Chicken Bone Broth

Poultry processing leaves bones and attached tissue after meat is removed. Cooking them in water recovers flavor and soluble material. Producers remove the bones and may concentrate or dry the liquid for pet food.^4,10,11

1. 01 // Source Chicken bones Bones with some attached meat and connective tissue come from poultry processing.
2. 02 // Process Cooked in water Heat draws chicken flavor and soluble proteins into the water.
3. 03 // Process Solids removed The cooked bones and other solids are separated from the liquid.
4. 04 // Output Broth or powder The strained liquid is used as broth or concentrated and dried for a recipe.

1. 01

   Adds savory flavor

   Cooking transfers chicken-derived taste and aroma into water. Liquid broth can coat food; dried broth lets a manufacturer add those solids without shipping the water.^1,11

2. 02

   Moistens a served meal

   A pourable topper adds water directly to the bowl. Broth mixed into kibble before drying does not leave the same amount of water in the finished food.^8,12

3. 03

   Uses poultry leftovers

   Bones and attached tissue remain after meat processing. Extracting broth gives manufacturers another saleable use for that material and recovers flavor from an existing supply.^4,11

How much No standard recipe percentage is published; a liquid topper gives serving directions, but those do not reveal a kibble maker's inclusion rate.¹²

1. Brands say

   Pouring broth over kibble adds moisture

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A liquid topper adds water to the bowl by simple arithmetic. One chicken bone broth topper lists 97% as its maximum moisture. That label does not show that broth already cooked into dry kibble increases its moisture.¹²

2. Brands say

   Chicken broth makes picky dogs eat

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a dog swallowing study, liquid extracted from canned chicken raised acceptance of a test liquid to 89.4%. That was not a bone broth feeding trial and does not show a lasting appetite benefit.¹

3. Brands say

   Bone broth collagen repairs sore joints

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A funded, blinded trial in 31 dogs found better gait measures with specific collagen peptides. It tested a measured peptide product, not chicken bone broth. The amount of those peptides in broth and their effect there were not tested.^2,13

4. Brands say

   Bone broth heals a dog's gut

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Brands claim digestive support, and a study measured amino acids in 15 retail bone broth samples. It did not feed broth to dogs with digestive disease or test whether broth repairs a gut lining.^5,13

5. Owners say

   Chicken bone broth is rich in bone minerals

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A study that included 3 commercial chicken bone broths found the broths poor sources of most minerals measured. Bones contain minerals, but the strained liquid is not a reliable mineral supplement.⁶