Did you know that jello can be a health food?

Conventional jello is filled with sugar and colouring. But if you make jello our way, it will transform that junk food into a superfood for your dogs. Scroll down this page for the recipe. The gelatine used as a thickener in jello is the prized ingredient we are concerned about.

Many of us know jello as a fruit and sugar filled dessert.

Gelatine has many benefits:

1. For skin and bone health

Gelatine contains collagen. Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in your dog's body and it makes up a large part of its bones, skin, hair and nails.

2. Fights inflammation

Great for bone and joint health - for arthritis, hip dysplasia etc

3. Aids digestion

Gelatine soothes the digestive tract and helps improve the assimilation of nutrients.

What is the difference between collagen and gelatine?

Gelatine is the cooked form of collagen. Cooking collagen-rich foods such as connective tissue, skin and bones extracts gelatine. So cooking the collagen transforms it into gelatin. More intensive processing of the collagen creates a product called collagen hydrolysate; where the collagen proteins are broken up into smaller pieces. In terms of health benefits, hydrolyzed collagen and gelatine are the same.

Medical Evidence

Some of the beneficial effects of gelatin are well documented in medical literature. There’s evidence that hydrolyzed collagen supplements benefit bone and joint health.

In 2000, Dr. Roland Moskowitz published a paper on collagen hydrolysate in the treatment of arthritis in humans. He concludes that “Clinical studies suggest that the ingestion of 10 grams PCH [pharmaceutical grade collagen hydrolysate] daily reduces pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.”

In another 2012 study, collagen was found to be effective in managing osteoarthritis symptoms.

Sources of gelatine

1. Bone broth

Bone broth is the original gelatine source. Home-prepared gelatin-rich broths are easy to make. If the texture gels when you stick it in the fridge, you know it’s full of gelatin.

2. Hydrolyzed collagen

One advantage to this form of collagen is that it mixes into warm and cold liquids and is mostly tasteless. It has a slight beefy taste and is easy to add to food. But it will not gel and is not good for making jello. This form is great for when you don't have bone broth.

2. Gelatine powder

This is the form naturally found in bone broth. Mix powdered gelatine to bone broth or kefir to superboost them. See recipe below.

I use Now Foods gelatine powder. It is the form that “gels” and is great for making recipes like bone broth jello.

Recipe

How to make healthy jello for dogs

Ratio 1 cup bone broth : 1 tablespoon gelatine

    •   Pour 2 cups bone broth into a saucepan over low fire.
   •   Add in 2 TB of gelatin and stir until the gelatine is dissolved.
   •    Simmer for about 10 minutes.
   •   Turn off heat and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Don’t let it sit long or it will start to clump.
   •    Pour mixture into a glass bowl or ice cube trays
   •   Put jello into refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours or overnight

Dosage:

Hydrolyzed collagen: 1 heap tablespoon per 20 kgs of body weight per day.

Gelatine powder: Mix powdered gelatin with any liquid before adding it to food. Start with 1 teaspoon for a 20 kg dog and gradually increase to 2 or 3 teaspoons.