Chicken Fat Broth

Broth is the liquid left after chicken and bones simmer in water. Chicken fat comes from rendering, where fat is drawn off so poultry meals do not go rancid. Kibble plants add the mix as a liquid.^1,3,11

1. 01 // Source Chicken and water Chicken and bones simmer in water. Home-made chicken stock is about 92% water and 1.2% fat.
2. 02 // Process Fat drawn off Rendering separates fat from cooked poultry, because meals above 16% fat tend to go rancid in storage.
3. 03 // Process Into the dough Wet ingredients join the dry mix with water and steam in a preconditioner, which forms the dough.
4. 04 // Process Dried Kibble is dried after extrusion to cut moisture and prevent spoilage, and the broth's water goes with it.
5. 05 // Output Flavor in the kibble What stays is chicken protein, fat and flavor, sometimes sprayed on as a coating after drying.

1. 01

   Dogs eat it readily

   Fat and meat flavor drive kibble acceptance. In an industry preference test, dogs chose kibble coated with 9% fat over 3%. Bacon fat and beef tallow were the favorites, not chicken fat.⁴

2. 02

   Concentrated calories

   Chicken fat carries 900 kcal per 100 g, more than twice what protein or starch supplies, so a little raises the energy in each cup.²

3. 03

   Liquid for the dough

   Extrusion needs water and wet ingredients to hydrate the dry mix. Broth does that job and adds chicken flavor that plain water would not.³

4. 04

   Supplies linoleic acid

   About 19.5% of chicken fat is linoleic acid, an essential fat for skin. Soy oil raised skin linoleic acid in dogs more than poultry fat did.^2,5

How much No recipe share is published; in industry palatability tests, chicken fat and four other fats were coated onto kibble at 3% and 9%.⁴

1. Critics say

   Broth is mostly water that pads the ingredient list

   Evidence

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

   Ingredients are ranked by weight. A home-made chicken stock tests at about 92% water, and no analysis of the pet-food version is published. Kibble is dried, so the broth's place on the list overstates what stays, by an amount no label shows.^1,3,10

2. Brands say

   Chicken fat broth makes the food taste better

   Evidence

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

   Industry-run tests, 20 dogs over 2 days per pairing, found dogs favored 9% fat coatings over 3%. Bacon fat and beef tallow ranked highest; chicken fat was not a top choice. With no zero-fat control, the trial cannot show chicken fat improving taste.⁴

3. Brands say

   Chicken fat gives dogs a shiny coat

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   The evidence is indirect. An 8-dog, 24-week pilot raised linoleic acid and zinc together and cut skin water loss by about 8 g/m2/h. Dogs fed poultry fat had less skin linoleic acid than dogs fed soy oil. Neither study measured coat shine.^5,6

4. Brands say

   Broth heals the gut and supports joints

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   The support is lab and rodent work on glycine and gelatin. A 2022 review by a canine nutritionist found no conclusive research in dogs or cats, and no trial has tested broth inside a kibble.⁷

5. Owners say

   Broth in kibble keeps dogs hydrated

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

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

   Kibble is dried after extrusion precisely to lower its moisture and stop spoilage, so the broth's water is what the dryer targets. No study shows broth in a dry food changing a dog's water intake.^1,3