Bone broth is all the rage these days — whether you’re simmering your own at home or buying your own “brodo” online, humans can’t slurp up enough for its purported health benefits. “It is a strong rejuvenating potion high in minerals, amino acids, glucosamine and many more valuable nutrients." “It can be served alone or mixed with meals.” Bone broth can be used to cook grains and vegetables, or rehydrate freeze-dried food.
What is Bone Broth?
So what’s is this all-powerful bone broth made of, exactly? Bone broth is a mineral-rich stock made by boiling bones along with (dog-friendly) herbs and spices for over a day. This makes it a nutrient-dense, extremely easy, tasty superfood for dogs.
What is the difference between bone broth and stock? Bone broth is cooked for a much longer time than stock (over a day as per the recipe below), either on the stove, in a slow cooker or an instant pot, to extract as much of the healthful collagen and minerals from the bones and connective tissues as possible. In bone broth, the bones should crumble at the end of the cooking process. Stock, on the other hand, cooks only for around 2 to 4 hours on the stove. If you want to speed up your bone broth cooking, you can cook it in 4 1/2 hours or so with an instant pot.
Benefits of Bone Broth for Dogs
Bone broth is incredibly healthy and filled to the brim with crucial nutrients that dogs need. Each serving of bone broth is loaded with easily absorbable, hydrating nutrients that provide the necessary building blocks to boost your dog’s overall health. A practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which relies on the healing powers of whole foods, Dr. Morgan provides a thorough guide on how to apply these principles to benefit your dog’s health in her book, Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs. The nutritional figures will vary depending on which kind of bone you use (turkey, beef, pork), whether it’s a marrow bone, and what other vegetables you add to the mix (providin