidneys and liver. Modern research on the medicinal benefits of consuming bone broth for humans is limited, but it is clear that it can be a healthy food for humans, so why not give it to your dog?
Like raw diets, the research on the benefits of bone broth for dogs is mostly anecdotal, with some veterinary clinics touting its effectiveness. One thing that’s true, though, is that bone broth does contain effective nutrients and ingredients that are beneficial to your dogs' health, such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid for joint health, and glycine and proline, which are known for promoting a healthy gut environment.
Bone broth for dogs is a great way to provide additional nutrients and health benefits. Still, pet owners should exercise caution when using it as a singular treatment method for joint or digestive conditions that their dog may have. Like dog foods that contain glucosamine and other joint-supportive ingredients, bone broth isn’t likely to contain enough of these ingredients to provide enough of a difference in your dog’s joint health compared to if you incorporated a joint supplement solution into their diet.
TRI-ACTA, a joint supplement formulated to be a daily supplement to support your dog’s joint health, has guaranteed therapeutic amounts of ingredients like glucosamine (provides lubrication, cartilage support, and affects overall joint health), chondroitin (works alongside glucosamine to aid in cartilage repair and regeneration), and Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM, a natural anti-inflammatory).
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Because bone broth for dogs contains various nutrients and other beneficial ingredients, adding it to your dog’s diet may result in several benefits. These benefits include:
The amount of bone broth you should feed your dog daily depends on the contents of the bone broth and what else you are feeding your dog. If you’re purchasing store-bought bone broth for dogs, the packaging will list recommended feeding directions, which usually vary depending on the dog’s weight.
For example, this feeding direction list for Bones & Co. Beef Bone Broth is as follows:
Store-bought bone broth for dogs comes in many different formulations, from liquid to powder to dog food that incorporates bone broth into its recipe. The table below lists the different forms:
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Bone Broth for Dogs Formulation |
Description |
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Liquid |
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Powder |
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Dog food incorporating bone broth |
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While there is often little difference between the dog bone broth product inside the packaging, the packaging itself is a focus. Cartons are often recyclable, an important consideration for environmentally conscious pet owners. Pouches are generally made of plastic, less recyclable than the cardboard used in carton packaging. While carton packaging may have some plastic components, it’s usually just the lid to make it easy to open and close.
A typical dog bone broth, whether it's homemade or commercial, can be frozen for up to 12 months in an airtight container. For pouches or cartons, placing the package in an airtight container or freezer bag is usually a good idea to avoid any potential messes should the packaging expand as the liquid freezes.
The best bone broth for dogs depends on the brand and manufacturing process. Some bone broth powder for dogs is made using high heat, which removes the natural, meat-based flavour. High heat can also take away protein and remove nutrients. However, bone broth for dogs that have been properly dehydrated should have the same level of nutrients compared to liquid versions. A good way to check this is by comparing brands. Generally, chicken bone broth powder for dogs (one of the most common flavours) should have at least 300 mg of potassium per serving or 50 mg for beef (another common flavour).
Making your own homemade bone broth for dogs is a great way to not only maximize your groceries but it’s also a way to save money. You can boil any type of animal bone for your dog, including duck, beef, chicken, and fish. When you boil any type of bone, the marrow within it leaks out and breaks down into gelatin. This gelatin is what contains the essential nutrients and amino acids that make up the benefits of bone broth.
The optimal length of time for boiling bones to make bone broth for dogs depends on the recipe you’re following, but you usually need to boil the bones at a low temperature for at least 5–9 hours. Most recipes, however, recommend using a slow cooker and boiling the ingredients for at least 12 hours and as much as 48 hours to ensure that the maximum amount of nutrients are extracted from the bones. For this process, a pot on the stove works just fine, but a crockpot or instant pot can also be used.
Some dog owners like to use bones that include a lot of joints in them, such as chicken feet, because joints contain more collagen. Realistically, any bone will do, so feel free to use discarded bones from your meals, but be sure to wash them thoroughly to remove any spices or seasonings that may upset your dog’s stomach.
The great thing about homemade bone broth for dogs is that you can add vegetables and other ingredients, including turmeric, to the mix that you’ve found beneficial for dogs. One key ingredient in most homemade bone broth for dogs recipes is vinegar, which is responsible for extracting the gelatin and nutrients from the bones. With regards to vinegar, a little often goes a long way, and you don’t want to add too much as it will affect the final product's taste.
With that being said, here is an easy recipe for homemade bone broth for dogs. We chose this recipe because it just needs a big pot on the stove and the recipe itself is very straightforward (The vegetable and mushroom ingredients are optional):
Directions for cooking:
The recipe notes that you can either use raw bones or cooked bones, but that cooked bones may have fewer nutrients because they’ve already been cooked.
