# Raw Tripe



## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

I am going to give this to my dog for the first time....I was wondering how much to give at once?

I bought a pound but not sure he should get all that at once...if that's what all of the experience raw feeders do then I'll give it all.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I think it depends on your dog and what else you feed. For example I feed my 3 GSDs twice a day, with the morning meal being a half-pound of ground tripe per dog.


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## Jane Jean (Sep 18, 2009)

I usually give a heaping spoonful (about 4oz) of tripe per meal. It can be the whole MM portion of the meal. 
I just add it as a supplement. With 3 dogs it gets pricey and I want them to have the benefits of the digestive enzymes tripe provides. I don't think you can overdo it, it is stinking perfection as far as raw goes.


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Thanks! 

I ended up giving him 1/2 lb and he seemed to love it. I did not grind it though... I had no idea how hard it would be to cut it up so I ended up cutting it with scissors- fun!


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## Chris Corini (Dec 6, 2011)

raw tripe is good but it cant be the bleached tripe you find at your supermarker..it should be greenich..and i would say once a week is plenty..1/2 is good


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

We give 1meal/day. 1-1.5kg for a meal (green tripe) in 1piece as possible. In the litter i (actually dick) cut it up in 5x5cm or so. 7 wks old get bigger pieces. A16 wk old the same as the adults ;-)


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

Sally if it isn't ground and you are having trouble cutting it it is esier to cut if it is semi-frozen or chop with an axe if frozen.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Chris Corini said:


> raw tripe is good but it cant be the bleached tripe you find at your supermarker..it should be greenich..and i would say once a week is plenty..1/2 is good



Hi, Chris!

Please don't forget to do an intro/bio post at http://www.WorkingDogForum.com/vBulletin/f20/


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Jane Jean said:


> I usually give a heaping spoonful (about 4oz) of tripe per meal. It can be the whole MM portion of the meal.



That's about what I give when I have it. The small dogs get about half that.


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## Ken Seminatore (Apr 20, 2011)

I sure recall my visits to Paul Hombac in Wisconsin, true old time schuz. german trainer. Yes, he did feed this tripe for all his dogs, but I remember he boiled it in a huge pot. IOf course, he mixed the tripe with his favorite dry food. I do not feed raw tripe, I do feed excellent raw meat product that I get at several local suppliers. My Malinois is pushing 15 years and still very active, I have to accept this raw food meat has really meant why he is still working.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Ken Seminatore said:


> I sure recall my visits to Paul Hombac in Wisconsin, true old time schuz. german trainer. Yes, he did feed this tripe for all his dogs, but I remember he boiled it in a huge pot.


Oh, THAT must smell awesome. :-&

It's bad enough without heating it up. :lol:


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## Rachel M. Reams (Nov 29, 2012)

I occasionally order ground raw tripe for my dogs, and I feed it in any way I feel like it. Sometimes it's a whole meal, some times it's mixed with other food. My husband objects to the smell, so more often when I order it, I get it as a ground mix with beef, beef heart, and beef liver. The smell is less noticeable when it comes in this mix. 

When it comes to picky eaters, though -- tripe is king. I've never even heard of a dog refusing it. I'm sure there's probably some weirdo out there who has, but it's pretty damn rare.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

_"I've never even heard of a dog refusing it."_



Boy, I'll say!

Even the canned one.

This stuff is the caviar (or the dark chocolate) of dogdom. :lol:


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## Jane Jean (Sep 18, 2009)

This article is great explaining the benefits:
http://www.aplaceforpaws.com/reference-articles/raw-feeding/tripe-the-other-white-meat.html
If I had only one protein source to choose from to feed my dogs, it would be fresh green tripe


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Well, I have bad news- but could be worse. Since it was the first time I have ever bought or fed tripe, I screwed up and got the white stuff that now I read is useless- so next time I will be aware of what I am actually getting (shame on me). Regardless, he ate it up happily.

So the actual bad news is, my dog and I spent the entire day at the animal emergency clinic with an obstructed foreign object (which I am sure is bone fragment). It is now moving after a barium flush and various sets of x rays. I have to give him a liquid laxative and they strongly felt it would pass in 12-24 hrs. My dog still is not acting right and I'm sure he is hurting, but he has an appetite and no vomiting which is good.

I hate this waiting, but it is better than exploratory surgery I suppose. 

I am not sure I ever want to give a bone again that is not ground up.....today really has me frazzled.


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## Jane Jean (Sep 18, 2009)

so sorry to read that! 
What type of bones were you feeding? 
Most poultry and young mammal(livestock) is safe but I stay away from the weight bearing bones and seldom feed any red meat bone. Pork, lamb necks are about the only thing I give as my dogs don't digest the denser bones easily. Hope everything comes out ok!


