Plain bone broth is safe for most healthy dogs in small amounts, and it can tempt a dog to eat or drink. It is not a medicine and it is not a meal. The broth that is dangerous is the one from your own pot, because onion, garlic and salt are harmful to dogs.
What does bone broth do for a dog?
Broth is mostly water with a little protein, gelatin, fat and minerals. Its real uses are modest and practical.
- It makes dry food smell better, which helps a fussy eater or an old dog with a fading sense of smell.
- It gets extra water into a dog who drinks too little.
- It can tempt a dog back to eating after a mild stomach upset, once a vet has said food is fine.
Claims that broth heals joints, repairs the gut or detoxifies the liver are not backed by good studies in dogs. The collagen in broth is digested into ordinary amino acids like any other protein. If your dog has arthritis, a vet can offer treatments with evidence behind them.
Broth is not a complete food. It lacks the calories, protein, calcium and vitamins a dog requires. Use it as a topper and keep it to a small share of the day's intake.
What makes home-made broth dangerous?
Onion, garlic and leeks
Every plant in the onion family damages red blood cells in dogs. That includes onion, garlic, leek, shallot, spring onion and chives. Cooking does not remove the toxin, and powdered forms are more concentrated than fresh. The effect builds up, so a little each day can do as much harm as one large amount.
Signs appear a few days later. Look for weakness, pale gums, fast breathing and dark red or brown urine. This is the main reason the stock from a family pot of marag, saloona or chicken soup is not dog food. The same goes for stock cubes and most shop-bought broths made for people.
Salt
Broth made for people is salted, and stock cubes are very salty. Too much salt makes a dog very thirsty and can cause vomiting. In quantity it causes salt poisoning with tremors and seizures. Dogs with heart or kidney disease cope worst of all.
Fat
Marrow bones and lamb bones give a thick layer of fat. A fatty meal is a well-known trigger for pancreatitis in dogs, which causes vomiting and belly pain and can mean days in hospital. Chill the broth and lift off every bit of the hard fat before use.
Cooked bones
The bones are for the pot, never for the dog. Cooked bones are brittle. They splinter, lodge in the throat or gut, and crack teeth. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and bin the bones where he cannot reach them. If he does get one, read about swallowed objects and the signs of a blockage.
How do you make a dog-safe broth?
- Put raw or roasted beef, chicken or lamb bones in a pot and cover with water. Add nothing else. No salt, no onion, no garlic, no spice mix, no stock cube.
- Simmer gently for several hours. A plain carrot or a stick of celery is fine if you like.
- Strain through a fine sieve and throw away every bone and bone fragment.
- Cool it quickly and put it in the fridge. In a Dubai kitchen, do not leave it on the counter. Warm broth grows bacteria fast.
- Once it is cold, lift off and discard the solid fat.
- Keep it in the fridge for up to three days, or freeze it in an ice-cube tray.
If you buy broth, buy one made for dogs and read the label anyway. Put it back if it lists onion, garlic, yeast extract with added salt, or "natural flavours" that are not explained.
How much can he have?
Think in spoonfuls, not bowls. A few tablespoons over a meal is plenty for a medium dog. Give less to a small dog and a little more to a large one. Start with a small amount and check his stool the next day.
If treats and toppers together pass about a tenth of his daily calories, his main diet is being diluted.
Does broth help with hydration in the heat?
It can, as a supplement to water. In a Dubai summer a dog loses water by panting even on a short evening walk. Some dogs drink poorly, and old dogs often do.
- Add a few spoonfuls of plain broth to a bowl of water to flavour it. Keep a second bowl of plain water next to it.
- Freeze broth cubes and offer one after a walk. Licking slows him down and cools him.
- Pour a little warm broth over dry food so he takes in water with his meal.
Flavoured water spoils quickly in warm rooms. Change it every few hours and wash the bowl.
Broth does not treat dehydration. A dog who is vomiting, has diarrhoea, will not drink, or has dry, sticky gums needs a vet and may need a drip. The same is true of a dog who is panting hard and cannot settle after being out in the heat.
Which dogs should not have it without asking a vet?
- Dogs who have had pancreatitis, or are on a low-fat diet.
- Dogs with kidney disease, where protein, phosphorus and salt are controlled.
- Dogs with heart disease, because of salt.
- Dogs on a food-allergy elimination diet. One spoon of chicken broth can undo weeks of a trial.
- Dogs on a prescription diet for bladder stones.
For any of these, ask before adding anything to the bowl. A written feeding plan sets out what he can have, including toppers and treats.
When to call
Call 055 620 4085 if your dog has eaten broth, soup or gravy made with onion or garlic, or has swallowed a cooked bone. Call if he is weak, has pale gums or has dark urine in the days after. Call too if he is vomiting or refusing water in hot weather.
The phone is answered 24 hours and the clinic is open 8 AM to 12 AM every day. For a question about diet that is not urgent, book a consultation and bring a photo of his food label.