4 Best Bone Broth for Dogs Choices (2024)

Dogs can catch diseases and fall sick if they are not taken care of properly. Prolonged negligence can also put them at risk of death. A dog’s immune system is not as strong as a human’s, so they need to be looked after carefully. They can suffer from low immunity, joint pain, lethargy, and weight loss, leading to death if left untreated. The bone broth for dogs is an excellent source of minerals and protein for your pet, but it can be tough to find the best one.

We’ve narrowed down the best bone broth for dogs to the following options, which are also low in allergens. Below you’ll find a list of the bone broths that offer a long shelf life and greater immunity provisions.

Before we nitpick the finest broths to inculcate in your dog’s diet, let’s look into the know-how of what bone broth is all about.

1. Beef Bone Broth with Bare Bones
2. Swanson Chicken Bone Broth
3. Kettle & Fire Chicken Bone Broth
4. Bonafede Provisions Beef Bone Broth

What is bone broth for dogs?

Bone broth is made by simmering chicken or beef bones & connective tissue for a long period. The longer you cook your bones, the more nutrients will be released into the broth. Bone broth is made from parts of an animal that would otherwise go to waste, such as the bones, skin, tendons, and ligaments. These ingredients are simmered together to create a nourishing and healthy food item.

You can enhance all dog meals by adding a cup of bone broth and giving your pet a tasty treat. Here is where you can find more information about bone broth for dogs

Benefits of bone broth for dogs

1. Strengthens The Bones

Collagen is useful for improving your dog’s skin and providing a shiny coat. Skin is supposed to be elastic, and collagen is what gives your dog’s skin its healthy elasticity. Collagen can be found in small amounts in a dog’s gut. It may contribute to recovering poor digestion and nutrient absorption.

Bones release collagen when boiled, and gelatin is formed when cooked. The protein can be found in various tissues, including skin, ligaments, tendons, bones, and cartilage. Collagen has also been shown to form a protective layer in the stomach and prevent inflammation in dogs.

2. Improves Health of the Liver

The liver can’t function at its full capacity without glycine. This amino acid is found in abundance in organic bone broth for dogs. Your dog’s liver has to process all of the bad stuff it comes in contact with. Whether it’s something you give your dog (e.g., flea medication) or something, your pup comes in contact with from the environment (ex herbicides, fertilizers). Bone broth contains glycine, which the liver uses to detox.

While this is true, it’s also important to keep in mind that many things we consume can positively affect your dog’s health only if they’re consumed at the right time and frequency. And consult a doctor before giving the broth.

3. Maintain the joints and recovers

Bone broth, packed with glycosaminoglycans and glucosamine, offers joint protection and promotes joint health. It contains chondroitin and hyaluronic acid, both of which are not digested, staying intact in your gut. A glycosaminoglycan is a type of carbohydrate that usually stimulates the production of collagen in the body. In joints, tendons, ligaments, and arteries, collagen can allow flexibility and elasticity to occur without breaking too easily.

One of the most well-known uses for chondroitin is to reduce pain from inflammation or arthritis, especially in older dogs or small breed dogs with luxating patella. Chondroitin also helps protect cartilage and prevent joint deterioration for large dog breeds. In addition to this, glucosamine and chondroitin preserve your dog’s skin & coat.

“Bone broth can also help an ill or injured cat or dog. For starters, it is quite hydrating. Bone broth also aids in the recovery of the GI system after an illness”,  says Dr. Cate, author of Deep Nutrition.

The Top 4 Store-Bought Bone Broth for Dogs

Below we’ll cover the top 4 store-bought bone broths for dogs. These products are considered the best bone broth recipes. They contain healthy ingredients to promote good joint health and an incredible taste to give your pup a great treat.

1. Beef Bone Broth with Bare Bones

We went back for a few more tastes of this “very palatable” bone broth, which had a thinner texture than expected but a “pleasant, well-rounded flavor.” It was surprisingly shelf-stable, having a 10-month use-by date from when we bought it. Beef bones, tomatoes, organic vegetables and herbs (onion, carrot, garlic, parsley, thyme), sea salt, bay leaves, and black pepper were among the ingredients, with any flavor being delicate and not overbearing.

2. Swanson Chicken Bone Broth

Swanson Bone Broth was a last-minute addition to the supermarket that caught us off guard. Swanson had more substance than a shelf-stable stock should have, as well as a hint of peppery black pepper. In addition, there is a decent chicken flavor that is a step up from the typical bouillon-y taste of a mass-produced stock. There is also a herbaceous note to it that will ensure your dog’s love for the broth.

3. Kettle & Fire Chicken Bone Broth

Swanson had more substance than a shelf-stable stock should have, as well as a hint of peppery black pepper. A decent chicken flavor is a step up from the typical bouillon-y taste of a mass-produced stock. There is also a herbaceous note to it that will ensure your dog’s love for the broth.