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Thanks Jane. It was oxtail he got last night. It seemed mostly cartilage but he must have swallowed a huge chunk and it just got lodged. 

I have only done turkey necks and chicken quarters until then since the bulk of his food is a pre-packaged raw and everything is ground up. I did give a beef rib once and he just swallowed it whole but had no problems. I decided to not give him bigger ones since he is such a glutton. I had no idea that darn oxtail could do it....if that is what it is


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## Meg O'Donovan (Aug 20, 2012)

Sorry to hear about the oxtail bone, or whatever the unfortunate blockage was.

I've heard that the beneficial enzymes in tripe are destroyed if the tripe is canned. Does freezing destroy those enzymes also? Is fresh tripe the only one that keeps the enzymes?

Apologies if this question has come up on the forum before.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Jane Jean said:


> so sorry to read that!
> What type of bones were you feeding?
> Most poultry and young mammal(livestock) is safe but I stay away from the weight bearing bones and seldom feed any red meat bone. Pork, lamb necks are about the only thing I give as my dogs don't digest the denser bones easily. Hope everything comes out ok!


Even though it's probably fine almost all the time, I don't give weight-bearing bones either.

I used to, but chicken backs are so cartilage-y and digestible (plus cheap!) that they are most of the RMBs I give. I give variety in the added muscle meat, though, for variety among amino acid profiles.

Sally, please let us know when this resolves. (BTW, I feel sure it will be OK because you found it; you know about it. It's being watched. Good for you that you were on top of it right away.)


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Meg O'Donovan said:


> Sorry to hear about the oxtail bone, or whatever the unfortunate blockage was.
> 
> I've heard that the beneficial enzymes in tripe are destroyed if the tripe is canned. Does freezing destroy those enzymes also? Is fresh tripe the only one that keeps the enzymes?
> 
> Apologies if this question has come up on the forum before.


Yes, canned is by far the most altered/damaged. Frozen is much better. A lot of the enzymes survive freezing. I'd have to look it up again, but "over 50%" is sticking in my mind as digestive enzymes that survive freezing. I ran across this while researching chopped and frozen pig pancreas for dogs with EPI ....


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Sally, please let us know when this resolves. (BTW, I feel sure it will be OK because you found it; you know about it. It's being watched. Good for you that you were on top of it right away.)


Thanks Connie! I will update hopefully tomorrow with fantastic news. 

It's strange how we can know our dogs
so well without them being able to talk. I fed that evil little oxtail around 7:30 Saturday evening and by 10am I knew he was not acting right at all. I was accused of being extremely paranoid for even taking him in, but I got my apology afterwards!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Yes, canned is by far the most altered/damaged. Frozen is much better. A lot of the enzymes survive freezing. I'd have to look it up again, but "over 50%" is sticking in my mind as digestive enzymes that survive freezing. I ran across this while researching chopped and frozen pig pancreas for dogs with EPI ....



Then I would guess that frozen tripe would be good for my EPI dog?
I've also read about the frozen pig pancreas as being to inconsistent in amount of enzyme to be a reliable source for the EPI dog.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Bob Scott said:


> I've also read about the frozen pig pancreas as being to inconsistent in amount of enzyme to be a reliable source for the EPI dog.


Yes, that was what I came away with on the frozen pig pancreas. The enzyme content is too inconsistent.

But it was interesting to find out how much enzyme content survives freezing.


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## Matt Vandart (Nov 28, 2012)

I was talking to my missus today, coincidentally, about going back to tripe, but I can't seem to find it anywhere round here


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## Meg O'Donovan (Aug 20, 2012)

Does dehydrating/drying destroy all those good enzymes in tripe also? 
I'm thinking of the dried tripe that still looks like tripe ( no green guts), not the kind that is processed with other things into dog snacks/treats. Has anyone heard of using a dehydrator to dry tripe at home? I know this process would smell pretty rank.

Tripe is a delicacy among the oldtimers in our local native community. It is cleaned in a river before boiling/stewing it. The greens are removed, just the tissue is eaten. When someone is butchering their own cow, then people go ask for it, and really appreciate it. The young people don't seem to have the same liking for it. 

I remember eating it in soups in SE Asia also. But not with the green stuff still in it!


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Meg O'Donovan said:


> Does dehydrating/drying destroy all those good enzymes in tripe also?


Big gray area, because it depends on the temperature (and on the temp consistency too). I think it also depends partly on whether the tripe was air-dried first.

By the time you hit dry heat of about 149 degrees F. or wet heat of about 118 degrees F., enzymes in foods have been deactivated.

You'd have to read up on the individual manufacturer, I guess, what temp they use, and whether enzyme survival is tested post-processing.


