Bone Broth for Dogs

Foul Game:

A few years ago I shot a mule deer in southern Arizona. It has got to be the foulest game I’ve ever tried eating. Some of it could be due to the greasewood and cactus environment it was living in, however I regularly saw them eating in the alfalfa fields that dotted the unit. It is no secret that these southern Arizona deer bring about a certain flavor.

2016 Arizona General Season Hunt

I truly believe, much to my horror, that I either didn’t get my specific deer back or that processor left it hanging in a place they shouldn’t, (I saw where it went) for too long. I knew better. But… I didn’t have time to do processing beyond gutting and skinning myself as I was headed out of town. Thankfully where I live now we now have a processor who is amazing if we don’t have time ourselves.

This meat stinks. Now, it is perfectly edible and I have attempted to roast and crock pot the stench out of it, but to no avail. I cannot eat it. I cannot get passed the odor from where it was stored for so long.

But the dogs don’t seem to mind.

I’ve no issue supplementing our German Shorthair’s diet with venison. We had an old dog last year that needed to be on a high protein diet and we had the perfect source in the freezer.

Currently, we’ve got one pointer that is a total garbage gut and the other has a beef allergy. Supplementing their diet when they are working in the field for days on end gets tricky and expensive when you have to make sure the “meat byproduct” in the ingredients list isn’t bovine.

The pointer sisters as I call them will drop weight fast. They eat like horses on regular days, and like elephants when we are hunting. Luckily they love the stinky venison that I won’t eat.

North Dakota Pheasant 2019

I am careful to not give too much at a time as I don’t want to upset their stomachs. I’m also left with the bones that I either let them chew on raw, or now will be making bone broth out of to supplement their feed when necessary.

Bones are a great source of collagen that can benefit a dog’s joints, fur and digestive system. They are also a great source of minerals such as magnesium, calcium and phosphorous.

Here is a simple recipe for making your own.

Ingredients:

Bones. Trim most of the meat off of these, you can leave some on when you cook them.

Root vegetables, cucurbits or legumes (carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas) if you like.

Apple Cider Vinegar - or - lemon juice (3-4 tablespoons) This helps release all the gelatin and minerals from the bones.

Water

Directions:

In a crock pot, place as many bones as you like inside. Add the apple cider vinegar. And, add enough water to cover everything plus an inch or two above the bones.

It is okay to leave bits of meat on the bones.

Turn it on low and cook for 24 hours. It may take longer depending on how much water needs to cook off. You should have it cooked down to a jelly like consistency.

When done cooking, turn off the crock pot and let it cool. Remove the bones and throw them out or compost them. They are brittle at this point and should not be given to your pets.

Be sure to get all the small pieces of bone as well.

After removing the bones, add any vegetables or legumes that your pup enjoys.

Other ingredients will soften as broth cools.

After the broth cools to room temp, place it in the refrigerator. Check it in a few hours. There should be a hard layer of fat on the top that you can scrape off and discard.

Scrape and discard fat layer.

When the cooking is done, you’ll be left with a jelly-like substance. If it is still very much a liquid, try adding more vinegar or lemon juice to the next batch.

Almost looks like stew doesn’t it?

Storage:

The broth will store in the fridge for a week or up to 6 months in the freezer. Freezing it in ice cube trays is a good way to make portioning simple.

Feeding Instructions:

For dogs 40 pounds and under, supplement with around 2 ounces per day. Larger dogs, 4 to 6 ounces per day. Remember to introduce a new food source or supplement slowly until you are sure your pets don’t have any allergic reactions are that it will not upset their digestive systems.

Final Thoughts:

Your wild game is safe for your pets. Just be sure they don’t have allergies to it by introducing it slowly to them.

If you aren’t interested, I bet someone you know would be. This is a great way to reduce the waste you brought home from your successful hunts if you process yourself or have your processor save them for you. And, they may even be glad to let you take bones off their hands so they don’t have to dispose of them.

And, if you thought your dog couldn’t like you enough already….