4. Bonafede Provisions Beef Bone Broth

This broth has a clean and light aroma—no touch of barnyard. It was a “certainly drinkable” soup, although it was “a bit bland” and needed additional seasoning. We thought this would be an excellent one to use for the furbabies.

How to Make Your Own Bone Broth for Dogs

But what if you want to keep your pup from the store-bought food essentials? Not to worry, we got your back! Now that you know the bone broth benefits for your dogs, you’re ready to make your homemade bone broth. We’ll show you how you can make bone broth for your dog in a step-by-step method so that you can also try it at home and feed your dogs the delicious homemade bone broth.

Step 1: Add Bones

Start by putting bones in a crockpot – raw or cooked bones. Prefer to choose bones with many joints in them, like chicken feet, to make sure there’s enough of the joint-protecting gelatin in the broth. We’ll also throw in some garlic for taste and health (and if you think garlic is dangerous for dogs, just leave it).

A conventional pot on the stove will suffice if you don’t have a crockpot. However, because it must cook overnight, we’d suggest you cook it in the crockpot. The best bones (whether raw or cooked bones) will be organic, grass-fed bones. Don’t scrimp on the bones, and feel free to use the cooked bones left from your meals. They’re perfect for making bone broth for dogs.

Step 2: Add Water and Vinegar

To make this broth, add enough water that not only covers the bones but floats above a few inches. As for the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, it is essential to make this broth because they provide that hidden flavor that sets your dish apart. It also extracts beneficial minerals from the bones. Pour three to four teaspoons of vinegar into the pot. Set your crockpot on high for an hour after adding the bones, water, and vinegar, then turn it down to low and let it simmer for 24 hours. You can simmer it for two or three days if you’re looking for a stronger flavor.

Step 3: Strain the Bones

Your healthy bone broth for dogs is ready. First, drain out the bones and flesh. These cooked bones should not be fed to dogs, so set them aside or discard them since the healthy and excellent components are already in the broth for the dogs.

Step 4: Let It Cool

After cooling the broth, put it in the fridge. In just a few hours, you’ll know if you’ve made a good batch. After coming out of the fridge, it will have a layer of fat on top that has hardened.

Curb this fat and toss it in the green bin. Underneath, you should see a layer of jelly. The jelly indicates there’s plenty of gelatin in the broth, which helps your dog with his joints & leaky gut. Gelatin can temporarily seal the gaps in your gut wall and help reduce allergic symptoms. The jelly-like texture is a sign that you mixed enough vinegar into it. If your broth doesn’t look like jello, don’t worry – just add more vinegar. Next time add a little more vinegar to your broth and salt to taste. It’ll be just fine!

Step 6: Store Your Broth

It’s best to keep a stock of bone broth in your freezer so you will always have some on hand for sick dogs. It’s extremely nourishing and therapeutic and can help them recover more quickly. In addition, you’ll want to make sure you’re well prepared with enough bone broth just in case something happens.

If you want to preserve the goodness of a crockpot dish, it needs to be taken out and stored in a jar. Therefore, it would be best if you also stored it properly.

Step 7: Give It to Your Dog!

The final (and greatest) step is to add the bone broth to your dog’s bowl. Take the bottle out of the fridge and pour a few spoonfuls over your dog’s huge dinner. Don’t overfeed them because it counts as food and not medicine. When you’d be in the kitchen cooking the healthy bone broth, your dogs would like to come in and hang around near you. That’s why making bone broth can be a more rewarding experience for you- it’s pretty simple, and your dogs will enjoy the taste too. So, what do you have to lose? Get to work in the kitchen!

If making homemade bone broth for dogs is difficult for you, purchase our highly recommended bone broths to make your life and your dog’s life easier.

Is Bone Broth for Dogs Safe?

This one is intriguing because it may be true. We should be warned and give pets food from a safe & clean environment so their meat and bones can grow healthy. Unfortunately, some animals are bred on poisoned terrain and consume the grass and grains cultivated in such areas.

When bones are cooked for 20+ hours, the bone broth can release toxicity.

Long cooking times lead to high levels of glutamic acid, an amino acid that can cause health problems. Slow cooker bone broth for dogs is an excellent choice because it gives the broth a deep, savory flavor while letting you slow cook it for up to 24 hours. As a bonus, this also increases the amount of glutamate. Therefore, it’s very important to know the right amount of bone broth to feed your pets for optimal health benefits.

If you’re concerned about this, we recommend using a pressure cooker to make your bone broth (cooking time is 4 hours) or purchasing bone broth from a firm using sustainably produced and sustainable ingredients.

Is Bone Broth Good for the Dog’s Digestion?

