Are bone broth dog treats good for dogs?
Yes. Bone broth dog treats are safe and genuinely good for most dogs — as long as the broth contains no onion, no garlic, and no added salt. Plain bone broth is mostly water, collagen, gelatin, and trace minerals. Frozen into cubes, it's a low-calorie, hydrating treat that most dogs go after hard. The catch is that nearly every bone broth sold for humans is seasoned with onion and garlic, both of which are toxic to dogs. Read the label, or make it yourself.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. We don't sell bone broth — we sell single-ingredient chews — so I have no reason to oversell this. Here's the straight version.
What does bone broth actually do for a dog?
Bone broth is bones and connective tissue simmered long enough that collagen breaks down into gelatin. That's the whole thing. What you get from it:
- Hydration. This is the most reliable benefit and the least talked about. A dog who ignores his water bowl will usually drink broth. Useful in summer, and useful for a dog recovering from illness.
- Palatability. Broth poured over kibble gets picky dogs and sick dogs eating again. Vets suggest this regularly.
- Gelatin and amino acids — glycine, proline, glutamine. These are real components of broth.
- Trace minerals in small, inconsistent amounts.
Now the honest part: you'll see bone broth marketed as a joint-health cure. The collagen and glucosamine claims outrun the evidence. There are no strong controlled studies showing homemade bone broth measurably improves canine joints, and the nutrient content of any given batch varies with the bones and the simmer time. Treat it as a hydrating, tasty extra — that's a good enough reason on its own. If your dog has a diagnosed joint problem, talk to your vet about supplements with actual evidence behind them rather than counting on broth.
Which bone broths are unsafe for dogs?
Most of them, if they came off a grocery shelf. Check for:
- Onion and garlic — in nearly all human broths. Both damage red blood cells in dogs. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control lists both as foods to avoid.
- Sodium. Human broth is salted for human tongues. Skip it entirely for dogs with heart or kidney issues.
- Cooked bones. Never feed the bones you simmered. Cooked bones splinter — the FDA has been direct about this. Strain them out and throw them away.
- Fat. Skim the layer off the top once it's chilled. Rich, fatty food is a well-known pancreatitis trigger.
- Xylitol, seasonings, bouillon cubes. None of it.
How do you make bone broth dog treats?
Four steps. No skill required.
- Simmer. Cover raw beef or chicken bones with water. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar to help pull minerals out of the bone. Simmer low for 12–24 hours. No onion, no garlic, no salt.
- Strain and chill. Pull every bone fragment out. Refrigerate overnight, then lift the hardened fat cap off the top and discard it.
- Pour. Fill an ice cube tray or silicone mold. Plain broth is fine on its own. If you want, stir in a spoonful of plain pumpkin puree for fiber — the AKC covers pumpkin for dogs — or a little chopped parsley.
- Freeze a few hours until solid. Keep frozen cubes up to three months; refrigerated broth lasts about five days.
Portion like any treat. Treats — all of them combined — should stay under 10% of your dog's daily calories. For most dogs that's one or two cubes a day.
Is bone broth a chew?
No, and this is worth being clear about. A frozen broth cube is gone in thirty seconds. It does nothing for your dog's teeth and nothing for the boredom that drives most destructive chewing. Those are different jobs.
For the chewing job you want something your dog has to work at. Our single-ingredient chews are 100% real meat and nothing else — 100% natural, fully digestible, no rawhide, ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms. Bully sticks are the workhorse: a single beef muscle, dried, that lasts. Beef trachea is a softer option for older dogs or lighter chewers.
Broth for hydration and flavor. A real chew for everything else. Both are single-ingredient when you do them right, which is the whole point.
Should you ask your vet first?
Yes, if your dog has kidney disease, heart disease, pancreatitis, or a history of food sensitivities. Broth is high in protein and minerals, and those conditions change the math. For a healthy dog, plain unseasoned broth in reasonable portions isn't a decision that needs a phone call — but any new food is worth mentioning at your next visit.
Everything we sell is 100% high-quality guaranteed. If a chew doesn't hold up, tell us and we'll fix it.
This post was last updated at July 17, 2026 19:25
