06/17/2019
Bone Broth for Dogs & Other Pets: Top 5 Benefits & How to Make Your Own
By Jillian Levy, CHHC
October 2, 2018
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Bone broth for dogs and other pets - Dr. Axe
If you’re concerned about your pet’s nutrition, consider that one of the most popular “superfoods” for humans right now — bone broth — can also make a great addition to your dog’s or pet’s diet. That’s right, bone broth for dogs and other pets can provide many of the same benefits to your four-legged friends as it can for humans.
Why is bone broth healthy for dogs and other pets? Just like with humans, pets need to obtain certain nutrients from their diets in order to live long, vibrant lives. There are dozens of different nutrients found within bone broth — for example, amino acids like glycine, collagen, gelatin, and trace minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium. Many of these nutrients can’t be obtained easily from other foods, especially highly processed dog and pet formulas that are made with hardly any real “food” at all.
Bone broth can be used to fill in gaps in your pet’s diet and help them deal with common health challenges, like joint aches, dehydration, diarrhea, an upset stomach and allergies.
What Is Bone Broth? Can My Pet Take Bone Broth?
Bone broth is a nutrient-dense stock that is made from simmered stock over a period of one to two days using animal parts — like bones and marrow, skin and feet, tendons and ligaments — plus an acid (like vinegar), herbs and vegetables. The animal parts used to make traditional broth usually come from beef/cattle, chickens, pig and fish. This slow simmering causes the bones and other parts to release a number of healing compounds, like collagen, amino acids (especially proline, glycine, arginine and glutamine), glucosamine, trace minerals and more.
All bone broths — beef, chicken, fish, lamb and more — have been staples in traditional diets of just about every culture living around the world for thousands of years. Why? Because bone broths are nutrient-dense, easy to digest, rich in flavor, inexpensive to make, and a great use of animal parts (like bones, skin, etc.) that are mostly considered inedible and otherwise usually discarded. Especially because of its rich supply of collagen and gelatin (a substance formed when collagen is broken down), bone broth is considered one of the oldest functional foods to be used in traditional systems of medicine.
What are the benefits of bone brothfor dogs and other pets? Whether we’re talking about bone broth for humans or pets, benefits associated with bone broth include helping to treat leaky gut syndrome and digestive issues, help with overcoming food intolerances and allergies, reducing joint pain, boosting the immune system, promoting probiotic balance and growth, and providing bone-building minerals in an easily absorbable form.
Top 5 Benefits of Bone Broth for Dogs and Other Pets
1. Great Source of Essential Minerals
Bone broths contain essential minerals in forms that your pet’s body can easily absorb. Inside bone broth you’ll find calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and others. If your dog typically eats dried and packaged food, he/she might be missing many of these minerals that help with important functions like heart health, nerve signaling, hydration, muscle contractions, sleep and more.
Adding bone broth to your pets’ water may also encourage them to drink more water, keeping them better hydrated. And if your dog is sick and lacking an appetite, the aroma of bone broth might make it easier for it to eat and stay fueled. (1)
2. Can Help Heal Joints
Can bone broth help heal joints in dogs? You bet. Bone broth is a great source of glucosamine, a joint-protecting compound, and other substances like chondroitin and hyaluronic acid that help support joints’ elasticity, strength and flexibility. It’s also the best food source of collagen/gelatin, a complex protein that helps form connective tissue (ligaments, tendons, skin, bone and more). Collagen can help repair connective tissue that surrounds and cushions the ends of your pet’s bones, facilitating smoother movement and leading to less irritation and pain.
Is bone broth good for dogs with arthritis? Yes. In fact in humans, chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine (both naturally found in bone broth) are two popular joint-supporting compounds that are sold as pricey supplements intended to help reduce inflammation, arthritis and joint pain. (2) Glucosamine is considered a “collagen cofactor” since the two work together to stimulate cells called fibroblasts and heal damaged joints, tendons, ligaments and other tissues.
3. Supports Digestion and Gut Health
Why is bone broth good for dogs with digestive issues? Thanks to its supply of amino acids like glycine and proline, real bone broth can help promote healthy gut integrity while reducing inflammation and intestinal permeability (also known as leaky gut syndrome). It does this by repairing damage to the tissues that line the colon and entire gastrointestinal tract.
In studies conducted on rats, the amino acid glycine has been shown to have the ability to protect the gastric mucosa against chemically and stress-induced ulcers. Restoring strength of the gut lining is helpful for fighting food sensitivities (such as wheat or dairy, which some dogs are susceptible to), regulating gastric acid secretions and helping with the growth of “good bacteria” called probiotics. (3)
Several important glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are found in bone broth, including glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate. Like glycine, GAGs are supportive of digestive health because they help restore the intestinal lining and fight leaky gut. (4)
