Make No Bones About It: Bone Broth is Where It’s At
By Diane Krueger
Although it has been around for hundreds of years, the popularity of bone broth is relatively recent here. It has been shown to have health benefits for people, so it was only a matter of time until it was given to dogs. And turns out bone broth can be beneficial in treating and relieving certain canine ailments and conditions.
First and foremost bone broth is pack full of collagens, which among other things helps keep joints healthy by building tissue where the body needs it most. Filled with glucosamine as well as chondroitin and hyaluronic acid, bone broth provides another effective way to help dogs with mobility issues due to stiff joints and arthritis.
If your pup has intestinal issues, you might want to consider giving him some bone broth. Naturally, a dog’s intestinal linings have millions of small holes through which nutrients enter his body. But things like stress, excess bacteria and diet can cause some of those holes to enlarge. When the holes become bigger the more likely it is that things other than nutrients will pass into the body; things like food pieces, yeast and toxins. This can lead a dog to develop allergies or other sensitivities. So what can bone broth do? Well, bone broth is filled with gelatin which can act as a plug and fill some of those leaky gut holes. In addition, bone broth has been shown to help dogs with queasy stomachs or those who are finicky eaters, which can lead to a protein deficiency. Studies have shown the gelatin in bone broth can reduce the body’s need for protein from traditional meat sources and the amino acid glycine contained in bone broth helps regulate bile salts and gastric acid.
If you plan on adding bone broth to your dog’s diet, know that it is not meant to given as a meal replacement or supplement. Bone broth, which is made from the long-term cooking of beef, chicken or turkey bones, should be given as a topper on his usual food; a way to moisten dry kibble or re-hydrate raw food. Products, such as Open Farms’ line of bone broth offerings, provide a natural, convenient and simple way to add this oft-touted “superfood” to your dog’s life. Hungry Hound is proud to carry Open Farms’ line of bone broth products.