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## Mark Horne (Oct 12, 2006)

http://www.jeffs-tripe.co.uk/feeding.htm

Here's a quick guide to feeding quantities for Tripe.

This is good stuff to feed in the morning especially before training as it hydrates the dog preparing it for the day ahead. You'll notice the dog weeing quite a lot a few hours after eating, animals like people actually get most of their fluids from food not drinks as many percieve.

The gold standard is to feed the Tripe in complete pieces so the dog has to tear at it for some time. Bernard Flinks does this with his competition and operational K9's, they develop very powerful jaw muscles as they try and tear it whilst holding it with their feet. It takes a little while too so making meal times more interesting.

Canned Tripe has a place especially for our friends in the states that often drive huge distances to train, if you've had a really a good day's training or hiking etc its too late to drive 3hrs home then feed your dogs.
The canine athlete needs fluid and nutrition to tie him over until he get home, break open a can of Tripe for them.
Example; Triathletes often have a protein/carb drink within 15mins of crossing the line, easy to digest, contains fluid and vitamins, the body is not yet in state to cope with a proper meal. They are starting the repair process asap.

good luck

Mark


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I wish I could afford to feed more than a half pound each to my 3 GSDs, but at almost $3.00 a pound for frozen green tripe (including shipping), I'm at my financial limit. So I feel whole bones, whole fish and organ meat to make up the difference.


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Well, went back to the vet today since my dog has not been able to have a bm since Sunday even while taking the laxative- and long story short he finally went, there was oxtail and he should be fine now.....whew!


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## Tiago Fontes (Apr 17, 2011)

Excellent news! I am sure he will be 100% very soon.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Sally Crunkleton said:


> Well, went back to the vet today since my dog has not been able to have a bm since Sunday even while taking the laxative- and long story short he finally went, there was oxtail and he should be fine now.....whew!


Whew indeed!

I'd vote for no more oxtail bones.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Glad to hear all is well!


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## Jane Jean (Sep 18, 2009)

good news. My dogs love oxtails, though they are experienced chewers. I get excited when I see a package of them included in my raw pick-ups


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

I was pretty upset with myself knowing what a hog he is while eating. I even gave him a "big" one that could not be swallowed....well, he basically bit it in half so he could swallow it.

I told my vet I was done with bones and he told me not to disservice my dog that way, but just make sure it is a large bone that requires lots of gnawing...

Whew is right!


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Sally Crunkleton said:


> I told my vet I was done with bones and he told me not to disservice my dog that way, but just make sure it is a large bone that requires lots of gnawing...


The vet is talking about recreational bones, right? And you are talking about RMBs, the consumable, digestible, basis of a raw diet?

Or am I confused?


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Lynn Cheffins said:


> Sally if it isn't ground and you are having trouble cutting it it is esier to cut if it is semi-frozen or chop with an axe if frozen.


or just use an axe to get it out of the still alive cow, take pictures and put it in a box....  like Kadi might


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Connie Sutherland said:


> The vet is talking about recreational bones, right? And you are talking about RMBs, the consumable, digestible, basis of a raw diet?
> 
> Or am I confused?


Your right Connie... He was talking about those for the purposes of teeth cleaning, I was trying to feed a raw meaty bone. I have seen him snap a turkey neck in half and throw the whole thing back like a jello shot, so I thought he would HAVE to chew this, but I was wrong. I think the turkey neck/chicken quarter is safer since there are no jagged edges although not really recreational right?

The vet said all raw bones are digestible, but with my dog being a gulper - I am sure he will just bite and swallow large chunks of whatever it is. He is very impatient...


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Sally Crunkleton said:


> Your right Connie... He was talking about those for the purposes of teeth cleaning, I was trying to feed a raw meaty bone. I have seen him snap a turkey neck in half and throw the whole thing back like a jello shot, so I thought he would HAVE to chew this, but I was wrong. I think the turkey neck/chicken quarter is safer since there are no jagged edges although not really recreational right?
> 
> The vet said all raw bones are digestible, but with my dog being a gulper - I am sure he will just bite and swallow large chunks of whatever it is. He is very impatient...


_
"The vet said all raw bones are digestible."_

Think of a 15-pound Border Terrier with a marrow bone or a huge femur.

_
"I think the turkey neck/chicken quarter is safer since there are no jagged edges although not really recreational right?"_

Are you feeding a raw diet or are you looking for a recreational bone?



There's a recap of recreational versus RMB on the Leerburg site; I'll dig it up.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

OK, here it is:

http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm#RMB

BTW, Where Cindy mentions that her small dogs have no trouble with weight-bearing bones (like poultry legs), yes, I agree that lots of dogs have no problem with them. But I've had two dogs who did fine on everything but weight-bearing bones. The size of the leg-bone pieces that came out in the poop alerted me that even though they were nice and smooth, they were big enough to potentially cause a problem. (These were both _small_ dogs, though. The size of the pieces I saw would probably not have bothered me with my adult GSD, say.)

