Over the last few weeks I have been sharing some of the boy’s raw DIY meals. With one ingredient which I add daily.
Bone Broth
You may have heard of bone broth, use it for yourself or your dog already. Maybe you don’t know the benefits of adding bone broth to your dog’s diet? Bone broth can be used for kibble, wet and raw fed dogs.
Firstly you may think what is bone broth?
Bone broth is liquid which contains lots of natural nutrients that are extracted from bones. Bone Broth is an excellent supplement for dogs of all ages, all sizes and for all different diet types Bone broth is rich in natural proteins, minerals and amino acids.
Protein
Needed for your dog’s coat and to aid digestion and a strong immune system.
Collagen – Responsible for the level of elasticity in joints, tendons, cartilage, skin, and ligaments. As your dog gets older their capacity for collagen production weakens, which can cause injuries and decreased mobility.
Minerals
Calcium – Helps with teeth and bones, blood clots and relaxes the heart muscles
Vitamin D3 a very needed vitamin for your dog. Whilst dog’s cannot absorb Vitamin D from the sun like us humans and the Vitamin D2 found from plant based foods, is harder for your dog to digest, Vitamin D3 which is found in animal products plays an indirect role in bone health by managing calcium levels in the body. Controlling absorption of calcium in the intestine and the amount of calcium excreted by the kidneys. If Vitamin D levels are low, then the intestines struggle to absorb calcium.
Amino acids
Needed to maintain proper organ function (Heart, Liver, Kidney & Other Organs)
Glucosamine – Found in animal cartilage which helps your dog to produce new cartilage to help maintain and repair their own.
Chondroitin – Helps to fight the breakdown of cartilage in your dog’s joints.
How you can feed bone broth
Bone broth can be bought in premade packs, either in pouches or in paw print shapes. We already stock the pouch version, which is easy to decant into your own ice cube trays and then use at your leisure. Broth can be refrozen, if needed.
The pre-made packs vary in price but can be £3.25-£3.50ish for 175g worth of broth. The pouches are a lot more cost effective ranging from £6.50-£8.00 for 500ml.
You can also make bone broth very easily yourself. With a mix of bones you can then cook these using the below steps to achieve a perfect nutritious broth. Lots of people have been asking for my method over the first few weeks.
Ingredients
This can be cooked in a slow cooker, oven dish or a pressure cooker. We always opt for the slow cooker.
Bones – can be any bone, ideally raw but cooked bones after sunday dinner also work. Chicken feet/duck feet are a good addition for glucosamine and chondroitin. We use bones which are too hard for dogs to consume in their normal daily eating to avoid waste. We also sell specific broth bones very cheap for this use(Goat, Venison, Veal, Lamb, Some of the bones which cannot be fed from MVM’s 5kg Mixed Bones are also really good for broth ) . You will need enough to fill the pan you use.
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) or lemon juice around – 4 tbsp
Water- Enough to cover the bones, if you can fill to the top, then you will make more of the broth.
Optional extras – Garlic, Turmeric, Parsley.
The Easy Step by Step
Fill the pot with the ingredients.
Cook the mix for 24-48 hours.
Remove the cooked bones from the liquid, the mix will be hot be careful. Disgard the bones, but if there was any meat on the bones, this can be saved and fed as a treat.
Leave the liquid to cool for a few hours.
Once cool there will be a layer of fat on the top, scrape this off and discard. The underneath should be forming a jelly-like consistency. This is all the natural gelatine which has been stripped from the bones. If your broth is not like jelly, it could still be too warm, or may just need extra ACV in the mix next time. . It’s still full of goodness and can be used. Each batch will be different, depending on which bones you use.
Cooking for the length of time will still extract the nutrients for your dog and therefore your pet will still get all the benefits.
Portion and refrigerate or freeze. When refrigerated it should last 4 or 5 days. You cannot over feed broth, so if you find you need to use it up quicker, add an extra spoon 🙂
most people think the more jelly like texture the broth has the better it is and that’s not the case at all, gelatine in the broth is still there no matter if it goes all wobbly or not as it depends a lot on temperatures, to cold and it crystallises, to worm and it thins out and again we have to remember each batch is different and yours will certainly be different than everyone else’s, as long as you stick to the cooking and temperature times the gelatine will be there and your pet will still get all the benefits.
Benefits of feeding bone broth
Helps maintain healthy gut
Supports immune system
Natural joint aid
Mineral and nutrient rich
Arthritic support
Gelatine is one of the best proteins known to completely fix leaky gut syndrome.
Supporting growing puppies
Helps with supporting liver function
Natural anti-inflamortary
Increases the fluid intake for your dog.
Reduces allergies
Improves bone density
High in healthy yeasts, which reduce/fight the bad yeasts.
Feeding guidelines
Recommended feeding is 100ml per day-3 heaped teaspoons.
The broth can be added to food or fed separately as a treat.
You can’t overfeed bone broth so don’t worry about counting the exact amount.
Bone broth is a really great addition for dogs in recovery, with a lack of appitite, or dehyrated.
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