Bone broth is all the rage lately, with people touting its health benefits. But can dogs have bone broth? Let’s take a closer look at this trendy dish to see if it’s safe for our furry friends.
Yes, bone broth can be fed to dogs. It is a great source of nutrients and can help to improve their digestion, oral health, coat condition, and more. However, it is important to make sure that the broth is not too salty or fatty, as this can cause health problems for your dog.
Let’s discuss some of those benefits and how to make bone broth for your dog.
Can Dogs Have Bone Broth?
There is some debate on whether or not bone broth is safe for dogs, as it can contain high levels of sodium and other minerals. However, many dog owners feed their pets bone broth without any problems. If you choose to give your dog bone broth, make sure to watch for any signs of gastrointestinal distress, such as vomiting or diarrhea.
So yes, it’s okay for dogs to have bone broth. Other than keeping your pup warm when the weather cools down, there are lots of essential vitamins, proteins, and minerals your dog will get from that bowl of hot soup.
Just make sure it’s not the only thing they’re eating and keep an eye out for any adverse reactions.
As with anything new, start slowly by giving your dog only a small amount of bone broth at first. You can gradually increase the amount you give them as you observe how they respond. Some dogs may have sensitive stomachs and may need to take probiotics or digestive enzymes along with their bone broth.
Is Bone Broth Bad For Dogs?
No, bone broth is usually not bad for dogs. Since the mild flavor liquid is low in dog allergens, it interacts gently with your dog’s tummy. Nevertheless, as with any other food, begin with small amounts and gradually increase the quantity to the recommended level.
Giving your dog plenty of bone broth the first time can trigger a reaction in the stomach. Well, it is the first time you are offering it to your canine, so it is foreign to their digestive systems, and that’s enough reason to cause gastrointestinal issues.
As such, you should have slowly introduced bone broth to your dog’s diet for its digestive system to get used to. Start with an amount small enough not to trigger stomach upset or any other issue in your canine. Then, slowly increase the amount until you finally get to the recommended limit.
What Are The Benefits Of Bone Broth For Dogs?
Some of the benefits of bone broth for dogs include improving gut health, boosting appetite, promoting healthy skin, strengthening the immune system, and others.
For gut health, bone broth contains glutamine, a very promising essential amino acid in preventing digestive issues. This amino acid helps with conditions such as pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), canine parvovirus, and others, all known to cause gastrointestinal issues in dogs.
In addition, bone broth is long-known to boost appetite in dogs. If you have a picky eater, sick dog, or a canine recovering from an illness, it’s more likely that they are struggling with appetite. Drizzling a small amount of this broth over their food will go a long way to stimulating the appetite.
Still, it’s worth noting that bone broth is rich in gelatin and collagen. These two elements are closely related, but they aren’t the same. Gelatin contains proteins and amino acids that help the dog’s body build more collagen.
On the other hand, collagen maintains a healthy coat and keeps your dog’s skin hydrated! So yes, if your dog’s coat looks unhealthy, bone broth is what you need to add to your dog’s diet.
In terms of boosting the immune system, bone broth has everything your dog’s body needs to hunt down pathogenic cells. Other than the earlier-mentioned glutamine, this nutrient-packed food contains glycine and arginine, all essential for improving immunity.
As such, if you are getting tired of frequent trips to the vet, all it may take is to make bone broth your dog’s best friend.
Does Bone Broth Help Dogs Joints?
Yes, bone broth will help the dog’s joints. That seemingly mild liquid you’ve been simmering for the last 24 hours is loaded with glycosaminoglycans such as glucosamine, a compound that helps keep up the health of your dog’s cartilage.
Before we proceed, let’s do a recap on dog anatomy for your understanding. Similar to humans, your canine has cartilages, a type of connective tissue found between joints. This type of tissue gives shape to all others, although they also help to cushion the joints.
Now, one thing about cartilages is that they naturally wear down with age. That explains why it’s likely to see senior dogs suffering from joint issues, and that’s where glucosamine now comes in. The glucosamine your dog gets from bone broth is a surefire way to protect their cartilages and keep their condition up to par.
