Ingredient file // Flavor
Poultry Broth
Useful poultry flavor, variable protein contribution
Poultry broth comes from cooking poultry bones, parts or meat in water. It adds poultry flavor and, when used as a liquid, moisture to dog food. Its protein contribution depends on how concentrated the broth is and how much the recipe uses.
- What it is
- Liquid extracted by cooking poultry bones, parts or meat in water, sometimes concentrated or dried before use.
- Made from
- Poultry bones, parts or meat and water
- Main job
- Poultry flavor and moisture
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- A diagnosed poultry allergy
- Not the same as
- Poultry meal
Straight answer
Is Poultry Broth safe for dogs?
Check the finished food beside the broth
Broth near the top of a wet food list has substantial weight, but that weight does not disclose its water or protein contribution. Look at the poultry and other protein ingredients around it, then check the finished food's protein and moisture analysis. Treat broth as useful flavor and liquid.
- Why it is in the food
- Poultry flavor and moisture
- How common
- Listed by 2 of the 3,204 foods we track
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 1,602 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
<1%
2 of the 3,204 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 1 brand. All wet dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 1. In the top five of 2 foods, so it is usually a main ingredient.
Who leans on it
100%
of the foods that list it are from Purina. 1 brand use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Poultry processors can turn bones and other poultry material into broth by cooking them in water. The extracted liquid gives pet food makers a savory ingredient that suppliers also sell concentrated or dried.5,8,9
- 01 // Source Poultry material Bones, other parts or muscle tissue supply the material cooked to make poultry broth.
- 02 // Process Cooked in water Heating moves soluble poultry protein and flavor compounds into the surrounding water.
- 03 // Process Separated and concentrated Cooked solids are removed; suppliers may separate fat, concentrate the liquid or spray dry it.
- 04 // Output Broth ingredient The pet food plant receives liquid broth, a pumpable concentrate or a powder for its recipe.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
90+
% protein
The minimum protein share of pet food broth's dry solids. Water content and the amount added determine its contribution to the finished food.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Adds recipe moisture
Liquid broth supplies water to wet food. A supplier markets broth as a replacement for plain recipe water, although concentrates and powders arrive with much less water.5,9
-
02
Adds poultry flavor
Cooking extracts soluble poultry material into water. Suppliers sell the result for flavor, but the available dog preference test did not compare broth with plain water.6,8,9
-
03
Ships as a stable concentrate
A supplier sells concentrated chicken and bone broth with over 55% solids and low water activity that needs no refrigeration, so it ships and stores as a liquid without cold storage.9
How much A supplier tested poultry broth at 0.8% of gravy; that test does not give a usual amount for wet dog food.6
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Poultry broth contributes animal protein
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Pet food broth must have at least 90% protein in its dry solids. That makes protein a real component, but the standard does not tell an owner how concentrated the liquid was or how much the recipe contains.5,9
-
Brands say
Broth helps dogs take in more water
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Liquid broth adds water to food. In a company authored crossover study of 10 dogs, a moist diet raised total daily water intake compared with kibble. The study tested whole diets, not broth, and did not isolate a benefit from broth.1,9
-
Brands say
Broth makes wet food more appealing
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Broth supplies poultry flavor. In a supplier's 30-dog, 2-day split bowl test, dogs preferred gravy with spray dried plasma over gravy with poultry broth. Without a plain water comparison, the test cannot measure broth's effect on acceptance.6,8
-
Brands say
Broth collagen protects a dog's joints
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A collagen maker funded a controlled study in 31 dogs that found better gait measures after 12 weeks of specific collagen peptides. It tested a supplement, not poultry broth, and gives no effective broth dose.2,8
-
Owners say
Broth high on the list means high protein
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Ingredients are ranked by weight, including water. Broth's 90% dry matter protein minimum sets no fixed protein amount for a serving of liquid, and suppliers also offer concentrates. List position alone cannot reveal its contribution.4,5,9
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoIn wet food, liquid broth supplies moisture and poultry flavor. It also contains protein in its dry solids. Check the finished food's analysis to judge nutrition; the broth line alone does not give its protein contribution.4,5,9
-
Q02
Does broth count as poultry?
YesIt is made from poultry and contains poultry protein. Keep it out of a poultry elimination diet or a food chosen for a dog with a diagnosed reaction to its poultry source.3,5
-
Q03
Is it the same as bone broth?
Not necessarilyBroth may be made from bones, other poultry parts or muscle tissue. The name does not disclose the bone share or collagen dose, so a bone broth or joint claim needs evidence for that product.2,5
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Turkey 100%
- Chicken 100%
- Wheat Gluten 100%
- Liver 100%
- Pork Lung 100%
- Soy Flour 100%
- Venison 50%
- Guar Gum 50%
- Potassium Chloride 50%
- Carrots 50%
- Brown Rice 50%
- Egg Product 50%
On the shelf
Foods that list Poultry Broth
2 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Feeding fresh food and providing water ad libitum is clinically proven to exceed calculated daily water requirements and impact urine relative supersaturation in dogs
- 2 The oral intake of specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP) improves gait and quality of life in canine osteoarthritis patients-A translational large animal model for a nutritional therapy option
- 3 Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats
- 4 Reading Labels
- 5 Let's take stock (or broth)
- 6 Palatability Performance in Wet Pet Food
- 7 Chicken Bone Broth Protein Powder for Functional Nutrition
- 8 Chicken broth powder
- 9 Nuvin NA Product Offer - Chicken Broth
- 10 People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets