Supercharge Your Pet’s Nutrition with Bone Broth
Ever thought of supercharging your pet's diet with a nutritional powerhouse? Enter bone broth - a human superfood that’s perfect for your pets too! This nourishing liquid offers a smorgasbord of health benefits to your furry friends.
So, why is bone broth a super addition to your pet's menu? Much like us, our pets need an array of nutrients for long and healthy lives. Bone broth is a nutrient-rich broth brimming with goodies like amino acids, collagen, gelatin, and trace minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. It's a healthful addition to your pet's diet, especially when their usual food may not be delivering all the nutrients they require.
Utilising bone broth can supplement gaps in your pet's nutrition and help them tackle common health issues like joint pain, dehydration, upset stomach, and allergies.
What exactly is bone broth, you ask? And is it safe for pets?
Bone broth is a nutrient-dense stock made by simmering animal parts like bones, marrow, skin, and feet, along with vinegar, herbs, and vegetables over one to two days. It’s teeming with healing compounds released during slow simmering. All types of bone broth—be it beef, chicken, fish, or lamb—have been traditional dietary staples across cultures. They're nutrient-rich, easy to digest, inexpensive to make, and a smart way to use the often-discarded animal parts.
So, let's talk about bone broth benefits for your pets.
An Excellent Source of Essential Minerals
Bone broths contain essential minerals that your pet's body can effortlessly absorb. These include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, and more. If your pet usually eats dried, packaged food, it might be missing out on these vital minerals. Adding bone broth to your pet's meals can boost its intake of these essential nutrients.
Bone broth can also encourage your pet to drink more water, ensuring good hydration. If your pet is unwell and not eating much, the inviting aroma of bone broth might help them eat and stay nourished. I’ve never heard of a dog that can’t resist this tempting brew.
Joints' Best Friend
Bone broth is a natural source of glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid - compounds that help maintain joint elasticity, strength, and flexibility. It's also rich in collagen/gelatin, a protein that helps form connective tissues. Collagen can aid in repairing tissues around your pet’s joints, resulting in smoother movement and reduced pain.
Suffering from arthritis? Bone broth can help. The naturally occurring chondroitin and glucosamine in bone broth are known to reduce inflammation, arthritis, and joint pain.
Stomach-Soothing and Gut-Boosting
Thanks to the amino acids glycine and proline, bone broth can aid digestion, reduce inflammation, and help mend leaky gut syndrome by repairing the tissues lining the colon and gastrointestinal tract.
Bone broth also contains glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) including glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin sulfate that help restore the intestinal lining and fight leaky gut.
Immunity Boost
The amino acids in bone broth have been shown to reduce inflammation in the respiratory system and enhance the immune system's ability to combat conditions like allergies, asthma, and arthritis. Bone broth may also aid detoxification and help your pet deal with environmental pollutants. Some pet owners also use bone broth to alleviate symptoms of diseases like cancer, pancreatitis, and kidney disease.
Allergen-Free Goodness
Bone broth is a great addition to your pet's meals. It's free from common allergens like dairy, gluten and grains, making it easy to digest. If your pet is allergic to fish, opt for chicken or beef bone broth instead.
Wondering how much bone broth your dog should have?
Start at lower amounts and build up to the below, as nutrient-dense broth may require a week to build up tolerance.
Amount:
X-Small dogs - 1 tbs
Small dogs – 1/8 cup
Medium size dogs – ¼ cup
Large dogs – 1/3 to ½ cup
Giant - 1-2 cups a day
You can either chill the broth and place it in their water bowl or mix it into their meal.
Where and How to Use Bone Broth:
Not all store-bought "stocks" and "broths" are genuine bone broths. Many manufacturers use lab-produced meat flavours and market them as "bone broth," but they lack the benefits of real, homemade broth. The best bone broths are homemade, but if you're short on time, bone broth powder for dogs or humans is a great alternative.
When buying bone broth for pets, look for ones made with straightforward ingredients sourced from pasture-fed animals free of antibiotics and hormones. If possible, choose broths made with both vegetables and bones for added benefits. For instance, broths with celery, fennel, and carrots can further aid digestion and soothe upset stomachs. NEVER buy bone broth containing onion, as this ingredient is toxic to dogs.
How can you use bone broth in your pet's food? Add some to their dried or moist food for extra moisture and nutrients. You can also give them chilled broth when they're dehydrated or sick to keep them hydrated. For easier feeding, freeze prepared broth in small containers or ice cube trays. Remember to discard the layer of fat after making your bone broth, as it contains rancid fats and can be harmful to your pets.
Bone Broth Recipes:
If you're up for a little kitchen adventure, there are various types of bone broths - chicken, beef, fish - that you can make for your pets and yourself. Essential ingredients for a classic broth recipe are bones, fat, acid/vinegar, water, meat, and vegetables. To extract minerals from the bones more efficiently, use a bit of acid, like raw apple cider vinegar.
Here's a quick rundown on how to make bone broth for your pets and yourself:
Place bones in a large stock pot or slow cooker, cover with water, and add two tablespoons of acid/apple cider vinegar. Tip: I use my slow cooker and place it outside for 24 hours as the smell is strong and can take over your entire house.
Fill the pot with water, leaving room for boiling.
Cook slow and low for 24 hours for chicken bones, and 48 hours for beef bones.
Add a cup of vegetables for extra nutrients. (Try red cabbage, garlic, carrot, Brussel sprouts, shitake mushrooms, turmeric, ginger, parsley)
After cooking, strain the liquid to remove all the bones and cool. I place it in the fridge overnight so the layer of fat will harden on top. Discard this layer before serving.
Store your broth in the fridge for up to four days, or freeze for later use.
Final Thoughts:
Yes, your pets can safely enjoy bone broth! It's a nutrient-dense, hydrating, inexpensive food supplement that offers numerous health benefits. It's rich in essential minerals and amino acids, aids digestion, supports the immune system, and is gluten/dairy-free, making it a great option for pets with allergies.
If making homemade bone broth seems too time-consuming, opt for high-quality, store-bought, or powdered versions. The best broths are made with organic, grass-fed animal parts and contain an acid, vegetables, and herbs.
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