But glucosamine isn’t the only compound in bone broth that goes into improving your dog’s joint health; the soup also contains hyaluronic acid and chondroitin, also imperative for promoting joint health.
How Much Bone Broth Can I Give My Dog?
How much bone broth you can give your dog will depend on their weight. The standard serving size is an ounce of broth for every 10 lbs of your dog’s body weight.
Applying that criteria, a small dog breed like Chihuahua weighing 20 lbs will need 2 oz of broth, while extra-large dog breeds like Rottweiler weighing 100 lbs need 10 oz of bone broth serving.
But again, as we’ve already stated, you can’t give your dog all that much the first time. You have to ensure that bone broth agrees with your dog’s digestive system. In other words, begin by giving your dog small quantities of bone broth.
If you are not sure of the amount, to begin with, it will be wise to first consult the vet. When all goes well the first time, you can then consider increasing the amount you give to your dog. Only ensure that you don’t exceed the recommended limit.
Now that you know how much you can give to your dog, it’s absolute that you also need information on what bone broth works best for your canine. We still have that coming in our coverage, but before we get there, let’s take a quick look at something equally essential!
Can Dogs Eat Bone Broth Every Day?
Yes, dogs can eat bone broth every day. Unlike some foods, bone broth is low in calories, meaning that it won’t make your dog overweight when they take it day in day out.
But again, that doesn’t come without precautions – you have to always feed your pooch within the set limits all the time.
While bone broth contains a plethora of essential nutrients, it doesn’t offer everything your dog needs for healthy growth. As such, giving your dog too much bone broth means they will have an excess of some nutrients at the expense of other essential ones.
The low-calorie liquid increases the feeling of fullness, and hence, dogs who drink bone broth will be less inclined to eat as much as dogs that don’t. That makes it very likely that your pup won’t get some nutrients they would otherwise have from other foods.
What Kind Of Bone Broth Can I Give My Dog?
You can give your dog beef bone broth or chicken bone broth. They all have different trace elements that combine to benefit your dog in many ways. Just be sure that you keep the quantities in check and that it’s not too hot for your furry friend.
Your pup may prefer one type of broth over the other, but either will provide them with the minerals and nutrients that their bodies need. You can even opt to alternate between the two, especially when your dog seems to love them both. In fact, operating with these two kinds means your canine will reap maximum benefits from both.
Can Dogs Have Store-Bought Bone Broth?
Yes, dogs have store-bought bone broth. But before you give your dog any kind of bone broth, it is prudent to consider some aspects. For instance, ensure that it only contains natural and healthy ingredients.
Commercial bone broths can contain things like preservatives and salts, which can all be dangerous to your lovely Fido. For the safety of your canine, it’s always good to ensure that you check what goes into a bone broth before you buy it.
In addition, the store-bought bone broth you get for your pup should be from a non-contaminated source. The slightest contamination is all it takes to put the life of your dog on the line. So yes, first confirm that what you offer to your dog doesn’t contain any toxins.
And let’s be honest here, it’s not easy for one to tell whether all the ingredients in a commercial broth are healthy and uncontaminated. For that reason, if you can, prepare the bone broth from your home kitchen.
Bone broths are easy and inexpensive to prepare. Actually, you don’t need to be a professional chef to make one. Only remember to mix the water with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
Apple cider vinegar will help in extracting the beneficial nutrients from the bones. Simmering can go for as long as 24 hours for chicken broths and 48 hours for beef bones, although 8 hours are enough to have all the nutrients in the broth.
Is Bone Broth The Same As Beef Broth?
No, bone broth and beef broths are not the same. Bone broth can be made with beef bones or animal bones. Beef broths on the other hand contain beef chunks, vegetables, and seasonings to enhance flavors.
That means beef broths are rich in collagen and gelatin. On the other hand, since beef broth contains chunks of beef, they have a high protein content. Generally, beef broth is best for soups and casseroles where you would want the beef flavor but not actual pieces of meat.
