Should I Dilute Chicken Broth For My Dogs?

The purpose of this research is to explain the “Should I Dilute Chicken Broth For My Dogs?“.

Greetings to all! I just can not seem to get enough of anything that has to do with bones and broth.

In previous posts I have discussed posts 1 and 2 and post 3 but in this post I want to discuss whether you should dilute chicken broth for your dog. 

I would like to clarify what I mean by broth and similar words such as stock and bouillon before answering directly to that question.

Are they all describing essentially the same thing or are they all referring to something different?

What is chicken broth?

In order to make chicken broth chicken bones are simmered for a few hours in water and vinegar. 

In addition to being an excellent thing to do for your dog it is very healthy to give him a chicken carcass to eat. You are also putting the carcass to good use when you buy a chicken.

Make sure you discard all of the bones after making the broth.

Dogs have very little nutritional value from cooked bones and they can also choke on them so throw the bones away.

Chicken broth vs chicken stock vs chicken bouillon

Many people are confused about the true differences between broth stock and bouillon. 

Some of the top “human food” blogs reveal that the main difference between stock and broth is that stock is made with bones while the broth isnot.

So that puts us in a bit of trouble does not it? 

When it comes to dogs dog owners commonly use the term broth to describe a savory liquid that is made by simmering bones.

Whats the deal with bouillon? Bouillon is just like stock seems like.

What a strange concept isnot it? For this post I will just use the words broth and stock interchangeably.

So we (havenot) cleared that up can we now discuss whether chicken broth should be diluted before being given to a dog?

Is it a good idea to dilute chicken broth before giving it to your dog?

I do not believe that bone broth needs to be diluted before it is consumed by your dog.

The majority of broth is water after all.

However there might be a couple of exceptions.

First of all make sure your dog is hydrated by giving him more water.

Then you might want to dilute the broth because your dog needs more water than vitamins and minerals.

The second option is to tempt them with chicken broth that you know contains salt if your dog refuses to eat or drink.

There is hope that the added taste will tempt your dog but you need to be cautious of the salt content and the best way to avoid this is to dilute the broth. 

In addition to that I can think of no reason why it should be diluted. 

It is completely unnecessary to include salt in a high-quality chicken broth homemade or store-bought.

There should only be bones water apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and maybe vegetables in them.

Upon simmering these ingredients contain a long list of vitamins and minerals that are very healthy. 

Among the highlights are calcium phosphorus sodium magnesium vitamin A and omega 3.

Dogs would probably have a tough time overdosing on them.

You may want to “spread the good” and do not give your dog all the broth at once.

Some manufacturers of good quality dog broth offer serving size suggestions which you can find here and here. 

How is it different from chicken stock cubes? 

In my opinion the difference between chicken broth or stock and stock cubes is that stock cubes are powdered and must be added to water.

Stock cubes are associated with brands such as Oxo where wheat flour is the main ingredient followed by salt which accounts for 25% of each cube.

Can dogs have store-bought chicken broth?

There is nothing wrong with store-bought chicken broth in and of itself I was just about to write.

The best chicken broth is homemade however many people do not have the time to prepare the ingredients and cook it.

However I have changed my mind after looking on Amazon to double-check myself- there is one serious problem with store-bought chicken broth.

Whenever you are thinking of buying chicken broth in a store it is most likely that you are thinking about purchasing a product made for human consumption rather than for dogs.

The sodium levels in broths made for people can range from 10% to 25% which is too high for dogs.

There is even a brand of broth for dogs with a peoples version with a sodium content of 19%. One of the higher-end chicken broths has a salt content of 26%. 

Look very carefully at the ingredients in store-bought broths.

Aside from bones apple cider vinegar and water there should be no other ingredients.

Do not consume salt or any other artificial additives. 

Chicken broth for dogs with diarrhea

When your dog has diarrhea chicken broth is an excellent treatment- as long as there is no underlying health issue such as tumors liver or kidney disease. 

Consult your vet to determine if chicken broth will benefit your sick dog if it has an underlying condition. 

Dehydration is one of the effects of diarrhea. During diarrhea there is a lot of fluid.

There are a few reasons why homemade broth might be an excellent way to rehydrate a dog suffering from diarrhea.

In the first place the broth should be more appealing than plain water due to all the wonderful aromas and delicious flavor.

A broth is also known to be a very good source of minerals and vitamins for the digestive system.

Among the most important is gelatin which due to the way it interacts with water is thought to aid digestion. 

Of course it would be irresponsible of me not to mention any type of illness.

The effects of diarrhea and dehydration can be fatal if ignored for too long.

You should use chicken broth as a way to treat your sick dog but if there is no improvement within a day then your dog should be taken to the vet. 

Can dogs eat chicken broth with onions?

No- thats all I can say.

All onion parts- leaves skin and juice- are toxic to dogs whether they are raw or cooked.

The problem is complicated by the fact that it is not just onions but any member of the onion family (including white onions red onions leeks garlic shallots and chives).

In all of these vegetables a chemical called N-propyl disulfide reduces the amount of oxygen that the blood in a dogs body can carry. 

It might occur to you to ask how much onion a dog needs to eat to become poisoned and the answer is about 100 grams per 20 kilograms of dog. 

In order to be on the safe side avoid giving your dogs any spare chicken broth which has been cooked with onions.

Donot add onions next time!

Chicken broth ice cubes for dogs 

When I am writing in temperatures that are touching 30 °C and have a dog who is fast asleep and exhausted lying next to me any thought of ice is refreshing.

I have given ice cubes to my two dogs on hot days before and though they are happy to bite into them they rarely finish them.

The look on their faces is as if I just cheated them- as if a plain ice cube is just well too bland. Initially they liked the crunch but were disappointed when they discovered it was just water. 

In addition I know that my dogs do not dislike frozen food. 

I have occasionally fed them frozen chicken breasts as well as some of their raw food diet- when I miscalculated how long it would take to defrost their breakfast.

By freezing chicken broth you make the cubes much more appealing and ensure that they lick up every last morsel- otherwise you’ll have a gloopy mess to clean up on a hot day!

Its a great idea to freeze chicken broth anyway since most of us have a lot more freezer space than fridge space.

For about six months it is fine once it is in the freezer.

In contrast if you place all of your broth into your fridge and plan to use it a little bit every day before you know it you will have forgotten it is there and after 6 days or so you will have to throw it out. 

Conclusion

One thing I hope you take away from reading this post is that there is rarely a need to dilute a chicken broth made from chicken bones water and apple cider vinegar.

Make this a regular but not daily addition to your dogs diet. 

Beyond that if at all possible make it at home rather than buying it from the store. 

If you want to read more about dog food tips read here: Dog Food Tips and Tricks.

Should I Dilute Chicken Broth For My Dogs? (Watch Video)