If you are not making bone broth on a regular basis, you really should start today. There are so many health benefits. Making it a key component, to add to your diet. An added plus, is that it is inexpensive to do. Not only is it a healthy addition to the human diet, but incorporating pet bone broth into your fur baby’s diet can aid in digestion, improve joint health, help the liver detox, and boost their immune system.
Probably the biggest drawback is that it takes time. A lot of time. However, this is key. As cooking for a long period of time, over low heat, helps to extract all of the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids from the bones. Don’t skimp here. The longer, the better.
You may question why can’t I just feed my pet bone broth that I make for myself and my family. You can. However, you need to be sure that any vegetables that are toxic to animals, are not contained in the broth. This is difficult as we tend to want a bit more flavor in our broths as humans and will use things like onions to impart flavor. Onions are a big no-no for dogs.
So what should, or should you not add to your pet’s bone broth? I found this amazing list from Spoiled Hounds on what vegetables your pet can, and cannot eat. Click here to read! I will also be very specific as to what vegetables I used in mine.
MY STORY
I would be remiss if I did not mention why I am so obsessed with making my goldendoodles bone broth. My almost 11-year old, Viva, was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Given her age and condition, we felt it best not to proceed with treatments that could make her even more sick. We would rather her final days, months, or even years (we remain very hopeful) be filled with lots of love from her Family, and not time spent in a hospital. We are praying for a miracle!
So, as a recipe creator and food blogger, I started researching things I could add to her diet to possibly build up her immune system and reduce inflammation. Bone broth and CBD kept coming up in my searches. I was all in on the bone broth. I knew that I wanted to stick to both beef and chicken. Tumeric root was also an essential part of my plan as it helps to reduce inflammation. Every meal, I add a few sprinkles to her food. So, I thought why not add to her bone broth.
CBD was also a no-brainer. Luckily, I have some friends who have access to CBD oil for pets and were willing to help school me on how to give it to her, and in what amounts. One of my friends was even sweet enough to deliver to me. I give this to Viva every single day as a way to calm her. Thankfully, I can say that as of the day of writing this post, she has gone almost six weeks without a seizure. Is it the love, the broth, the CBD, her meds? I’m not sure. We are just so very grateful and will continue to treasure every single second we get lucky enough to spend with her. Every one being a blessing!
PET BONE BROTH – BEEF AND CHICKEN
BEEF BONE BROTH
Beef bone broth was my first venture. I was able to get a bag of frozen beef bones at my local grocery store for under five dollars a bag. Then, I got smart and asked my butcher if he could start saving me bones. It was a yes from him. This costs me zero dollars!
As mentioned earlier, if you want to extract all of the goodness from the bones, your bone broth needs to cook slowly for a long period of time. In the case of beef bone broth, that means about 48 hours. You can do this either in a large stockpot or, even in a crockpot. I do not recommend any other way.
Place the beef bones in a large stockpot. Cover the bones completely with water. Add in the apple cider vinegar. The vinegar will help to extract the minerals and other nutrients from the bones as they are cooking. Toss in the vegetables (don’t forget the tumeric root). I added to the ingredient list, the vegetables I use most often. Refer to the link above if you want to use others to ensure they are safe for your pet.
Let the pot come to a boil. Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer. Simmer for the next six hours. Skim off any muck that may form on the top. Turn heat down and allow to cook for a total of 48 hours. Always make sure that the bones are covered with water. If you are doing this in a stockpot, place a lid with allowing for a little opening. This will help to ensure that while you are sleeping, you will not need to tend to the pot.
Once cooked, remove the bones and larger pieces of cooked vegetables. Discard these as your pets should not eat cooked bones, and the vegetables’ nutrient levels have all been cooked out. Strain the broth using a mesh strainer into jars or containers. Broth will last in the fridge up to four days. I suggest making a lot as the broth stores very well in the freezer.
TIP: I would suggest not tasting this beef bone broth. Keep in mind there is no salt added, and the only flavoring comes from the bones and vegetables. For us humans, it’s not so tasty. My Hubby described it as “brown water.” However, it is super beneficial for your pets.
CHICKEN BONE BROTH
I found a super easy way to prepare chicken bone broth for my pets. Use rotisserie chickens. I can usually find them on sale at least twice a week at my local grocery store. Cost is usually about five dollars each. I buy three. Feed them the chicken breast meat over the course of two to three days, and use the rest to make bone broth. Or, you can also buy and use whole chickens.
Unlike beef bone broth, you are going to love the taste of the chicken bone broth. Especially, if you are using rotisserie chickens. Taste this one. You will love it and may even use it in some of your own recipes.
Basically, the same cooking and storing technique you used to make beef broth broth applies for chicken bone broth, except you only have to cook the chicken bone broth for 24 hours! Do everything the same. I have also found that this is a great way to use up vegetables that you may consider discarding. Again, pay attention to the list of what is safe for your pets.
I have made chicken bone broth twice now. The first time, I did it simply with carrots, celery and tumeric root. I kicked it up a notch the second time and also added kale, green beans and sweet potato.
WHY MAKE AND NOT BUY PET BONE BROTH?
First and foremost, you know everything that is going into the bone broth. Often, packaged broths contain added chemicals to keep the product fresh. Honestly, when you see the end result, you will be amazed at your accomplishment. The bone broth will have a slight thickness to it. Why? Because you took the time to extract all of the collagen from the bones. This is what you want. This is the good stuff that can do so much good for your pets.
I intend on adding more pet recipes to my blog in the future. For now, click here to check out all of my “human” recipes! Hope you ENJOY! Give your pet an extra kiss and hug every single day from me and my Family. Prayers for my Viva are deeply appreciated! Sadly, I must update and let you all know that our precious Viva passed away the morning of July 29,2020. We still cry every single day for her.
LET’S GET SOCIAL!
I am more than just recipes. I love fashion and style too! Most importantly, I love my Family (my Hubby and my Fur Babies). My Husband (aka my “Kitchen Bitch”) means the world to me. He’s pretty damn cool too. Not only is he one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he also has had a lengthy career in professional hockey. Not only winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early ’90’s, but most recently winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers, amongst many other accolades. If you live in Charlotte and play hockey, or have a family member who plays, be sure tocontacthim. He is known as one of the best skate sharpeners in the world!
Our life has changed dramatically in the past few years with the passing of our two goldendoodles, Vegas and Viva. We were lucky enough to have Vegas for five years (totally wish it was longer). Most recently, losing our Viva to a brain tumor in July of 2020. We welcomed our mini goldendoodle 7, almost seven years ago. We just added the amazing Hazel! Of course, I am always posting tons and tons of photos! Be sure to check out my recipe forPet Bone Broth! This broth is super rich in nutrients and will provide your pet with a multitude of health benefits!
Be sure to follow me on social media! I’m always talking food, fashion, and family! I also love sharing some of my favorite Amazon Finds too. Clickhereto check out my Amazon page!Facebook,Instagram,TikTok,TwitterandPinterest!