The ultimate advantage of bone broth for dogs is improved digestion. Gut health is essential for proper digestion. Your dog’s gut lining may get damaged from eating things not intended for dogs. You know the random things they find in the park that they shouldn’t be eating. Dogs eat ALL types of things, many of which you may find out when you’d go to pick up his poop the next day.

If you feed your dog certain foods, their gut lining can be inflamed. This inflammation gradually breaks down their stomach lining and digestive tract, which leads to poor digestion that dogs often suffer from. Anyone who’s had a dog with digestive issues knows that it’s not pleasant. The bone broth for dogs contains two key amino acids that can be great for your dog’s digestive system. It will decrease inflammation and help with tissue regrowth.

These amino acids are glycine and proline. Glycine, in particular, is needed for your dog’s digestive system to build new connective tissues. A happy dog implies better digestion! Glycine, in turn, is used to treat ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and inflammatory bowel disease, among other conditions. It is a powerful substance that accounts for about one-third of gelatinous bone broth for dogs.

Is bone broth for dogs a Superfood?

Yes! It’s easy and affordable to prepare at home, has a lot of nutrients, and tastes great. However, contact your veterinarian before adding broth or any other new ingredient to your dog’s diet.

Because many dogs are sensitive to new foods, a veterinarian can advise you on the best approach to include bone broth into your pet’s diet. Bone broth is recognized as a superfood because it allows minerals and proteins to be removed from the bones that comprise the soup’s foundation. Collagen, which gives the bone broth for dogs its jelly-like viscosity, is one of these ingredients.

Is Bone Broth for Dogs Good with Upset Stomach?

Bone broth is a light, watery meal that sits well in the stomachs of unhappy dogs. It is also healthy and tasty. It encourages dogs with low appetites to eat by adding moisture and flavor to dry food.

Top 3 Misconceptions about bone broth for dogs

Including bone broth in your dog’s meals is a great way to transfer healthy nutrients, like amino acids and minerals, to its body. But there are certain myths about bone broth for dogs that need to bust.

Let’s take a look at them.

1. Any Old Meat or Vegetable Stock Will Do

Only give your dog bone broth that has been carefully made and has no additives or flavor enhancers. For example, store-bought chicken and beef stock are frequently high in salt, which can cause your dog to gain weight and have digestive problems. In addition, the stock is frequently produced using vegetables that are harmful to dogs, such as onions and garlic. Pawsitively, Pure’s bone broth is carefully prepared for dogs and contains nothing but good nourishment.

2. Cooking Bones Destroys All Nutrition

Several vitamins and minerals are sensitive to heat, and cooking can dissolve some of them. On the other hand, bone broth for dogs is packed with nutrients that can be given to a dog’s system in a fraction of the time it would take them to chew up a whole raw bone. Bone broth is high in amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, making it a nutritious powerhouse.

3. “It will be impossible to get my picky dog to try bone broth.”

The amazing and convenient thing about bone broth is that you can add it to your dog’s regular meal as an extra tasty treat. Bone broth mixes well with dry food and wet food alike and can encourage your dog to eat if they don’t seem to want to.

Give it a try – warm up a little bone broth in a bowl and serve it to your dog at their next mealtime. We bet it won’t take much encouragement for them to try at least a few slurps. Bone broth is such a versatile nutritional supplement that adding it to just about every dog’s diet makes sense. So whether you give it to them on its own, use it as a topping for their food, or even freeze it as a cold treat in a Kong toy, bone broth is a delicious and nutritious way to keep your dog healthy.

Is Bone Broth for Dogs a Savior?

With bone broth, your pet is hydrated, and their gut microbiome is balanced. The gut microbiome aids the immune system to fight off dangerous bacteria entering the body.

You can encourage the gut lining to be suitable for good bacteria by feeding your pet a high-quality bone broth. Bacteria can be found in your bladder, and they help prevent full-blown yeast infections. Bacteria also protects against dangerous bacteria and even creates trace amounts of vitamins such as B Complex, and K. Urinary crystals can be reduced with moisture.

One of the best things you can do for your pet after surgery is feed them bone broth. It’s advised by vets and is highly nutritious and filling for them. This food is not only delicious but will also improve your dog’s health. This is because it can be used as a supplement to your regular diet, which makes it the perfect solution for what you need for your dog.

Bone Broth for Dogs to Support the Joint Health of Your Dog

Now,  you know ALL the bone broth benefits. So then, what would you choose to manage your dog’s joint health? A homemade bone broth, or will you prefer a store-manufactured bone broth? No matter which option you choose to strengthen your pup’s joint health, your dog is surely going to enjoy the yum flavor of the bone broth.

Giving your dog something healthy to slurp and nourishing his joints is like hitting two goals with one bone broth.