Giving your dog bone broth has huge health benefits.

Bone broth for dogs can not only help to support their gut & joints but will aid in supporting their overall immunity.
From puppies to the elderly, it will benefit them incredibly.
Bone broth is high in nutritional content and very palatable even for the fussiest of pooches. Packed to the brim with minerals & vitamins, a great source of collagen, glycerine & glucosamine.

Its super good for regaining your dog’s appetite should they lose it.
Also great for the fussy eater. We all know those times when our dogs haven’t eaten for a day or two, such a concern. Whilst dogs can go a day or two not eating they still need hydration and by giving some bone broth this is exactly what they’ll get, hydration with nutritional benefits. 

Obviously if your dog is off colour and hasn’t eaten for a day or two then it’s important to see your vet. 

 

Benefits for gut health
The nutrients found in bone broth can lessen the chances of your dog having leaky gut syndrome.
Leaky gut syndrome is where there are millions of microscopic holes in your dog’s gut lining which allow digested foods to enter, but these holes can become too big due to the increase of bad bacteria or being in a constant state of stress & anxiety, poor diet, and age & overall health. This is given the name leaky gut.
If these holes are larger than they should be, this will allow things through that shouldn’t such as toxins or undigested foods. This can then result in your dog showing an allergy or food sensitivity.

Nutritious Bone Broth
The reason that bone broth is so clever at plugging these larger holes is the fact it contains a lot of gelatine, a natural ingredient that is produced when collagen is cooked.
It can help to reverse leaky gut.

 

Bone Broth supports your dog’s Joints Bone broth is loaded with glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid. This helps to promote collagen growth.
Collagen acts as a cushion between those joints & around ligaments & tendons.
Dogs who have joint pain are found to have less collagen and are often in pain and discomfort.

 

Skin & Coat 
It adds collagen naturally for the skin, feeding the skin which then improves the dogs coat.

Bone broth helps to detox the liver.
It contains high levels of an amino acid called glycine.
Glycine helps the liver to perform its main duties, filtering out toxins from the body.
Always good to feed after your dogs had any medications or treatments.

Easy On the Tummy
Bone broth is so gentle on the tummy that it’s ideal for those dogs with a sensitive tum or if your dog’s had surgery. It’s also useful for those dogs who’ve had a bout of sickness & diarrhea.
It’s incredibly useful to feed your dog to gain their appetite back if they’ve gone off their main meals due to illness.
If you feed dry kibble food then bone broth is very good for keeping your dog hydrated.

Alongside feeding your dog bone broth it’s a good idea to also give them a quality probiotic made by Kiki, this is a product stocked by us at Nellies Nibbles Dog Larder.  It’s soil-based and has been shown to survive in the gut longer.

How to make your own dog bone broth

Making your own bone broth can be a little time-consuming and you may need to freeze it into ice cube trays as it sadly doesn’t keep all that long in your fridge.

The reason we cook bone broth for a longer is to enable all the extraction of collagen and minerals

If you’re short on time, our online shop offers a ready-made option. Simply add water, and voilà! Ready-made bone broth. 

 

If you know your dog doesn’t have any food sensitivities, then choose either chicken or duck carcass/wings/feet/necks as a starter. Turkey Necks are also great. 
You can at a later date use lamb ribs to add another protein. 
Always make sure you choose a protein that your dog hasn’t any sensitivities to.
Always choose free range.  
I often use a chicken carcass left from my Sunday roasts. 

Get yourself a slow cooker, it’s safer and cheaper to use.

 

To make a slow cooker batch you will need 3-4 wings/necks.
Add in enough water to just cover the surface of the portions.
The next ingredient is optional, apple cider vinegar with mother this helps to extract all the nutrients from the marrow & connective tissue and bone.
I stock a very local to me award-winning apple cider vinegar, so if you’re unsure where to purchase why not try ours. Ostlers Apple Cider vinegar
You will need 100 ml est. If you have a fussy dog, then it may pay to leave apple cider vinegar off as it can make the bone broth smell quite strong. 

 

Again optional, you can add some fresh herbs such as parsley, chopped celery & even mushrooms.

Place everything in the slow cooker & cook on low heat for 12-24 hours

Once cooked, allow it to cool thoroughly, and then remove all cooked bones into a bin.
*NEVER give cooked bones to your dog, they can cause gut blockage.

If you feel you need to use a hand blender to blend any lumpy liquid, then this is fine.

Now pop it into the fridge & leave for a few hours. You may notice a thin layer of fat has formed on the top, always skim this off and discard it in your kitchen bin.

Your bone broth is now ready to start giving to your dog.

Always store in the fridge, usually keeps for up to 4-5 days but you can also pour into an ice cube tray & freeze.
Once frozen you can then pop out your portions as and when needed. It will keep this way anything up to a year.

 

How much should you feed?

I would start off with small amounts. Try a dessert spoon at first and gradually build on this, if it’s suiting your dog then you can increase. 
It is also dependent on the size of your dog too.
My dogs are 17 and 19 kg and they now have a dessert spoon 3-4 times per week, but I’ve built up to this amount over a couple of weeks.

If you don’t have time to make your own bone broth

There is various dried powdered form bone broth on the market. These are revolutionary for busy pet parents.
You just simply add water to these and they rehydrate into a nourishing, nutrient-dense liquid.

Give a go, your dog will absolutely love it!