Happy Friday everyone!  Happy “Friday Treats Friday” for you and your fur baby!  I found this super simple, two ingredient dog treat of gelatin and beef broth from Puppy Dog Pro!  This is the first time Jake and Maggie will experience a giggly treat like this and they absolutely loved these treats.  I gave them only one each because I don’t want to upset their stomachs with a lot of something new.  When I sat down, they were both crawling all over me wanting me to get up and feed them another Gelatin Beef Broth Treat!  

Can dogs eat gelatin?  See my previous post HERE

The Benefits

Gelatin has anti-inflammatory and brain-protective actions that are especially important during aging and when under stress.  Gelatin attracts digestive juices to itself, which makes it easier for dogs to digest grains and carbohydrates. Gluten-containing grains like barley, oats and wheat frequently cause allergic reactions in many dogs. Gelatin increases a dog’s ability to utilize the proteins found in these grains. It protects the lining of the stomach, soothes upset stomachs, and helps other digestive ailments like irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea. Disorders such as degenerative joint disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis respond favorably to diets containing gelatin because it reduces the inflammation. In a mature animal, gelatin can make up half of the dietary protein intake but as little as just two teaspoons a day can be beneficial for a 50 to 75 lb dog.

What kind of Gelatin did I use?

The quickest and easiest is to use a product like Knox Gelatine available at any grocery store.  You can then sprinkle it on any wet food once a day or mixed into warmed homemade meals.  It can then be served warm or cold.  When you add hot water to the powdery collagen-rich gelatin, the protein loosens resulting in a wiggly, semi-solid, gel-like substance which can be the basis of a fun treat.

Be aware that any flavored, artificially colored or sweetened gelatin products like Jell-o brand can be toxic to dogs so only use plain, unflavored gelatin.

The other way is to make your own which is taking your homemade chicken stock a few steps further. A little more time but easy and chock full of healthy benefits.

More ways to make this treat:

I used bone and paw print molds that I bought from Amazon and poured the mixture directly into the mold to freeze.  You can also add other ingredients like chopped up vegetables that your pet enjoys, shredded chicken, boiled beef, or fruit such as blueberries and strawberries.  You can puree the fruit and put on the bottom of your mold and then pour your chicken or beef broth over that to freeze making a two layered gelatin treat packed full of nutrients and anti-inflammatories.  

Gelatin and Beef Broth Dog Treats

Ingredients
1 cup chicken stock – I used low sodium organic beef broth.  Another option would be to buy bone broth made by Stella and Chewy.
2 tablespoons or packets of gelatin – Each packet is 1 tablespoon

Instructions
In a small pot, bring the chicken (or beef if you wish) stock to a boil.
Remove the pot from heat and let cool for three minutes.
Stir in gelatin with a whisk until no clumps remain.
Let cool and pour into molds.
Refrigerate for several hours until set

This recipe took no time at all to make.  I froze the treats for 3 hours.