Bone Broth is rich in naturally occurring collagen, gelatin, glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin so you can see why it is beneficial to joint health and particularly useful for senior dogs.
It is very easy to digest and great as a nourishing pick me up for poorly dogs that are off their food. It is also full of flavor and will tempt even the fussiest eater.
Good bones to use are chicken & duck feet, ribs, chicken backs, beef or lamb ribs, chicken or duck necks, beef knuckles, pig trotter and ox tail. It must be noted that you are NOT going to feed the cooked bones to your dog, only the lovely broth and jelly that remains after the long cooking process.
If you add a marrow bone, remove any central marrow first or it will turn the broth very greasy. Cut off any excess skin or fat from the bones before adding to the pot, this is particularly important if you have a dog that is prone to pancreatitis.
You will need:
A slow cooker or heavy stock pot with a lid, which can be left on a low setting for many hours.
A collection of bones, a mixed variety will produce a better broth.
Enough water to cover the bones and a little set aside should levels drop too low
Apple cider vinegar (2-3 tablespoons) this helps leach the minerals out of the bones and into the broth
Optional small selection of vegetables, but not too much as we don’t want to dilute all the nutritious bone broth !
How to make:
Pre-heat your slow cooker on high for 15 minutes then turn down to its lowest setting. Add your selection of bones plus the water containing the cider vinegar. Place the lid on and leave on low for at least 24 hours although many people leave it for up to 36 hours.
After this time turn off the pot and when the broth has started to cool, thoroughly remove any cooked bones with a slotted spoon and make sure they are safely disposed of and out of the dog’s reach.
The resulting broth can be ladled or poured into suitable ice cube trays or pots and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days or frozen for later use.
**The cooked bones must be disposed of safely and never fed to your dog **.