My dog loves chicken broth! How much is safe to give daily?

Okay, so I've been seeing a lot of buzz online about giving dogs chicken broth. My furry buddy, Max, he's been a bit under the weather lately, and I figured, why not give it a shot? I mean, I love chicken soup when I'm sick, so maybe it'd work for him too. But, like, how much is too much? That was my big question.

Figuring Out the "How Much"

First things first, I definitely didn't want to just swap out Max's water for broth. I mean water is, you know, water. It's essential. Everything I read warned against that. The whole point was to add broth, not replace his water.

So, I started small. I warmed up some low-sodium, plain chicken broth – gotta make sure there's no onion or garlic in there, those are bad news for dogs. I'm talking the really plain stuff.

• Day 1: I gave Max about a quarter cup mixed in with his kibble. He seemed to like it! Lapped it right up. No tummy troubles, which was a good sign.
• Day 2: Upped it to half a cup, still with his food. Still good! He was drinking more water too, which was probably a good thing.
• Day 3: I tried giving him a little bit – maybe a third of a cup – as a separate "treat" between meals. He sniffed it, drank a little, then went back to his water bowl. I guess he wasn't that thirsty.
• Day 4-7: Kept it around half a cup a day, mostly with his meals. I noticed he was a bit more enthusiastic about his food, which is great, because he'd been a picky eater recently.

Honestly, I think the key is moderation. And paying attention to your dog! Max seemed happy with a little bit of broth, but he definitely wasn't interested in drinking it all day long. He still preferred his regular water for the most part.

So, that's my experience. No major changes, but a nice little boost to get him eating and drinking a bit more. Just remember to go slow, keep it plain, and always, always have fresh water available!