# Tripe - How much to feed?



## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

I've recently moved my 13 year old dogs onto RAW food after doing a fair bit of research and being educated on the benefits of it. I'm getting the hang of quantities now I think which stressed me out at first!
I'm just wondering I know tripe is really good for them but does it have to be limited or can it form a good part of the diet?
An example of what I'm feeding at the moment:

Day one - Lamb neck/ribs for breakfast, Minced Chicken for tea
Day two - Chicken carcass breakfast, Minced Tripe for tea
Day three - Chunks of beef for breakfast, Chicken carcass for tea

The main things i have to give them are tripe, minced chicken, beef pieces, lamb pieces, lamb necks and ribs. I'm going to see if i can get heart from the butchers also and possibly some p oultry necks. Does this sound like a big enough variety?


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## Coffee (Jul 31, 2011)

I'd be interested in opinions on this too actually. I introduced tripe on week 2 of feeding raw and have been feeding it about 3 or 4 times a week since then as I assumed it was under the category of 'meat' but then I read last night that it actually counts as offal which concerned me I must admit  and made me wonder if I might have been a. overfeeding the offal amount and b. should I have even introduced it at all just yet?


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## whitefire (Jun 15, 2012)

hi

personally, i think there is too much bone, if you're using the 80% meat / 10% bone / 10% offal (of which 5% should be liver) then roughly every 9th meal should be a meaty bone / boney meal.

(green) tripe is meat and you can feed as much of it as you like. it has the correct balance of phosphorous and calcium. green tripe has the additional benefit of providing good bacteria, which aids in digestion.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

whitefire said:


> hi
> 
> personally, i think there is too much bone, if you're using the 80% meat / 10% bone / 10% offal (of which 5% should be liver) then roughly every 9th meal should be a meaty bone / boney meal.
> 
> (green) tripe is meat and you can feed as much of it as you like. it has the correct balance of phosphorous and calcium. green tripe has the additional benefit of providing good bacteria, which aids in digestion.


Oh right I didn't realise that you only have such little boney meals. I'll take note of that


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## whitefire (Jun 15, 2012)

things we think are offal but is actually meat =

hearts,
tongue,
cheeks,
green tripe,
lungs and trachea,

all the other stuff we think is offal, is offal like = 

brains,
pancreas,
testicle,
spleen,
kidney,
liver,
eye balls,
uterus


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

Every dog is different and some raw feeders on here do a very bone heavy diet.

Poppy (a 5.3kg Bichon) gets a chicken wing two out of three days, so out of six meals two are chicken wings, plus some of the meals are DAF minces which have a small proportion of ground bone in them too. On occasion she gets ribs instead of wings, she had a pigs trotter the other day, both of which are bonier than chicken wings.

Be guided by the poop, too hard and difficult to pass means too much bone.


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## whitefire (Jun 15, 2012)

GerbilNik said:


> Oh right I didn't realise that you only have such little boney meals. I'll take note of that


that's the difference between BARF and RAW/prey model.

BARF is all about bones and less meat with veggies thrown in. the RAW/prey model is trying to emulate the prey animal a hunter would eat. hunters would eat more meat, a little bone and offal but mainly the rich red meat.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

See this is what confuses me - there's so many different "types" of RAW feeding  I'm assuming the prey model type is the best as it's most natural? I've also seen that people put veggies and the prize choice meats recommend putting rice in but to me that's not something dogs would naturally eat anyway!


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## mrsimpson85 (Sep 13, 2011)

It all depends on your dog. I've got 1 dog on the 80-10-10 model, 1 dog who has 70-20-10 and another who has around 60-25-15. 
Just look at your dog, don't rush it and see how he/she gets on.


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

I have some of the Prize Choice freeflow tripe mince but no longer have the original packaging as I've portioned it up now. Do they recommend adding rice if you cook it? It's not something I add but I do add _blended_ veggies to some of the meals and occasionally give a whole raw carrot as a chew treat. I also give fruit and probiotic yogurt as a treat.

I don't call mine BARF or Prey. I did my research and decided I wanted to feed raw following the 80/10/10 ratio and use that as a guide, it's not exact and I poop watch to make sure the bone ratio is right for her. She gets various meats and bones, some minces for added variety of meats I can't get otherwise, tinned fish occasionally and raw fish too. I've got some whole rabbits on order but they are coming skinned and gutted (I believe). I don't give animal heads but I do have pigs trotters, tail and ears which aren't given regularly but occasionally.


