Bone Broth Recipe for Dogs: 6 Simple Steps With Chicken Feet
This bone broth recipe for dogs turns plain chicken feet and water into a savory, strained topper. Slow cooking releases collagen-derived gelatin, which may set into a soft gel in the refrigerator. It adds moisture and flavor, but it is not a balanced meal or a treatment for joint or digestive disease.
By Brandine Strand, Founder & Editorial Director. Updated November 2026. Educational recipe, not individualized veterinary advice. Editorial standards.
At A Glance
- A plain chicken-foot broth topper, not a complete meal.
- Start with about 6 cups of water per pound; adjust to cover.
- Strain and discard all cooked feet, bones and solids.
- Cool promptly. Refrigerate 3–4 days or freeze portions.
This chicken-foot broth recipe uses a small ingredient list and a long, gentle simmer. The method includes water guidance, safe straining and cooling, and clear limits on what homemade broth can provide. Nutrient content has not been laboratory-tested.
Choosing Chicken Feet
The preparation shown uses Mary’s Chicken Organic Chicken Feet, sold through Whole Foods Market. Plain, food-grade chicken feet are what matter here, not a particular brand. Avoid seasoned products and dried dog chews for this recipe. Availability varies by store.
View Mary’s Chicken Organic Chicken Feet at Whole Foods.
Bone Broth Recipe For Dogs: Ingredients And Steps
Prep: about 10 minutes · Gentle simmer: 12–18 hours · Plus: prompt cooling and refrigeration Yield: varies with water and evaporation; portion after straining.
Ingredients
- 1–1½ pounds plain, prepared chicken feet
- Safe drinking water: start with about 6 cups per pound of feet (6 cups for 1 pound or 9 cups for 1½ pounds), adjusting to cover the feet by about 1 inch while leaving plenty of headroom
- Optional: 1 tablespoon plain apple cider vinegar, such as Bragg’s
- Optional: 1 cup chopped carrots and/or 1 cup chopped celery
The water range is a practical starting point, not a tested nutritional formula. A chicken-feet stock recipe uses water about 1 inch above the feet; Jennifer McGruther’s cookbook recipe uses 4–6 quarts for 3 pounds of feet. Our starting amount of about 6 cups per pound sits within that culinary ratio; it is an adaptation, not a tested optimum. Use only the water guidance from these human recipes, not their seasonings. Water depth method · McGruther’s starting ratio
Use a pot large enough to hold everything safely; a 5-quart pot gives more room than a small saucepan. Spring water is not necessary. Vinegar is optional, not a disinfectant or a required step for making gelatin.
| Chicken feet | Starting water |
|---|---|
| 1 pound | About 6 cups |
| 1½ pounds | About 9 cups |
Method
- Set up safely. Thaw frozen chicken feet in the refrigerator, never on the counter. Wash your hands and utensils. Keep raw chicken feet away from ready-to-eat food. Do not rinse raw poultry, which can spread bacteria around the sink. Follow package handling directions. CDC: Chicken And Food Safety
- Cover and heat. Put the feet, water and any optional ingredients in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Use a food thermometer to ensure poultry reaches 165°F. Do not add salt, stock cubes, onion, garlic, leeks, chives or seasoning blends.
- Simmer gently. Continue for 12–18 hours, checking the water level and adding hot water as needed to keep the feet covered. Never leave a stove unattended or running while you sleep. These are stovetop instructions. For a slow-cooker alternative, start with thawed feet and follow the manufacturer’s recipe, heating and fill-level instructions rather than transferring this timing unchanged. Slow-cooker safety Longer cooking is not automatically better for your dog.
- Strain completely. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into clean, heat-safe containers. Check carefully for fragments. Discard all cooked feet, bones and solids where pets cannot reach them. Cooked bones are not treats. FDA: Potentially Dangerous Items For Pets
- Cool promptly. Divide into small, shallow containers or use an ice bath. Refrigerate within 2 hours after cooking ends, or 1 hour if the room is above 90°F. Do not leave a full stockpot on the counter to cool overnight. FoodSafety.gov: Four Steps To Food Safety
- Chill, skim and portion. Once cold, skim off the firm fat layer. Keep only what you will use within 3–4 days in the refrigerator and freeze the rest promptly. The broth may turn wobbly as it chills. Serve cooled, never hot.
Why Chicken-Foot Broth Gels
Chicken feet contain collagen-rich connective tissue. Heating collagen in water can produce gelatin, the protein responsible for the chilled broth’s jiggle. Chicken-foot gelatin has been studied under controlled extraction conditions; those laboratory results do not tell us how many grams of collagen or protein are in a spoonful of homemade broth. Chicken-foot gelatin research
The amount of water, evaporation and cooking conditions affect the texture. A firmer gel is not proof of greater health benefit. Liquid broth is not automatically a failed batch, and a good gel does not prove the broth was cooled or stored safely.
