Ingredient file // Flavor
Chicken And Salmon Broth
Flavored cooking water, not a protein source
Chicken and salmon broth is the water that chicken and fish parts were cooked in. In wet food it does the job of processing water and adds flavor and a trace of protein. The collagen and hydration claims run ahead of the evidence.
Role in the food Does a job- What it is
- Water that chicken and salmon parts were simmered in, carrying a little dissolved protein, fat and flavor.
- Made from
- Chicken and salmon parts and bones, cooked in water
- Main job
- Processing liquid that adds flavor
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- Dogs allergic to chicken or fish
- Not the same as
- Chicken or salmon meat
Straight answer
Is Chicken And Salmon Broth safe for dogs?
Read it as water, then judge the meat
In wet food, broth near the top is normal: canned food needs liquid to process, and broth is that liquid with some flavor. Skip past it and judge the named meats and organs that follow. Do not pay extra for the word broth or count it toward protein.
- Why it is in the food
- Processing liquid that adds flavor
- 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 1.5. 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
Broth comes out of meat and fish processing. Cooking bones, frames and trimmings in water pulls soluble protein, gelatin and flavor out of parts left over after the meat is cut off.2,5
- 01 // Source Frames and trimmings Breast frames, bone residue from deboning and whole carcasses have all been used to make chicken broth.
- 02 // Process Simmered in water In one study, cooking for 3 hours pulled out more nitrogen and gelatin than cooking for 1 or 2 hours.
- 03 // Process Strained The bones and solids are removed, leaving a thin liquid with the dissolved protein and fat.
- 04 // Process Sometimes concentrated Suppliers also sell broth as a liquid concentrate above 55% solids or as a dry powder to add back.
- 05 // Output Broth A liquid that must hold at least 1 part crude protein for every 135 parts water.
What is in it
Composition, as fed
92-97
% water
Water in USDA chicken and fish stocks. Broth is almost all water, so its protein barely moves a food's numbers.
Why it is in the bag
Flavored processing liquid, not a real protein source
- Main nutrition
- Supporting nutrient
- Does a job
- Mostly filler
Canned food needs added water to process, and ingredients are listed by weight, so broth near the top of a wet food is mostly that liquid. A broth supplier pitches it to add palatability or to replace water on the label for consumer appeal. It brings meaty flavor and some dissolved protein, likely too little to change the food's protein much. Its real job is liquid plus flavor.1,2
-
01
Replaces plain water
Canned food needs added water to process. Broth does the same job, and one supplier markets its broth to replace water on the label for greater consumer appeal.1,2
-
02
Adds meaty flavor
Cooking pulls flavor into the water. In a two-bowl test by testing firm Volker Coester, reported in a broth maker's sponsored article, 40 dogs favored pork bone broth-coated kibble by 8 to 13%.8
-
03
A little protein and gelatin
Simmering bones extracts soluble protein and gelatin, more with longer cooking. Home-style chicken and fish stocks hold about 2.3 to 2.5 g protein per 100 g.3,4,5
-
04
Uses deboning leftovers
Broth is made from frames and bone residue left after deboning. In one study, mechanically deboned bone residue gave the most nitrogen and gelatin.5
How much No source publishes a typical level; broth stands in for the processing water canned food needs and must carry 1 part protein per 135 parts water.1,2
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.
-
Critics say
Broth is just water with a better name
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
USDA data put home-style chicken and fish stocks at 92 to 97% water with about 2.3 to 2.5 g protein per 100 g, and those are human stocks. Mostly water is fair. Just water ignores the flavor and protein it carries.3,4
-
Brands say
Broth keeps your dog hydrated
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
No study has tested broth. The nearest, a 10-beagle trial funded by The Farmer's Dog, found its fresh food (71.1% moisture) met 141% of water needs against 102% for kibble. Earlier studies found dry and canned diets gave no difference.9
-
Brands say
Bone broth collagen supports your dog's joints
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Lab analysis found bone broth far lower in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline than a 20 g collagen dose, and variable between recipes. The positive joint trial fed purified peptides, about 240 mg/kg, to 11 of 31 dogs, with authors paid by GELITA.6,7
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
Mostly waterCanned food needs added liquid to process, and broth is that liquid with flavor and a trace of protein. It has a job, but it is not a real protein source. Suppliers pitch it as a nicer word than water.1,2
-
Q02
Why is broth listed so high?
WeightIngredients are listed by weight, and canned food carries added liquid for processing. Liquid is heavy, so broth or water often sits near the top. Its position says nothing about how much meat is in the can.1
-
Q03
Does the salmon add omega-3s?
Very littleUSDA fish stock holds under 1 g of fat per 100 g, so the broth carries little fish fat of any kind. For omega-3s, look for fish oil or salmon oil on the list instead.4
-
Q04
Can I pour kitchen broth on kibble?
If onion-freeOnly a broth without onion, which breaks down a dog's red blood cells. Even USDA home-style chicken stock carries 143 mg sodium per 100 g. Check the ingredient list, or use an unseasoned broth.3,11
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
- Chicken 100%
- Liver 100%
- Meat By-Products 100%
- Salmon 100%
- Spinach 100%
- Wheat Gluten 50%
- Sweet Potatoes 50%
- Corn Starch-Modified 50%
- Brown Rice 50%
- Tomatoes 50%
- Carrots 50%
- Minerals 50%
On the shelf
Foods that list Chicken And Salmon Broth
2 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Reading Labels
- 2 Nuvin Chicken Broth
- 3 Soup, stock, chicken, home-prepared (SR Legacy, FDC 172884)
- 4 Soup, stock, fish, home-prepared (SR Legacy, FDC 172885)
- 5 Gelatin, calcium and phosphorus contents of chicken broth from broiler deboning by-products
- 6 Bone Broth Unlikely to Provide Reliable Concentrations of Collagen Precursors Compared With Supplemental Sources of Collagen Used in Collagen Research
- 7 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
- 8 Is bone broth a solution to the palatability challenge?
- 9 Fresh food and canine hydration (three crossover studies in beagles)
- 10 Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats
- 11 Onion