Bone broth has several healing nutrients that can help reduce inflammation and pain in dogs with arthritis. This home made bone broth recipe adds healing vegetables and medicinal herbs to boost your dog’s natural ability to repair, support and protect joints and decrease arthritis pain related to inflammation.
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Arthritis in Dogs
Many dogs develop arthritis and suffer from stiff joints, trouble standing or walking, and discomfort. Arthritis occurs primarily in the joints and includes osteoarthritis, hip, knee and elbow dysplasia.
What Causes Arthritis in Dogs?
We now know that arthritis is not simply a “wear and tear” disease. Arthritis refers to inflammation of the joints (“arth” refers to joints; “-itis” means inflammation) and develops from chronic low grade inflammation that leads to leaky gut, a stressed immune system and ultimately joint damage.
The biggest sources of inflammation in dogs include:
- processed dog food
- grains and starches
- sugar, additives, preservatives and genetically modified food
- toxins, pesticides, drugs and over-vaccination
Is Bone Broth Helpful for Dogs with Arthritis?
Yes. Bone broth is loaded with nutrients to help reduce inflammation, minimize cellular damage and support the repair and rebuilding of tissues that surround the joints.
How Does Bone Broth Help Dogs with Arthritis?
Bone broth helps with arthritis in several different ways. It contains:
- minerals to build bones and connective tissue (calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, magnesium, silicon)
- omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleum acid (CLA) to reduce inflammation
- amino acids to repair damaged tissues, protect cartilage and build collagen
- nutrients to build chondroitin and glucosamine, which helps lubricate and strengthen supporting tendons and ligaments
Read more about the benefits of bone broth here.
Healthy dogs produce some of the amino acids needed to repair damaged joint tissues. However, when dogs age or under stress (due to illness, pain or anxiety), they produce fewer of these critical amino acids. Bone broth is an excellent supplement, providing between 54-82% of the 22 essential and non-essential amino acids needed for dog’s health.
What Type of Bones are Best for Bone Broth?
Bone broth can be prepared with any source of cooked organic, pasture-fed animal or non-genetically modified fish bones. However, chicken and turkey can be inflammatory for some dogs. We suggest using grass-fed beef or non-genetically modified fish bones for arthritic dogs whenever possible. Always strain the broth carefully to remove any bone fragments that can be a choking hazard.
Boost the Healing Power of Bone Broth with Vegetables and Herbs
Simply add a few anti-inflammatory vegetables and herbs to bone broth to boost its healing properties for dogs with arthritis and chronic inflammation.
You can add any or all of these healing vegetables to our bone broth recipe:
- Celery. Celery is anti-inflammatory and also helps move uric acid out of the body, which can worsen arthritis
- Carrots, pumpkin. These colourful vegetables contain vitamin C that can neutralize free radicals that lead to inflammation. Beta carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin lower the risk of developing inflammatory disorders like arthritis
- Kale, spinach, parsley, broccoli, bok choy. Vitamins A, C, E and K protect cells from free radical damage and lower inflammation naturally
What Herbs are Good for Arthritis?
Research shows that herbs like turmeric, ginger and black pepper can reduce the inflammation and pain of arthritis.
Turmeric
Turmeric has been used for centuries in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to lower inflammation at the cellular level. It inhibits pain-mediating prostaglandins and stimulates the release of cortisone, one of the body’s natural anti-inflammatories. Turmeric helps reduce pain and stiffness, protects cells from further damage and inhibits the swelling involved in arthritis.
Dogs can take between 500-3600 mg of powdered turmeric per day.
We recommend this Organic Turmeric Root Powder
Ginger
Ginger is in the same family as turmeric and shares many of the same positive health effects.
Ginger contains gingerol, which has been shown to reduce pain and joint destruction related to arthritis by blocking the body’s inflammatory chemicals like prostaglandin and leukotriene.
Dogs can be given raw, minced ginger root (remove skin first). Small dogs (under 35 lb) can have 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per day. Larger dogs can have 3/4 tsp daily. Always mix ginger into bone broth or food (don’t give it without food).
Black Pepper
Piperine, the active ingredient found in ground black pepper, helps with acute inflammation and also increases the absorption of turmeric.
Recipe
Healing Bone Broth Recipe for Dogs with Arthritis
Bone broth has several healing nutrients that can help reduce inflammation and pain in dogs with arthritis. This home made bone broth recipe adds healing vegetables and medicinal herbs to boost your dog's natural ability to repair, support and protect joints, and decrease arthritis pain related to inflammation.
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 day d
Total Time 1 day d 20 minutes mins
Ingredients
- Cooked beef, pork, rabbit, duck, salmon, whitefish, bison or quail bones
- 3 cups cold, filtered water per pound of bones Reverse osmosis filtered water is best. Use enough water to cover the bones. Keep track how many cups of water you use, as it will determine the amount of herbs to add
- 4 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
- 2-4 cups chopped vegetables choose from any or all of these: celery, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, kale, parsley, bok choy, broccoli
- 2 tsp Dried organic turmeric root powder per cup of water. For example, if using 6 cups of water, add 12 tsp (4 tbsp) of turmeric powder.
