Bone Broth for Dogs: Benefits, Safety & How to Use It

Written by Lucy Fitzgerald, Founder, WYLDR. Reviewed by Katie McCaul, RNutr, The Pet Diet.

The short answer: Bone broth is safe and often loved by dogs, and it is a useful, palatable way to add moisture and tempt a fussy eater. It provides gelatine, glycine and some minerals. The catch is safety and honesty: it must be free of onion, garlic and added salt and contain no cooked bones, and the grander joint and gut-healing claims are not well proven in dogs. Enjoy it as a topper, not a cure.

Bone broth is one of those foods that has been elevated to superfood status, and, as usual, the truth is more measured than the marketing. Made properly, it is a genuinely nice, hydrating topper that many dogs adore and that can be a real help with a fussy or recovering appetite. It also comes wrapped in health claims that outrun the evidence, and it carries a few safety rules that matter a great deal. Here is the honest, practical version.

Is bone broth good for dogs?

In short: For most dogs, yes, in moderation. It is a safe, palatable, hydrating extra, and it is particularly handy for tempting fussy eaters or dogs recovering from illness. It is not an essential part of the diet.

For most healthy dogs, a little bone broth is a lovely addition. It is very palatable, it adds moisture to a meal, and it can be a real help when a dog is off their food, whether they are simply fussy or recovering from an illness or procedure. This appetite and hydration angle is where bone broth genuinely earns its place. What it is not is a necessity: a dog on a good, balanced diet does not need bone broth, so it belongs in the category of pleasant extras rather than daily essentials.

What is actually in bone broth?

In short: Simmering bones and connective tissue releases gelatine (dissolved collagen), the amino acid glycine, and some minerals. Honest caveat: analyses have found the mineral content is often lower than commonly claimed.

Bone broth is made by slowly simmering bones and connective tissue in water. That process draws out gelatine, which is collagen that has dissolved into the liquid, along with amino acids, most notably glycine, and a range of minerals. Gelatine and glycine are the components most of the interest tends to focus on, and they are genuinely present.

The honest nuance, which most articles skip, is that the amounts vary a lot and are often more modest than the marketing implies. Analyses of both homemade and commercial broths have found mineral concentrations that are surprisingly low compared with the claims made for them. That does not make bone broth worthless, it makes it a pleasant, nutrient-containing extra rather than a concentrated supplement, and it is worth holding that expectation.

The benefits, and the honest limits

In short: The hydration, palatability and appetite benefits are real and well supported. The bigger claims, that bone broth repairs joints or heals the gut, run ahead of the evidence in dogs, so treat those with healthy scepticism.

Let us separate the solid from the speculative. On the solid side, bone broth is hydrating, highly palatable, and a genuinely useful tool for encouraging a reluctant eater or adding moisture to a dry diet. Hydration is a genuine foundation of health, and broth is a simple way to help a dog top up the moisture a dry diet does not provide. Those benefits are real and uncontroversial.

There is also early, small-scale research beginning to look at how the nutrients in broth may support the gut lining, which is genuinely interesting. But it is preliminary, much of it is in humans or lab models rather than dogs, and it is a long way from proving bone broth "heals" anything. We flag it as an emerging area, not a claim.

On the speculative side sit the claims you see most loudly advertised: that bone broth rebuilds joints, heals leaky gut, or transforms coat and immunity. These are largely extrapolated from the presence of collagen and glycine rather than demonstrated in dogs, and the evidence does not support treating bone broth as a fix for joint disease or a digestive cure. We would rather be straight with you: it is a nice, supportive extra, not a medicine. For genuine joint or gut health concerns, your vet is the right first stop.

Is bone broth safe for dogs? The rules that matter

In short: Only if it is made for dogs. It must contain no onion, garlic or leek, no added salt or seasoning, and absolutely no cooked bones. Human bone broths and stock cubes are not safe.

This is the most important section, because the safety points are not optional. Most bone broth made for people contains onion and garlic, which are toxic to dogs even in small amounts and can damage their red blood cells, and it is usually high in salt, which can cause dehydration and, at worst, salt poisoning. That rules out human bone broths and ordinary stock cubes entirely.

A dog-safe bone broth must be free of onion, garlic and leek, free of added salt and seasoning, and low in sodium. It must also be fully strained so it contains no cooked bones, because cooked bones can splinter and cause serious internal injury. If you stick to these rules, bone broth is safe. If in doubt about any product or recipe, check the ingredients carefully or ask your vet.