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

DirtyGertie said:


> I have some of the Prize Choice freeflow tripe mince but no longer have the original packaging as I've portioned it up now. Do they recommend adding rice if you cook it? It's not something I add but I do add _blended_ veggies to some of the meals and occasionally give a whole raw carrot as a chew treat. I also give fruit and probiotic yogurt as a treat.
> 
> I don't call mine BARF or Prey. I did my research and decided I wanted to feed raw following the 80/10/10 ratio and use that as a guide, it's not exact and I poop watch to make sure the bone ratio is right for her. She gets various meats and bones, some minces for added variety of meats I can't get otherwise, tinned fish occasionally and raw fish too. I've got some whole rabbits on order but they are coming skinned and gutted (I believe). I don't give animal heads but I do have pigs trotters, tail and ears which aren't given regularly but occasionally.


Hi no they just say you can add some cooked rice and veg to it if you want but i wasn't sure if this is the "done" thing or not  am thinking it's j ust a way to bulk it out?


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## DirtyGertie (Mar 12, 2011)

GerbilNik said:


> Hi no they just say you can add some cooked rice and veg to it if you want but i wasn't sure if this is the "done" thing or not  am thinking it's j ust a way to bulk it out?


I don't think any raw feeder on here ever adds rice. Only ever seen it mentioned if a dog is not well and rice and white fish/chicken is recommended.


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## mrsimpson85 (Sep 13, 2011)

Personally, I would stay away from minced meat. They will just gulp it down because they don't need to chew. Chunks of meat are better because it gives them mental stimulation and helps to keep their teeth clean. 
I have a few packs of minced meat in the freezer invade the have to go to the vet and be "put under" so when their sleepy they can just eat. If it get close to the use by date I'll make spegettI bolgnaise.


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## whitefire (Jun 15, 2012)

GerbilNik said:


> See this is what confuses me - there's so many different "types" of RAW feeding  I'm assuming the prey model type is the best as it's most natural? I've also seen that people put veggies and the prize choice meats recommend putting rice in but to me that's not something dogs would naturally eat anyway!


back in the day circa 1800 dogs used to be fed on table scraps, and bits and bobs. table scraps used to include bones and veggies. then some clever numpty circa 1900, decided to manufacture 'complete' pet food to simulate the table scraps which became the norm because it was 'clean and convenient' for the people of the day. as this evolved more and more bulking agents and nasty chemicals were added to make it cheaper and smell 'good'. then BARF was introduced as a healthier alternative to 'complete' and to simulate the days of table scarps but it concentrated on bones and included veg and fruit. organically (well research and studies helped it really) BARF evolved into the prey model which is what i feed, much research has gone into what the wild dogs and hunters would eat and this is where we are now with prey model diets - simply going back to what the hunter would eat before man decided what was good for the dog.

also if your dog can handle bones and whole meats then i would suggest ditching the minces as they do not provide any teeth cleaning, you have no idea if there are preservatives or colourants in them, and mentally and physically there is no stimulation. also the meat has gone through huge amount of processing and overtime would have been exposed to cleaning agents etc. prey model / raw / BARF whichever you choose does stimulate mentally and physically so mince to dogs would be like eating soup for us - not so stimulating.

as an example i used to use prize choice minced green tripe when i just started but now i get whole chunks of green tripe. the smell is different and my boy goes mental (he went mental before but now he is like Cujo when he smells the freezer open).

my boy loves green tripe, so i love green tripe. and if a meal is small in size like a bone meal or an offal meal then i use the tripe as a bulking agent :thumbup:


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

DirtyGertie said:


> I don't think any raw feeder on here ever adds rice. Only ever seen it mentioned if a dog is not well and rice and white fish/chicken is recommended.


Ok thanks for clearing that up. Also thanks to everyone who's replied it's all helping


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

whitefire said:


> back in the day circa 1800 dogs used to be fed on table scraps, and bits and bobs. table scraps used to include bones and veggies. then some clever numpty circa 1900, decided to manufacture 'complete' pet food to simulate the table scraps which became the norm because it was 'clean and convenient' for the people of the day. as this evolved more and more bulking agents and nasty chemicals were added to make it cheaper and smell 'good'. then BARF was introduced as a healthier alternative to 'complete' and to simulate the days of table scarps but it concentrated on bones and included veg and fruit. organically (well research and studies helped it really) BARF evolved into the prey model which is what i feed, much research has gone into what the wild dogs and hunters would eat and this is where we are now with prey model diets - simply going back to what the hunter would eat before man decided what was good for the dog.
> 
> also if your dog can handle bones and whole meats then i would suggest ditching the minces as they do not provide any teeth cleaning, you have no idea if there are preservatives or colourants in them, and mentally and physically there is no stimulation. also the meat has gone through huge amount of processing and overtime would have been exposed to cleaning agents etc. prey model / raw / BARF whichever you choose does stimulate mentally and physically so mince to dogs would be like eating soup for us - not so stimulating.
> 
> ...


