Tripe for Dogs: Green, Raw and Dried Explained

Tripe is the one treat people apologise for buying.

They will tell me their dog adores it, and then immediately explain that they keep it in the shed. Both things are true. It is also, nutritionally, one of the best things you can hand a dog, so it is worth understanding properly rather than just holding your nose.

Is tripe good for dogs?

Yes, and not in a vague way.

Tripe is the stomach lining of a cow. Ours is beef, unbleached, and dried into sticks. The numbers on our Beef Tripe Sticks are 82.5% protein and 6.9% fat, which is among the highest protein of anything we sell and comfortably inside our low fat range.

It also carries a complete amino acid profile and is a natural source of selenium. And it is exceptionally easy to digest, which is why it turns up so often in the "my dog won't eat anything" conversation.

Green, raw, frozen, dried: what is the difference?

This confuses a lot of people, and most shops do not bother explaining it. Here is the short version.

Green tripe means unbleached. That is all it means. Tripe sold for human consumption is scalded and bleached until it is white and largely stripped of what made it useful. Green tripe skips that, keeping the natural enzymes and the stomach contents that come with it. It is not actually green.

Raw or frozen tripe is green tripe sold cold, usually minced, and fed as part of a raw diet. This is what most of the internet means by tripe for dogs, and it comes in kilo bags for the freezer.

Dried tripe is green tripe with the water taken out. Same material, different job. It lives in the cupboard, it gets handed over as a treat, and because the water has gone the protein per gram is far higher.

Ours is unbleached, so it is green tripe. It is simply dried rather than frozen.

That texture is the giveaway. The honeycomb pattern is the stomach lining itself, and it is what dogs get their teeth into.

So which should I buy?

Depends what you want it for.

If you feed raw and you are looking for something to make up part of a meal, you want frozen minced tripe from a raw supplier. We do not sell that and I will not pretend otherwise.

If you want a treat, a training reward, or something to tempt a fussy eater, dried is the one. No freezer space, no defrosting, no mess, and you can put it in your pocket on a walk.

Can dogs eat fresh tripe from the butcher?

You can, with two caveats worth knowing.

Most tripe on a butcher's counter is the bleached, human-grade sort. It will not hurt your dog, but much of the benefit has been processed out of it. If you want green tripe you usually have to ask specifically, and many butchers will not have it.

The second caveat is handling. Raw tripe is raw meat. Normal raw feeding hygiene applies: clean surfaces, wash hands, keep it away from anything you are eating.

What are the benefits?

The honest list, without the superfood language:

• Very high in protein. 82.5% in our dried sticks, supporting muscle and condition.
• Low in fat. 6.9%, which keeps it inside our low fat range and makes it a sensible pick when your dog needs to lose a bit.
• Complete amino acid profile. All the building blocks in one place.
• Rich in selenium, an antioxidant that supports the immune system.
• Easy to digest. Gentle enough for dogs whose stomachs object to richer chews.
• Single ingredient. Beef and nothing else. No grain, no additives, nothing sprayed on.

What I would not claim is that it fixes anything. You will find plenty of pages calling tripe a superfood and implying it sorts out digestion, coat and immunity on its own. It is a very good treat. That is enough.

Can I feed tripe every day?

You could, and plenty do, but count it as part of the day's food rather than an extra.

The usual guide is that treats and chews stay under about a tenth of what your dog eats in a day. Tripe is lean enough to be more forgiving than most, which is exactly why it suits dogs on a diet. The rest of our low fat range is worth a look if that is what you are after.

If your dog has never had tripe, introduce it gradually. Anything new deserves that, and tripe is rich in a different way to what most dogs are used to.

Right, the smell

It smells. Properly.

I am not going to talk around it, because you will find out in the post. Tripe is the most fragrant thing we sell and there is no version of it that does not smell. That is the stomach contents doing exactly what makes it good.

Practical suggestions: keep the bag sealed, give it outside or on a mat, and wash your hands afterwards. If you cannot live with it, a paddywack at 84.3% protein and 7.5% fat is a near-identical nutritional pick with almost no odour.

Dogs, for what it is worth, think the smell is the best part.

Who tripe suits

• Fussy eaters. If nothing has tempted them, this usually does.
• Dogs on a diet. At 6.9% fat it is one of the leaner things we sell.
• Sensitive stomachs. Easy to digest and single protein.
• Training. Break a stick into pieces and you have a very high value reward.

Less suitable if you cannot tolerate the smell, or if your dog reacts to beef, in which case a rabbit or venison stick is the better route.

The short version

Green tripe means unbleached, and ours is. Raw and frozen tripe is for raw feeders. Dried tripe is the same thing with the water removed, and it is a treat rather than a meal. It is 82.5% protein, 6.9% fat, and it smells.

If your dog is off their food or needs to lose a bit without losing their treats, this is the one I would put in your hand.

Not sure whether tripe suits your dog? Email me and tell me about them. I answer every message myself.