Homemade vs shop-bought

In short: Homemade lets you control exactly what goes in. If you buy, choose a broth made specifically for dogs, or a plain, low-sodium, unseasoned one. Never use human broths or stock cubes.

Homemade bone broth has the advantage that you know precisely what is in it: just bones, connective tissue and water, simmered long and slow, then strained and cooled with the fat removed. It takes time, but it is simple and there are no hidden extras.

If you would rather buy it, the rule is straightforward. Choose a broth that is made specifically for dogs, or one that is genuinely plain, low-sodium and free of onion, garlic and seasoning. This is exactly why a clean, dog-formulated option exists: convenience without the risky ingredients that come with human products.

How much bone broth can a dog have?

In short: Keep it modest and introduce it gradually. A splash over food is plenty. Count it as part of your dog's treats and extras rather than a meal, and ease off if it causes any tummy upset.

Because bone broth is an extra rather than a food, portions should stay sensible. A small splash over a meal, or offered on its own, is plenty for most dogs. Introduce it gradually the first few times to see how your dog gets on, and think of it as part of the small share of the diet that treats and extras should occupy, so it does not unbalance a complete meal.

As with any new addition, watch for loose stools or an upset tummy, especially in dogs with a sensitive stomach, and cut back if needed. Puppies and dogs on a vet-prescribed diet are always worth a quick check with your vet first.

Where bone broth fits

In short: Bone broth is best understood as a palatable, hydrating topper, offered honestly as a tasty, comforting extra rather than a health fix.

Used sensibly and made safely, bone broth is a genuinely lovely thing to have on hand. It can make a meal more tempting, add moisture, and be a real comfort for a dog that is under the weather. The trick is to keep it in the right place: a pleasant, well-made extra, kept modest, and not asked to do the work of medicine.

That is exactly why WYLDR is bringing a clean beef bone broth as an optional add-on: a convenient, dog-safe topper made without the onion, garlic and salt that make human broths a no-go, offered as a tasty extra alongside good everyday food, not dressed up as a cure. If you want the bigger picture on what genuinely earns its place in a dog's routine, our guide to whether dogs need supplements is a good companion read.

Frequently asked questions

Is bone broth good for dogs?
For most dogs, yes, in moderation. It is a safe, palatable, hydrating extra and a useful way to tempt a fussy or recovering eater. It is not essential, and the bigger health claims are not well proven in dogs.

Is bone broth safe for dogs?
Only if it is made for dogs. It must contain no onion, garlic or leek, no added salt or seasoning, and no cooked bones, which can splinter. Human bone broths and stock cubes are not safe because they usually contain onion, garlic and high salt.

Does bone broth help dogs' joints?
The joint claims run ahead of the evidence in dogs. Bone broth contains collagen and glycine, but it is not proven to repair joints and should not be relied on to treat joint disease. Speak to your vet about genuine joint concerns.

How much bone broth can I give my dog?
Keep it modest. A small splash over food is plenty. Introduce it gradually, count it as part of your dog's treat allowance rather than a meal, and cut back if it causes any tummy upset.

Can I give my dog shop-bought or human bone broth?
Choose a broth made specifically for dogs, or a genuinely plain, low-sodium one with no onion, garlic or seasoning. Do not use human bone broths or stock cubes, as they typically contain ingredients that are unsafe for dogs.

Can puppies have bone broth?
A little plain, dog-safe bone broth is often fine, but check with your vet first. Puppies have specific needs, and bone broth should never replace a proper puppy diet.

Sources

• Matar A, Abdelnaem N, Camilleri M. "Bone Broth Benefits: How Its Nutrients Fortify Gut Barrier in Health and Disease", Digestive Diseases and Sciences (2025, peer-reviewed): link
• Mar-Solís LM, et al. "Analysis of the Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of Bone Broth in a Murine Model of Ulcerative Colitis", Medicina (2021, peer-reviewed): link
• Hsu DJ, et al. "Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths", Food & Nutrition Research (2017, peer-reviewed): link
• Doma KM, et al. "An open-label clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of a bone broth diet on weight loss in adults with obesity", Clinical Nutrition Open Science (2025, peer-reviewed): link