Prior to moving to Northern Idaho, I used bone broth when my dogs were sick or coming out of a surgery. Our first winter here, I noticed that the dogs did not seem to drink enough water on a daily basis. I started serving them warm bone broth every morning to get through the chill of winter. Since my adult dogs only eat one meal a day, in the evening, I now give them each a cup of bone broth along with one egg every morning.
The benefits of bone broth are many. It’s not just for occasional use, but a great addition as a regular part of your dogs diet. It assists in:
Joint health - it is a great source of collagens and glucosamine
Detox for the Liver - no matter how hard we try, our dogs are still exposed to toxins more often than we think. Grass, carpet, vaccines and much more
Gut health - bone broth is full of gelatin which assists the gut in digestion. It is especially good for dogs with leaky gut syndrome.
Dogs that are ill or coming out of anesthesia. Bone broth is just plain ole’ good stuff!
My recipe is loose and varies with each batch, be creative!
Bones - at least one large marrow or joint bone. In addition to that, feet are great along with any other bones you have (they can even been from your cooked meals).
Veggies: Celery, Carrots, Garlic, Herbs (there is a link below that has some herbal suggestions)
Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice - this is important as it draws out the minerals in the bones
Cook at a low temp for a long period of time. I go 24-48 hours.
In the slow cooker above, you see a hog head and a few hog knee joints that I picked up free from the local butcher shop; carrots, kale, parsley, oregano all from my garden, celery, and an apple (because I didn’t finish eating it). ACV was added in the amount of 3/4 cup. When it’s done cooking, I strain it, toss all the ‘stuff’ and chill the liquid. The next morning, skim off the fat on the top and you are good to go!