What are the benefits of feeding bone broth?
Bone broth has lots of fantastic benefits as an extra in our dogs diet. here are some of the benefits listed below:
Supports digestive health
Soothes upset stomach
Supports joint health
Provides hydration & nutrients during illness
Boosts the immune system
Can help reduce allergy symptoms
Helps to detox the liver
Can help tempt fussy eaters
What bones can I use to make bone broth?
You can use any bones but those with connective tissue such as feet are best. Pigs trotters especially tend to make a very gelatinous broth. The bones you use can be added fresh or frozen, which you prefer as you are cooking the bones, not feeding them.
How do I make my own bone broth?
To make bone broth we recommend using a slow cooker to gently drawer out the goodness from the bones, however pressure cookers and stove top method can also be used.
Fill the pot with your chosen bones such as marrow bones, trotters, spines, feet. Any bones, fresh or frozen can be used but feet work best
Add water to just cover the bones, leaving about 2cm from the top of the pot.
Add 8-10 tablespoons of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar with The Mother to draw out the goodness.
⚠️ Add a pinch of black pepper to help reduce the smell of vinegar
Cook on high for 2 hours, then low for 36 hours (stove 12-18 hours, pressure cooker 2 hours, stir, then another 2 hours)
Strain the broth into a large container using a sieve or cheesecloth
⚠️ Never feed cooked bones, carefully discard of these always.
Some meat may be visible from the bones used. Some members do choose to feed this however if you do this is at your own risk as tiny pieces of bone may still be present.
Leave to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge for 24 hours to set.
A layer of fat will usually form, we suggest scraping this off as too much fay can cause weight gain or digestive upset, however you can also use this by freezing into small fat treats if your dog is not prone to pancreatic flare ups, or weight issues, should you wish to.
Use the remaining broth directly from the fridge within 7 days, or freeze into moulds or soup bags for better portioning.
Extra tips & how much to feed:
🐾 Add organic turmeric after cooking, for an additional boost to supporting joints and giving anti-inflammatory properties
🐾 Use different animal bones for different flavours
🐾 The gelatine in bone broth can help to plug the gaps made in the gut wall in dogs with leaky gut. Due to this we strongly advise using it daily from day one of transitioning to raw.
🐾 Bone broth feeding suggestions are usually 50-150mls daily however should your dog be unwell with a stomach bug you can of course give some extra broth to help aid recovery.
⚠️ Several options are available if you do not want to make your own, but it is critical you do not use supermarket broth as this often uses onion which is toxic to dogs. Safe brands are available from raw pet food suppliers.
If buying from high street pet food shops be aware that some include added ingredients that may cause reactions such as Tapioca Starch, we strongly recommend avoiding these varieties.
Where can I get bone broth from?
If you are UK based, pre-made dog safe bone broth like Alexander's Natural or Karnlea
Concerned about Histamine?
Use a method that Reduces Boiling Time: Using a cooking method that requires less time for boiling, such as a pressure cooker, can help lower the histamines released. It’s worth noting this fact is still disputed by some scientists
Use lower histamine proteins: Proteins such as Chicken, turkey and lamb generally have lower histamine so can help produce a lower histamine level bone broth. Use grass fed, or grass finished bones (Grass fed animals just graze on grass during the warmer months. Grass finished is fed on grass for the life of the animal, however this is rarer to find and more expensive.)
When it comes to food science, we look at the pros vs the cons, so at times despite a food being higher in histamine than we would like, the benefits of it outweighs the negatives of it.
This is true of bone broth.
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