If you’re not into making your own bone broth and would prefer to purchase store-bought bone broth for dogs, we’ve compiled a list of recommendations:
This broth comes in easy-to-pour packaging and is made with high-quality ingredients, including humanely farmed beef. The beef bones are slowly simmered with additional immune-boosting ingredients and superfoods like pumpkin, carrot, and turmeric. The ingredients are also free from antibiotics, growth hormones, salt, garlic (which can be harmful for some dogs), and onion. One serving is two tablespoons for every 10 lbs of body weight. Also comes in chicken flavour.
$9.99 CAD for a 12 oz pouch. Pricing as of November 2023.
The Honest Kitchen’s beef bone broth is a powdered version made with all-natural ingredients, including turmeric, parsley, and pumpkin. The powdered bone broth for dogs can be rehydrated using hot water (be sure to let the broth cool before serving to your dog) or be sprinkled over your dog’s kibble as a meal topper. This powdered bone broth option is made in the USA and is free from common allergens like corn, wheat, soy, chemicals, and preservatives.
$16.99 CAD for a 16 oz container. Pricing as of November 2023.
While NOW Fresh Stews can be served in the same way as any bone broth for dogs, it can also act as a full meal as it’s nutritionally balanced. It’s created with high-quality meats, fruits, and vegetables to provide the full gambit of antioxidants and probiotics to support a healthy immune system and digestive system and help your dog’s blood sugar levels. The turkey broth provides glucosamine and chondroitin to help with joint support as well.
Starts at $5.49 for an individual 12.5 oz carton. Pricing as of November 2023.
When it comes to dog food that incorporates bone broth into its recipe, Acana is a great choice. It’s crafted with 85% animal ingredients, including visible chunks of poultry alongside fruits and vegetables in a bone broth base. This food can be fed as a single meal or used as a topper for your dog’s dry kibble. Adding this bone-broth-infused food to your dog’s diet increases their hydration levels and provides them with various beneficial nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Starts at $6.48 per can. Pricing as of November 2023.
If you’re looking for a bone broth for dogs that mimics homemade as much as possible and is effortless to serve, then the Pets In The Kitchen Bone Broth recipe for dogs is a great choice. Instead of being a liquid where you have to measure each serving, this bone broth recipe for dogs is frozen in individual cubes, making it easy to grab a cube or two to heat and incorporate into your dog’s food or simply pop it into their water or food on a hot day. This bone broth contains all-natural ingredients, including:
Incorporating bone broth into your dog’s diet has many health benefits, including joint health support. However, the level of therapeutic ingredients in bone broth, the same as dog foods that contain joint support ingredients like glucosamine, are not enough on their own to provide therapeutic benefit to your dog’s joints.
Like eating ginger isn’t going to cure your flu, giving your dog bone broth won’t cure their joint issues. However, incorporating a supplement like TRI-ACTA or TRI-ACTA H.A. into your dog’s diet alongside bone broth is an effective way to enhance your dog’s overall joint health while making the administration even easier by dissolving it further into their food so they lap every last bit of goodness up.
The therapeutic ingredients in TRI-ACTA products are guaranteed, while in a product like bone broth, it’s hard to guarantee the level of therapeutic ingredients during the manufacturing process. TRI-ACTA contains 100% all-natural ingredients, as outlined in the table below:
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TRI-ACTA H.A. Ingredient |
Benefit |
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Glucosamine Sulfate / Glucosamine HCl |
Combining both glucosamine types optimizes overall joint health in dogs due to their distinct formulations:
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Chondroitin |
In combination with glucosamine, chondroitin supports cartilage repair and regeneration in your dog’s joints. |
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Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) |
As a natural anti-inflammatory, MSM reduces joint swelling in dogs, alleviating discomfort. |
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Hyaluronic Acid (available with TRI-ACTA H.A) |
This essential acid boosts the synovial fluid’s viscosity in your dog’s joints, enabling smoother and less painful movement. |
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Sometimes our pups are picky eaters, which can become an issue when you’re trying to give them essential supplements or medications. Bone broth, however, is very enticing for dogs because of its rich meaty flavour, so it’s a great tool to use to get your dog to easily consume a medication or supplement that they are otherwise reluctant to eat.
TRI-ACTA, for instance, is flavourless, which means that if you add it to bone broth, your pup won’t even know it’s there. They think they’re getting a delicious treat, you’re making sure they get their daily joint supplement, and you both win!
Nutrient-packed bone broth can support various aspects of a dog’s health, from bolstering the immune system to aiding digestion and joint health. However, while bone broth offers valuable nutrients, it’s important to understand that it shouldn’t be solely relied upon as a cure-all solution for specific health conditions.
Instead, bone broth for dogs should be viewed as a beneficial supplement alongside a well-rounded diet and targeted supplements like TRI-ACTA, which provides guaranteed therapeutic amounts of essential joint-supporting ingredients. Incorporating bone broth into a dog's diet can be a flavorful and nutritious enhancement, but it's most effective when combined with a holistic approach to canine health and wellness.
Purchase TRI-ACTA online or learn where to buy at a store near you.