Poached Meat & Broth: A Gentle Reset for Sensitive Pet Tummies

At Raw Essentials, we know how hard it is to see your pet uncomfortable, especially when their tummy’s off and nothing seems to help. That’s why we often recommend poached meat and broth — a simple, nourishing short-term plan to support pets with sensitive digestion, while we work together to build a long-term feeding solution.

Whether your pet is recovering from illness, transitioning to raw, or just not quite themselves, this gentle approach can make a big difference.

Because sometimes, you just need to press pause, reset the gut, and keep it simple.

🥩 Why Poached Meat?

Poaching is a soft, careful way to cook food — and when your pet's digestion is unsettled, that gentleness matters. By lightly cooking lean, bone-free meat in water or broth, you help reduce the workload on your pet’s digestive system while still providing high-quality, bioavailable protein.

We recommend easily digestible proteins like:

• Turkey

• Chicken

• Rabbit

• Veal

• Alpaca

Poached meat is low in fat, minimally processed, and ideal when you’re trying to calm things down — whether you’re dealing with diarrhoea, tummy rumbles, or a fussy appetite.

👉 Did you know? Studies have shown that digestible protein is key to restoring gut health and supporting a stable microbiome in dogs (Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022).

🍲 Why Bone Broth?

Bone broth isn’t just a trendy addition — it’s a centuries-old healing food that supports the gut, joints, and immune system. For pets, it offers powerful hydration and gentle nourishment during times of stress or illness.

Benefits of broth:

• Rich in collagen, gelatin, and amino acids that help repair the gut lining

• Encourages appetite and hydration in unwell pets

• Supports skin, coat, and joint health

• Adds flavour to poached meals without upsetting digestion

For most pets, we recommend our Duck or Free-Range Chicken Bone Broth — but for more sensitive cases, our nutrition team may suggest a novel protein version.

🐶 When and How to Use It

Poached meat and broth is not a long-term diet — it’s a reset button. We use it to:

• Support recovery from illness, surgery or digestive upset

• Help sensitive pets transition safely to a raw diet

• Provide nourishment when everything else is too hard to digest

If your pet has a health condition, we recommend discussing any dietary change with your vet. We're happy to work alongside your veterinary team.

Our in-house nutrition advisors may also guide you into our Gut Healing Protocol (GHP) if appropriate.

✅ Feeding Guide

How to prepare poached meat:

• Cut into bite-sized pieces

• Remove bone and excess fat

• Gently poach in water or broth for 5–10 mins (just enough to cover the meat)

• Cool before serving

• Never cook anything containing bone

How much to feed:

• Adult pets: ~2% of body weight daily

• Puppies & kittens: ~3–5% of body weight daily

• Feed 2–3 times a day, with broth served alongside

Suggested broth amounts per meal:

Remember — less is more in the beginning. Underwhelming the gut gives it space to recover.

🧠 A Few Things to Keep in Mind

• Soft, jelly-like stools are normal at this stage

• Keep a diary of energy levels, appetite, and stool quality

• If there’s a history of pancreatitis, chill the broth and skim off the fat

• Avoid extra treats — keep it simple

• For puppies/kittens under one year, please contact us if they don’t tolerate bone-based raw within a week

🤝 We’re With You

Every pet is different. That’s why we take the time to understand your pet’s needs, ask the right questions, and build a plan that makes sense for where they’re at — whether that’s a full raw diet, gut support, or simply figuring out what food they can tolerate.

Because at Raw Essentials, we don’t just feed pets — we support them for life.

💌 Need help? Email us anytime at help@rawessentials.co.nz
📍 Visit one of our 16 stores for in-person advice
🌐 Learn more: rawessentials.co.nz

Raw Means Raw — and empathy comes first.

We’ve been improving the lives of cats and dogs in New Zealand for 18 years. Founded by a vet and led by science, our team of raw feeding experts build wildly good, pet-specific diets using only NZ-grown, traceable, unprocessed, 100% natural raw food.

And when things aren’t going well, we’re here to help your pet find their way back to thriving.