What The Nutrition Evidence Supports
Useful in the bowl: moisture, aroma and a little variety. Veterinary nutritionist Deborah Linder, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Nutrition), discusses broth as a way to make food more appealing, while emphasizing that most pets do not need it and ingredients matter. Tufts Petfoodology
Variable, not measured: gelatin, protein, fat, calories and minerals. This home recipe has no verified nutrition panel. A study of animal-bone broths found that acidity and cooking time affected mineral extraction, but the tested broths were not rich sources of calcium and magnesium. It was not a dog-feeding trial or a test of this recipe. Hsu and colleagues, 2017
Not established: that this broth repairs joints, heals a gut condition, prevents disease or provides a therapeutic collagen dose. It should not displace a complete and balanced diet or prescribed treatment.
An Integrative View, Alongside Nutrition Science
Integrative veterinarian Judy Morgan, DVM, discusses bone broth as a food topper and stresses individual tolerance, straining and avoiding cooked bones. Her article is a useful practical perspective; she has not reviewed or endorsed this BFB recipe. Dr. Morgan’s broth article
Both perspectives leave room for a simple whole-food topper. The important distinction is between offering something a dog enjoys and promising a medical result.
What Can Broth Do For A French Bulldog?
The useful everyday benefits are simple: extra moisture, appealing aroma and a little variety in the bowl. There is no established evidence that this homemade chicken-foot broth treats French Bulldog reflux, allergies, arthritis, IVDD or breathing problems.
Sensitive stomach or suspected food allergy? Chicken is not automatically gentle for every dog. If your Frenchie reacts to chicken or is following an elimination diet, skip this recipe unless your veterinarian approves it. An extra ingredient can interfere with a food trial. University of Illinois food-trial guidance
Watching weight or breathing? Keep toppers within the daily calorie budget. Excess body condition can make BOAS management harder; broth is not a treatment for airway disease. University of Cambridge BOAS management
What About Turmeric And Black Pepper?
Keep this batch plain. Research on specialized turmeric extracts for dogs does not establish a safe, effective amount of kitchen turmeric and pepper for this broth. Pepper does not need to be added to “activate” the recipe. Ask your veterinarian before using herbs or supplements, especially if your dog takes medication. Canine turmeric-extract trial
How To Store Homemade Bone Broth For Dogs
Serving: There is no universal spoonful dose for every dog. Ask your vet what fits your Frenchie’s diet, especially with pancreatitis, kidney or heart disease, a chicken allergy, swallowing problems or a prescription diet. Introduce new foods gradually and stop if they cause digestive upset. All treats and toppers together should generally stay within 10% of daily calories; the rest comes from complete and balanced food. UC Davis treat guidelines
Fridge: 3–4 days at 40°F/4°C or below. Count from cooking, not from when you open a jar. Label the container with the cooking date. Do not use smell alone to decide that older broth is safe.
Freezer: Freeze in small portions; soup and stew guidance gives 2–3 months for best quality at 0°F/−18°C. Use freezer-safe containers with headroom for expansion. Thaw small portions in the refrigerator and use promptly. Cold-storage chart
Broth cubes: An ice-cube tray makes portioning easy, but cube sizes vary. Measure yours. Thaw a portion into food, or offer a supervised lickable treat rather than encouraging hard chewing or swallowing a whole frozen cube. Skip frozen pieces if your dog has dental or swallowing problems.
Does This Batch Fit Your Dog?
- Chicken allergy or a food trial?
- Skip chicken broth unless your vet says it fits the plan.
- A prescription diet or pancreatitis history?
- Check with your vet before adding a new topper.
- No known restriction?
- Introduce a small amount gradually and count all toppers within the treat allowance.
- Vomiting, diarrhea or discomfort?
- Stop the topper and contact your vet. For urgent warning signs, see the safety section below.
Sources: University of Illinois food-trial guidance and UC Davis treat guidelines. This is a decision aid, not a diagnosis.
When To Call Your Vet
Stop the topper and contact your vet if vomiting, diarrhea or discomfort develops. Seek urgent veterinary care for choking, trouble breathing, repeated vomiting, a swollen or painful abdomen, collapse, or suspected ingestion of cooked bones. Broth is not a home treatment for a sick dog. Find veterinary care.
Common Questions
Recipe Summary
Plain ingredients. Gentle simmer. Careful straining. Prompt cooling. Small portions.
For the rest of the bowl, explore our dog-food directory and sensitive-stomach article.
This recipe is educational and does not replace advice from your veterinarian. It is a complementary topper, not a complete and balanced diet.
Sources
- CDC: Chicken And Food Safety
- FDA: Potentially Dangerous Items For Pets
- FoodSafety.gov: Four Steps To Food Safety
- Chicken-foot gelatin research
- Tufts Petfoodology
- Hsu and colleagues, 2017
- Dr. Morgan’s broth article
- Canine turmeric-extract trial
- UC Davis treat guidelines
- Cold-storage chart
- FoodSafety.gov: Slow-cooker safety
- Simply Recipes: Chicken-feet stock water depth
- Jennifer McGruther: Chicken-feet broth starting water ratio
- University of Illinois: Food-trial guidance
- University of Cambridge: BOAS management
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