Cindy includes oxtail, but I think oxtail is iffy. As I imagine you do. :lol: It seems to range in size by a lot. Maybe it's the skinny end of the tail versus the bigger end.


Also BTW, in the Rec Bones section, where Cindy says "I know many dogs that have permanently damaged or broken their teeth on recreational bones. Use discretion with this type of bone," I agree 100%. I don't give recreational bones any more since I saw the size of my granddog's Tufts' bill when he fractured a tooth on one at age 2. (It's really an individual dog thing: some dogs patiently gnaw away on a big bone and some will immediately try with all their might to crack that sucker OPEN. :lol: )


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Connie Sutherland said:


> _
> "The vet said all raw bones are digestible."_
> 
> Think of a 15-pound Border Terrier with a marrow bone or a huge femur.
> ...


I can't imagine a 15 pound anything eating a femur! Lol, I got the underlying "if appropriately sized" for the dog who will eat them.

I have been feeding a raw diet, but I get the pre-made/bones ground up food delivered. I was looking for more of a recreational bone at that time, but I think a Nylabone is what he will be chewing!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

My 12-14 lb terriers easily handled a full chicken leg quarter each.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Sally Crunkleton said:


> I think a Nylabone is what he will be chewing!


_Nylabone Warnings_ is a good thing to Google. 

I know I sound like a total buzz-kill (which someone called me in an email recently and completely cracked me up; I don't think I had heard that term in two decades), but two dogs in our small club had Nylabone disasters in the last couple of years.


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## Sally Crunkleton (Jan 13, 2012)

Connie Sutherland said:


> _Nylabone Warnings_ is a good thing to Google.
> 
> I know I sound like a total buzz-kill (which someone called me in an email recently and completely cracked me up; I don't think I had heard that term in two decades), but two dogs in our small club had Nylabone disasters in the last couple of years.


I can't tell you the last time I actually bought a Nylabone, but I will google more recent news, I have read that the small rice-like pieces they may swallow can build up in the gut.

I was being a smarty when I made that statement earlier- I was just mad at the oxtail


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## Zakia Days (Mar 13, 2009)

susan tuck said:


> I wish I could afford to feed more than a half pound each to my 3 GSDs, but at almost $3.00 a pound for frozen green tripe (including shipping), I'm at my financial limit. So I feel whole bones, whole fish and organ meat to make up the difference.


Really?! Wow! All the butcher shops in your area sell it at that price only? Check the butchers in your area. I don't mean the "Stop n' Shop," Whole Foods" butcher either. The ones in the country, maybe 25 - 30 miles from you. It should be fresh and waaaay cheaper from there. Good luck.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Zakia Days said:


> Really?! Wow! All the butcher shops in your area sell it at that price only? Check the butchers in your area. I don't mean the "Stop n' Shop," Whole Foods" butcher either. The ones in the country, maybe 25 - 30 miles from you. It should be fresh and waaaay cheaper from there. Good luck.


I know of no butcher shops that sell green tripe.


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## Jane Jean (Sep 18, 2009)

susan tuck said:


> I know of no butcher shops that sell green tripe.


Even processors won't sell it, it is considered renderings...so you'd have to ask them to give it to you(and make sure it isn't from grain fed cattle).
I know of a grass fed cattle ranch locally and asked contact them to sell their tripe/renderings to another fairly local raw food distributor. Not sure if they ever connected, I sure hope it isn't ending up in a landfill.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Jane Jean said:


> Even processors won't sell it, it is considered renderings...so you'd have to ask them to give it to you(and make sure it isn't from grain fed cattle).
> I know of a grass fed cattle ranch locally and asked contact them to sell their tripe/renderings to another fairly local raw food distributor. Not sure if they ever connected, I sure hope it isn't ending up in a landfill.


Also you have to be careful that when it's grass fed cattle, it's not grass fed but finished in feed lots, since the USDA has not officially defined "grass fed", it's important to look for a cattle source that is "grass finished". It's why I'm very careful about my tripe source. I would rather pay more and get 100% grass finished, organic tripe, than be able to feed a little more but have it be of lesser quality.


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## Zakia Days (Mar 13, 2009)

What's the difference? What is the difference in appearance, smell, color, and/or quantity? How do I find out?


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

The difference between grain fed and grass finished? No grains or corn in grass finished green tripe, which is important to me, because I don't feed grains or corn to my dogs. Feed lot cattle are given steroid hormones. Also grass finished tripe is higher in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin E, minerals, etc.


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