Tripe – is it good for dogs and how should you give it to your four-legged friend? And is it worth it, because the opinions of veterinarians and dog handlers are divided - some consider this byproduct one of the necessary in the diet, and others consider it a dangerous source of protozoa, bacteria and fungi for animals, causing serious diseases. In this article we will look at the pros and cons and tell you how to feed your pet without worrying about its health.
First, let's figure out what a scar is and what it represents. This is what the cow's proventriculus is called. It looks like a large bag, covered inside with a lot of fibers. For a person, all this does not look as appetizing as for a dog, and it smells so bad that you have to hold your nose.
photo from the site: barboss-etalon.ru
It is in the first proventriculus that grass, hay and other food eaten by the cow during the day are kept for several hours. After this temporary stay, they are regurgitated so that the animal can chew them again - this time more thoroughly. This double processing allows the food to be completely absorbed and digested. After secondary chewing, the food goes into the abomasum - the fermentative stomach, where its final processing occurs.
A rumen, which holds a lot of food (up to 50 kg), simply must withstand such a mass. That is why it is very thick, covered with muscular cords that cross the entire capacious “bag”.
Natural product
The rumen is one of the sections of the stomach of cattle.
It consists mainly of smooth muscle fiber. This is a bag of skin and muscle for processing the feed that the cow eats. In the photo on the Internet you can see that from the outside this organ is dirty green in color, covered with mucus, and inside its surface is covered with soft villi, forming a kind of artificial fur. This “lint” produces a secretion that breaks down and digests food.
The smell of tripe is not pleasant to humans, but dogs like it.
Why do pets need offal?
Beef stomach for dogs has a very unpresentable appearance and an unpleasant odor. Because of this, many owners do not try to feed their pets this food. But dogs like tripe; it's a real treat for them. The pet will eat this offal very quickly. Beef tripe for dogs helps improve immunity and restore intestinal microflora after poisoning.
It is necessary to give beef tripe to an animal in several cases:
- If your pet needs to gain weight.
- If an animal has a deficiency of vitamins, hair falls out, and activity is greatly reduced.
- If there is a protein deficiency in the diet.
The by-product contains vitamins and enzymes that are important for the proper development of the pet. It is believed that there is more benefit from unpeeled tripe.
The offal is rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential for your pet.
Nutritional value
By using beef tripe to feed your dog, you can save on vitamins and pharmaceuticals.
This organ contains a large number of microelements and enzymes that help improve the microflora of the dog’s stomach, these are:
iodine;- iron;
- potassium;
- phosphorus;
- sulfur;
- calcium.
In addition to this set of useful substances, the rumen contains vitamins C, E, D, PP, B12, B6.
Everything useful is contained in the purified and unrefined product. Heat treatment of tripe also does not affect its beneficial properties.
Benefit
Tripe is considered one of the best foods for dogs. It enriches the diet, improves the pet’s digestion, strengthens the animal, and makes muscles and bones strong. The product can replace vitamin complexes and supplements.
The offal is not used for regular nutrition. It is given as a healthy supplement: no more than 2-3 pieces per week.
Age restrictions
In puppies and older dogs, tripe, for all its undoubted benefits, can cause stomach upset. Its amount in the diet should be limited.
At what age should it be introduced?
This product should not be given to puppies at an early age. Owners think about vitamin supplements for a growing dog’s body, but do not always know when to start giving them.
By-products begin to be introduced into the diet at 4 or 6 months. The digestive system at an earlier age cannot cope with such a complex product.
My dog is allergic to offal - what should I do?
It is important to stop feeding your pet offal.
Prescribe a therapeutic diet. Allergies can most often be caused by a raw stomach, liver, or pancreas. Veterinarians recommend pancreatin tablets. The allergen can be isolated if necessary. This will be done in a specialized institution. But you yourself can notice which product caused such a reaction and stop giving it. An allergy can begin due to low-quality offal from this particular batch (excess of antibiotics, low-quality feed with hormones, other harmful substances). But it’s better not to risk it and do a test.
In what form and how much
Beef stomach must be processed. The tripe is ground into minced meat, and its rate should not exceed 10% of the usual portion.
More is not better
Complementary foods are administered no more than 2 times a week. Feeding tripe more frequently to a puppy can harm its digestive system and the body as a whole.
From 5–6 months, the frequency of introduction of natural complementary foods is increased to 5 times a week. Processed and ground tripe is mixed with a small amount of raw product.
Young and adult animals are given 100 g of tripe several times a day up to 5 times a week. No more than 200 g of crushed gizzard is added to the food of older dogs 2-3 times a week.
Tripe dishes replace one feeding of an adult dog - morning or evening. Only this amount of offal is allowed per day for a pet.
Refined or Unrefined
From 4 months, the puppy is given only a cleaned and processed stomach.
From six months onwards, unpeeled crushed offal is added to the minced tripe. An adult dog is fed both peeled and unpeeled tripe.
