In this episode of the Toronto Dog Whisperer I take you through the simple, easy steps to make your own homemade bone broth for your dog or cat.

Even with the extra ingredients to make the “ultimate” version of this bone broth I spent less than $6.00 to make 4 litres (1 gallon) of this nutritious supplement.

Store it in the fridge, freeze it, or make some for a friend!

Ingredients:
Beef joint bones $1.50
Chicken carcas $0.50
Salmon head $1.60
Apple cider vinegar

Simply simmer your ingredients at a very low heat covered for 24 hours, let it cool, discard bones, blend soft tissue, meat, and fat. Store in the fridge or freezer.

DO NOT GIVE YOUR PET COOKED BONES!

Bone Broth Is Good For Joints
In the book Deep Nutrition, Dr Cate Shanahan writes “The health of your joints depends upon the health of the collagen in your ligaments, tendons, and on the ends of your bones. Collagens are a large family of biomolecules, which include the glycosaminoglycans, very special molecules that help keep our joints healthy.”

Bone broth is loaded with glycosaminoglycans and you might even be familiar with one of them: glucosamine. Not only does bone broth contain super amazing amounts of glucosamine, it’s also packed with other joint protecting compounds like chondroitin and hyaluronic acid.

Moreover, the glycosaminoglycans from bone broth are resistant to digestion and are absorbed in their intact form. According to Dr Shanahan, they act like hormones, stimulating cells called fibroblasts, which lay down collagen in the joints, tendons, ligaments, and even the arteries.

Bone Broth Helps The Liver Detox
The liver is the master organ of detoxification. The dog’s liver is under assault daily as the poor dog lies on carpets and floors treated with chemicals, walks on grass that’s been treated and sprayed with poisons, consumes foods with toxic and synthetic ingredients, and suffers through toxic dewormers, flea and tick preventives, drugs, antibiotics, vaccines and more.
The liver was never meant to suffer this onslaught and its capacity to detoxify is limited by the availability of the amino acid glycine. Guess what has tons of glycine? Bone broth!

Bone Broth Promotes A Healthy Gut
The lining of the intestines contains millions of tiny holes that allow the passage of digested nutrients to enter the body. Stress, poor diet and bacterial overgrowth can cause more holes to open or to become bigger…this is called leaky gut.

The problem with those big holes is that things can pass through that aren’t meant to, including undigested food matter, toxins and yeast. The body will notice those undigested food particles as foreign invaders and start to attack them. This is how allergies and food sensitivities develop.
Bone broth is loaded with a gooey substance that can plug up those leaky holes: gelatin!

Bone Broth Is Great Nutrition For Sick Dogs
Have you ever had a dog with terrible diarrhea and had trouble getting him back on solid food? Or a dog who is convalescing and doesn’t have a great appetite but you know he needs more nutrition?
Bone broth to the rescue!

Studies conducted in the 1800’s showed that when there is plenty of gelatin in the diet, the body’s need for protein from meat sources can be reduced by as much as fifty percent! Bone broth is also an excellent source of important minerals and can bolster the immune system (think chicken soup)!

Bone broth is also loaded with glycine, which aids digestion by helping to regulate the synthesis of bile salts and secretion of gastric acid.

Here’s a list of just some of the nutrients in this bone broth:
Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Gelatin, Amino acids, Fatty acids, Omega 3, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Manganese, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Betaine