Homemade Dog Food

5 Foods That Will Boost Your Dog’s Joint Health

If your dog is suffering from joint pain and stiffness, try adding these 5 foods in their diet to alleviate their symptoms!

In this article we introduce 5 special ingredients that have been proven to help dogs with osteoarthritis and joint pain.

We’ve also included recipes to help you serve your dog delicious homemade meals that are good for their joint health.

1. Turmeric

Curcumin (one of the main components of turmeric) has been proven to be a highly anti-inflammatory ingredient. Adding turmeric to your dog’s diet will not only give their food extra flavor but could also help alleviate their pain.

Turmeric reduces inflammation and can help ease joint pain and arthritis issues. Recent studies have shown that turmeric prevents the breakdown of the cushioning tissue in a dog’s joints.

You can find organic turmeric powder on Amazon, most grocery stores, or health stores.

Turmeric Dog Treats

Ingredients

1 ripe banana
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup oats (blended into flour)
2 tsp organic turmeric powder
dash of black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F / 180C.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Mash the banana and add it into the dry ingredients with the peanut butter. Knead until everything is combined and looks like cookie dough.
Roll the dough using a rolling pin and cut out small pieces using a cookie cutter or the rim of a small glass.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 min. Let cool completely before serving the treats to your dog!

2. Salmon or Fish Oil

EPA and DHA are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, commonly known as Omega-3s. They’re very effective at helping your dog’s joints stay lubricated and hydrated, and theycan help lower inflammation.

There are fish oil supplements you can add directly into your dog’s food as many dogs love the flavor. But you can also feed your dogs fish. A 3.5 oz serving of salmon will contain approximately 2300 milligrams of long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids. Other great sources of omega-3s include sardines and anchovies (but just make sure you purchase brands that don’t contain spices or seasonings harmful to dogs).

One clinical study found that Omega-3 fatty acids provided relief for dogs with osteoarthritis.

Instant Pot Salmon

Ingredients:

Place all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of cold water.
Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
Let the food cool completely before serving!

3. Gristle from Animal Bones

Chondroitin is one of the building blocks of joint tissue. It’s hard to find chondroitin naturally in food, but the gristle in animal bones contain small amounts of it.

Chondroitin can help alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Aging dogs need more chondroitin because their body needs to rebuild and repair as much cartilage as possible.

Make sure you always feed your dog raw bones! Cooked bones can splinter and cause internal injury.

You can get animal bones from your local butcher shop, order them from Amazon or find a raw meat and bone supplier with an online service.

4. Chicken Feet or Bone Broth

Research suggests that Glucosamine can help dogs to relieve pain, stiffness and discomfort in joints by speeding up the natural healing process and stimulating cartilage growth.

It may also help lubricate joints and stimulate the production of proteoglycans, which help maintain the health and resiliency of joints and connective tissue.

Chicken feet contain a lot of cartilage and approximately 5% of cartilage is glucosamine. You can let your dog chew chicken feet (which is also good for their teeth and gums), or use a slow cooker to make the chicken feet and other bones with bone marrow into a bone broth. Then feed your dog the bone broth along with the chicken feet for extra nutrition.

Bone Broth for Dogs

Ingredients:

2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 lb chicken feet and bones (with marrow)
6 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
water

Instructions for slow cooker:

Add the chopped veggies and bones in the slow cooker and cover them with water.
Add in the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Cover, and cook on “high” for 1 hour.
Turn the slow cooker on “low” and cook for about 24 hours.
When the broth is done, remove most of the solid ingredients and strain the broth. Refrigerate for several hours, and then scrape the fat off the top.

5. Nutrient-Dense Veggies

Just like leafy green veggies and cruciferous veggies are healthy for humans, they’re also healthy for your dogs to eat in moderation.

Vegetables like broccoli, kale, and spinach are filled with nutrients like vitamins A, K, B6 and C, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. They’re also good sources of MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), which has been found to help prevent the breakdown and deterioration of joint tissue.

Lightly steam the veggies, let them cool, and chop them up into small pieces to help your dog digest them better.

How To Get All These Nutrients More Into Your Dog’s Diet With A Single Delicious Treat

It can be hard to find and cook all these foods for your dog. But there is a quick and easy way to add all these nutrients in your dog’s diet – by serving them a delicious daily treat!