I use the prize choice minced tripe just now as I'm just really finding my feet and it's making me more relaxed about the whole thing. I do plan on moving on to more meaty chunks - barney the springer gets more meaty chunks than penny as she sometimes struggles with them due to having not many teeth left but i give her them as well as bones so she still manages some and gets the benefit. I do have to give her more mince however to ensure she gets what she needs calorie-wise.

Would the local butcher sell tripe chunks? Or is it more likely i'd have to get this sort of thing from elsewhere?


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## pogo (Jul 25, 2011)

whitefire said:


> that's the difference between BARF and RAW/prey model.
> 
> BARF is all about bones and less meat with veggies thrown in. the RAW/prey model is trying to emulate the prey animal a hunter would eat. hunters would eat more meat, a little bone and offal but mainly the rich red meat.


See i feed prey model but they certainly get more bone then every 9th meal, they need a bonier diet so don't agree with what you've said


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## pogo (Jul 25, 2011)

Oh to the op I feed alot of tripe it is classed as meat not offal after all. I buy whole tripe not cut up which is about 15kg so I give huge chunks of it rather then any minced stuff


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

pogo said:


> Oh to the op I feed alot of tripe it is classed as meat not offal after all. I buy whole tripe not cut up which is about 15kg so I give huge chunks of it rather then any minced stuff


Ok good thanks. I'll try and get some proper pieces if i can at some point.


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## babycham2002 (Oct 18, 2009)

goodness me i cant imagine anythimg worse than cooking green tripe !!!! 

Mine get a boney meal almost every day, the chicken carcasses/ necks that they have have a lot of meat on them anyway its not like they are just eating bone in that meal it is a very large percentage of meat in that one meal


To the OP I think I worked out once that about 20% of my dogs diets is formed with tripe.
They all love it, I can hide offal/ supplements in it for the ones that wont have eat offal otherwise and I do think it is great for their diet. Expecially their digestion


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## whitefire (Jun 15, 2012)

it's very difficult to get green tripe from a butcher, i've tried 4. green tripe is not fit for human consumption. 

i get mine from mobile pet foods but if you're close to an abattoir you could try them.


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## whitefire (Jun 15, 2012)

pogo said:


> See i feed prey model but they certainly get more bone then every 9th meal, they need a bonier diet so don't agree with what you've said


that's the beauty of the prey model / raw diet, each dog is different and the only way you can tell what's going on is by inspecting the poo.

and i dont *only* feed bone as bone every 9th meal. maybe i should have been more clear and said that the majority of the bone happens to be around the 9th meal.


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## pogo (Jul 25, 2011)

whitefire said:


> that's the beauty of the prey model / raw diet, each dog is different and the only way you can tell what's going on is by inspecting the poo.
> 
> and i dont *only* feed bone as bone every 9th meal. maybe i should have been more clear and said that the majority of the bone happens to be around the 9th meal.


My two get a bone in some form more or less every meal though


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Coffee said:


> I'd be interested in opinions on this too actually. I introduced tripe on week 2 of feeding raw and have been feeding it about 3 or 4 times a week since then as I assumed it was under the category of 'meat' but then I read last night that it actually counts as offal which concerned me I must admit  and made me wonder if I might have been a. overfeeding the offal amount and b. should I have even introduced it at all just yet?


Who says its offal? I say it's meat. Forms 20% of my lad's diet they get 2lbs each a week and do great on it.


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## Lil Doglets (Oct 17, 2011)

I feed 1 meal of tripe a week, sunday is always their tripe and egg day  
But this is mainly because i only feed 1 raw meal a day and have very tiny dogs so each meal can only really consist of 1 thing, if i had larger dogs i'd most likely feed tripe a few times a week for breakfasts or something.

Also to add, pretty much every meal they have has bone in it as i find this suits them best, days where they have no bone at all the outcome is usually on the soft side lol


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## Coffee (Jul 31, 2011)

GoldenShadow said:


> Who says its offal? I say it's meat. Forms 20% of my lad's diet they get 2lbs each a week and do great on it.


It was Sixstar who said it was offal  on another thread.

Seems pretty much everyone else sees it as meat though.


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

Personally I don't get too hung up about the percentages. I make sure my dog gets meat, bone and offal but other than that I go by the poos, too hard and he gets less bone for a few days, too soft and I increase the bone. As for tripe, it gets fed several times a week here, I've always counted it as meat.



> goodness me i cant imagine anythimg worse than cooking green tripe


Do NOT cook it. Seriously. I made the mistake of making tripe cake and oh my god, never, ever, EVER again. Not for anything in the world. The smell was like nothing I can describe :scared:


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## Sarah1983 (Nov 2, 2011)

pogo said:


> See i feed prey model but they certainly get more bone then every 9th meal, they need a bonier diet so don't agree with what you've said


Same here, I give several bony meals a week and have done since starting raw. Only once had problems and that was when Spen ate the whole of what should have been a recreational bone and literally sh*t bricks the next day


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