In food factories, the fleecy layer is removed from it through heat treatment. This reduces the nutritional value of the food, since the villi contain gastric enzymes that improve the pet’s digestion.
Tripe raw
You need to purchase an uncleaned raw stomach. Try to choose one that contains a minimum of fat.
- It must be thoroughly washed and cut into pieces sufficient for one feeding. You can immediately cut each portion into smaller pieces, but this can be done later.
- The pieces should be packaged in bags and placed in the freezer for three days. Just at this time, pathogenic bacteria and helminths die.
- Before feeding, one portion is removed from the freezer and doused with boiling water.
This method is convenient because it does not require time. You can prepare several dozen servings at once in the freezer and gradually feed them to your dog.
In what form to give
Beef stomach can be boiled or fed to your pet as minced meat. There are several ways to serve this nutritious dish.
Raw
At the market, tripe is sold peeled or unpeeled. Both options are suitable for dog food. In the latter case, you will have to tinker to remove the skin from the stomach and extract its contents.
Boiled
The raw product may be infected with helminths. Some prudent owners prefer to boil it. The heat treatment is short-lived and is aimed at destroying parasite eggs.
There are several ways to prepare food.
How long to cook:
The stomach is filled with cold water, brought to a boil, removed from the boiling water, and cooled.- Once cleaned, it is placed in a capacious container, doused with boiling water, and turned over with a fork to scald it on both sides.
- Place the tripe in a saucepan and pour boiling water over it several times. After each manipulation, the water is drained.
- The stomach is brought to a boil, boiled for 10 minutes, and the broth is drained. This is repeated several times until the unpleasant odor disappears.
If purchased beef tripe has already been cleaned, it is enough to treat it with boiling water once.
Dried
This dog treat can be purchased at a pet store. It is prepared according to all the rules, the composition is as balanced as possible, you don’t have to worry about helminths and diseases.
Some owners prefer to cook it themselves. Store-bought tripe makes a nice pile of dried delicacy. You can dry it in your home oven.
Recipe:
- The offal is cleaned, cut into thin pieces and placed on a wire rack in the oven.
- Place a baking tray at the bottom: fat will drain into it.
- The temperature is set to the minimum (no more than +60 °C), the door is opened slightly.
- Simmer the dog treats for up to 8 hours.
The finished dried product is cooled and used as a nutritional supplement or reward for training.
Dry food with tripe
If a pet has been bottle-fed since childhood, tripe is replaced with dry food that contains it.
This food is balanced, safe, and contains all the substances necessary for a dog.
Canned food
Giving dry food to your dog every day is harmful. Feedings alternate with canned food, which includes tripe. They are purchased in pet supply departments.
Homemade food
Not everyone understands how to cook beef stomach at home. There are many recipes for dogs.
Pure by-product
The tripe is cleaned, scalded with boiling water, cut into pieces, and 1 tsp is added. vegetable oil and a few capsules of fish oil. The feeding mixture is ready.
With vegetables
The processed stomach is cut into pieces. Shredded pumpkin without peel, carrots, zucchini, and greens are added to it.
If desired, the mixture is seasoned with crushed quail egg shells. This enriches the feed with calcium.
With egg
The offal is washed, scalded with boiling water, and cut into small pieces. Add a dry quail or chicken egg to the slices. The mixture is seasoned with 1 tsp. vegetable oil.
With beef
The scalded stomach is cut into small pieces. Shredded raw beef, green beans, and broccoli are added to it. The mixture is seasoned with vegetable oil (1 tsp)
With frozen vegetables
You can add ready-made frozen vegetable mixture to dog food. The product is first defrosted and doused with boiling water.
The tripe is cleaned, scalded, and chopped. The plant and animal product are combined, mixed, and seasoned with a small amount of vegetable oil.
With pumpkin
A third of the raw vegetable is peeled and grated on a coarse grater. Finely chopped processed tripe is added to the pumpkin. The mixture is seasoned with 1 tsp. any vegetable oil.
With porridge
Your pet’s favorite porridge is boiled together with chopped beef stomach. You can cook the cereal separately, and add scalded and shredded tripe afterwards.
How to cook
After purchasing, the beef stomach is thoroughly washed under running water. Then it is boiled, but the product loses some of its beneficial properties. To protect yourself from helminths, it is enough to pour boiling water over the scar several times.
For puppies or older dogs with dental problems, the offal is boiled for 10 minutes. Then the water is drained and the manipulation is repeated again.
The prepared gastric muscle fiber is cut and mixed with vegetables or cereals. The product is given to the dog in this form.
Each owner chooses the method of preparing the offal himself, taking into account the age, physical capabilities, and health status of the pet.
Cooking Beef Tripe
The recipe is usually simple. It needs to be boiled, cut and fed to the animal. However, experienced breeders say that the correct tripe is unpeeled and raw. An alternative would be a partially processed product. That is, frozen, and then treated with boiling water. This is necessary in order for the helminths to die. But each owner decides for himself how he will feed this product to his pet. Therefore, today we will consider all the options.