- 1/2 tsp Minced ginger root (Use fresh ginger root without skin or use prepared minced ginger from a jar). Use 1/2 tsp per cup of water. For example, if using 6 cups of water, add 3 tsp of minced ginger.
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Place bones in a large stock pot or slow cooker
Add enough cold filtered water to cover the bones
Add organic apple cider vinegar to the water
Place over medium heat, until liquid comes to a boil (or use high setting of slow cooker for one hour)
Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, for 24 hours. This step is important to allow the bones and ligaments to release healing compounds like collagen and amino acids.
Skim off any foam that rises to the surface during cooking, and discard
After 24 hours, remove bones and strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer to remove large and small bone fragments. Although bones should be soft enough to crumble after cooking, it’s safer to strain the broth and avoid possible injury to your dog
Add your choice of chopped vegetables to the pot while it’s cooling (e.g. celery, kale, parsley, spinach, carrots, pumpkin, broccoli, bok choy)
Mix in turmeric, ginger root and ground pepper. Stir occasionally as broth cools.
Let cool for several hours in refrigerator until fat congeals at top.Skim or scrape off the excess hard fat from top and discard. Note that the fat on the top is different from the jelly-like substance under the fat – that is collagen – the precious joint-supporting substance that you worked hard to create! Throw out the fat, keep the collagen.
Transfer cooled broth into freezer-safe mason jars or glass pyrex containers. When chilled, broth should look like semi-solid gelatin.
Store in refrigerator for 1 week or in freezer for 6 months.
Notes
Start by giving 1 ounce (1-2 tbsp) of bone broth for every 10 lbs of your dog’s weight. If your dog loves it, feel free to add a bit more – it’s healing food!
Some dogs love cooled or room temperature bone broth on its own. Others prefer it poured over their meals. You can mix a bit of hot water into the jellied bone broth for a delicious gravy!
How Much Bone Broth Should I Feed My Dog?
Start by giving 1 ounce (1-2 tbsp) of bone broth for every 10 lbs of your dog’s weight. If your dog loves it, feel free to add a bit more – after all, it’s food!
Some dogs love cooled or room temperature bone broth on its own. Others prefer it mixed into their meals. Our number one favourite method is to mix a bit of hot water into the jellied bone broth for a delicious gravy!
FAQs
How long does it take to notice the benefits of bone broth?
Research indicates it may take 8 weeks of daily feeding to begin to notice improvements. Be consistent and consider adding other pain-reducing anti-inflammatory foods such as our CBD Dog Treats for Pain.
Why is it important to use organic, pasture-raised animal bones?
Most commercially produced animals are raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFO), where they are exposed to cramped, stressful conditions with no fresh grass and may drink from run-off water sources near industrial waste sites.
Environmental toxins like petroleum leach into water and contribute to heavy metals like lead that become stored in animal bones. It is no wonder that studies have found increased levels of lead in bone broth derived from CAFO chicken skin and cartilage. However, when animals are raised to graze freely on organic pastures, their bones are less likely to contain heavy metals.
Do you have more healing recipes for dogs?
Be kind to all beings. Protect the earth we share.
References
Hsu DJ, Lee CW, Tsai WC, Chien YC. Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths. Food Nutr Res. 2017 Jul 18;61(1):1347478.
Mar-Solís, L.M.; Soto-Domínguez, A.; Rodríguez-Tovar, L.E.; Rodríguez-Rocha, H.; García-García, A.; Aguirre-Arzola, V.E.; Zamora-Ávila, D.E.; Garza-Arredondo, A.J.; Castillo-Velázquez, U. Analysis of the Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of Bone Broth in a Murine Model of Ulcerative Colitis. Medicina 2021, 57, 1138. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57111138
M.H. Shaw, M. & N. Flynn (2019). Amino acid content of beef, chicken and turkey bone broth. Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research, 2019,18(4), 15
McCance RA, Sheldon W, Widdowson EM. Bone and vegetable broth. Arch Dis Child. 1934 Aug;9(52):251-8.
Monro JA, Leon R, Puri BK. The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets. Med Hypotheses. 2013 Apr;80(4):389-90.
Rennard BO, Ertl RF, Gossman GL, Robbins RA, Rennard SI. Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. Chest. 2000 Oct;118(4):1150-7.
Saketkhoo K, Januszkiewicz A, Sackner MA. Effects of drinking hot water, cold water, and chicken soup on nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance. Chest. 1978 Oct;74(4):408-10.
TIME magazine. January 2016. Science Can’t Explain Why Everyone is Drinking Bone Broth. Accessed at: http://time.com/4159156/bone-broth-health-benefits/
