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A dog drinking a bowl of bone broth

How To Make Bone Broth For Dogs (Step-By-Step Guide)

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Bone broth isn’t just for us humans! Here’s how to make bone broth for dogs. It’s super simple to make and is packed with nutrients they need!
Keyword bone broth for dogs, dog bone broth, homemade dog food, how to make bone broth
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours
Servings 12 cups
Author Sarah Bond

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs marrow bones these are often found in the freezer section
  • 12 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  • Roast: Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Place bones in an oven-safe casserole dish (adding vegetables? roast them too*). Roast for about 1 hour, or until bones are browned.
    Roasted marrow bones
  • Simmer: Transfer bones and all juices into a large slow cooker. Cover with 12 cups of water and stir in apple cider vinegar. Cover and cook on low for 12 hours.
    Putting roasted marrow bones in a slow cooker
  • Strain: Strain bones and any bone fragment from the broth and discard (DO NOT feed the bones to your dog - dogs should never be given cooked bones**).
    Roasted bone broth
  • Cool: Quickly cool the bone broth by adding 4 to 5 cups of ice cubes. When cool enough, transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, about 12 hours.
    Cooling bone broth with ice cubes
  • Skim: One cooled, skim the fat off the top of your broth and discard (the main nutrients are in the broth, not the fat, and dogs shouldn't consume high levels of fat).
    Skimming fat off of bone broth
  • Serve: Broth may be gelatinous from the collagen or liquidy - both are packed with nutrients! Add a few spoonfuls to your dogs bowl, or freeze into ice cubes for long term storage!
    Bone broth for dogs in a slow cooker

Video

Notes

*Add vegetables to your bone broth for richer flavor, more nutrients, and a darker color! Our favorites are carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, and/or celery. Simply roast and simmer them with the bones, then strain them out at the same time.
**Cooked bones can easily splinter, which can cause serious injury to your pup.
It's important to cool your bone broth as quickly as possible to prevent it from sitting in the "danger zone" of temperature, which is the temperature that bacteria are most likely to grow.