Just the name suggests, making bone broth involves gently simmering animal bones in water for a good amount of time. During this process the collagen breaks down in the connective tissue and infuses the liquid with important health boosting nutrients like minerals, vitamins, collagen and amino acids.

Bone broth is a great addition to your dog or cats’ diet, it’s 100% natural and has many health benefits, especially supportive for their digestive health, joint health and immune system.

With its rich, meaty flavour it’s a firm favourite for many dogs and cats along with its amazing health benefits!

Incorporating bone broth into your dogs or cats’ diet is really easy and simple. You don’t have to make it entirely from scratch if you don’t feel you would like to but there are many dog/cat friendly recipes out there if you wish to have a go. You can buy frozen or dehydrated broths that are good quality & natural options for your animal friends.

 


Here I’ll list some of the main health benefits of bone broth:

 

Joint health – bone broth is packed with joint protecting compounds like glucosamine, chondroitin and hyaluronic acid, which are well known for their ability to take care of joints and maintain elasticity. It’s rich in proteins that are vital for health and these proteins can particularly reduce inflammation in the joints & ligaments. All these elements in the bone broth are in their pure state and it’s like a natural supplement for your furry friend.

Digestion and gut health – stress, poor diet and bacterial overgrowth can all promote the onset of a condition called leaky gut, which can lead to a whole lot of other health problems. But bone broth is full of gut loving substances like glycine and proline, which are amazing for creating a healthy gut environment and aid in repairing any damage to the gut lining. It can help maintain good gut function and reduce any digestive inflammation.

Skin and coat health – bone broth is rich in collagen, which is crucial for skin elasticity and hydration, and contains amino acids that help promote a healthy gut which indirectly supports skin health.

Sick animals or a weakened immune system – bone broth is a great option for sick or elderly animals and animals who have a weakened immune system, especially with its high concentration of gelatine and essential minerals. It’s gentle on the stomach and is like a natural, nourishing supplement, also great for re-hydration.

TCM perspective – From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective bone broth is deeply nourishing for the body, boosts Qi (Qi is the energy/life force within the body), and is a highly nourishing for the kidneys.

 

 

Here are some simple ways to incorporate Bone broth into your dog or cats’ diet:

  • You could simply just offer it to them in a small bowl and see if they wish to drink it (my favourite way as they have choice to select the exact amount they require).
  • You could add some onto their normal food as a tasty addition.
  • This is totally optional, but you could add some nutritious extras to your broth such as veggies, herbs or even some medicinal mushrooms, these can make it even more nutritious and yummy. Simply add while it’s still hot, let them soften and serve when its cool.
  • For dogs you can spread some onto a licky mat, for a calming activity.

 

 

Where can I Buy Good Quality Bone Broth for my Animal?

Making sure you are buying a good quality, natural bone broth is really important as some broths out there aren’t actually real broths and have added synthetic ingredients, these can actually do more harm than good for your animal friend. I personally like to use dehydrated broths from Boil and Broth these are a really great option because you can just re-hydrate the desired amount each time you wish to give the broth to your dog or cat. This is a brand who provide good quality, 100% natural dehydrated broths for cats and dogs and their broths are trusted by a holistic vet.

*Important – Make sure when you are purchasing bone broth that it’s a pet friendly broth and not one intended for humans as the human ones tend to have added ingredients such as salt.

 

 

Overall, in my personal opinion, bone broth is such a highly nutritious addition to any diet and can offer a variety of benefits, there’s not many reasons why not to feed it!

 

Looking for tailored advice around your animal’s nutrition or digestive health?

I am here to help! Great in touch today to discuss further or take a look through the services I offer and choose the right one for you and your animal companion.

 

By Felicity Stenson | Earthly Animal Healing