puppy kibble | solid gold wolf cub

Almost three weeks ago, I got a call first thing on a Sunday morning that I'd be fostering a puppy that afternoon. A 13 week old puppy.
At first, I was like ok.... then the panic set in that I was SO NOT prepared for a puppy! Especially nutritionally.

I ran out to find a decent kibble that I could feed, and also some wet foods (will describe in next post) to make into a sort of 'soup' to make sure puppy was also getting some real meat and proper hydration.

Once at Petco, I settled on Solid Gold Wolf Cub (even though he is a smaller breed of dog, the analysis is OK for all dogs) for his base kibble. Why? Well the ingredients are good enough, as I have been told "you have to be careful not only with the calcium & phosphorus levels but also an appropriate amount of DHA" and this line by Solid Gold has all these covered.

Most dog feeders have 'heard' that the problem you face with feeding a puppy (specifically of a larger breed) is the high protein levels in most of the better puppy foods. It is actually the calcium, and its ration to phosphorus, that is more of a growth concern. Puppies cannot regulate calcium like adults can and too much can cause them to grow more rapidly than nature intended. This has been said to cause problems such as dysplasias, HOD, OCD etc.

The Ingredients:
Bison | Salmon Meal | Brown Rice | Millet | Cracked Pearled Barley | Rice Bran | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Parsley Flakes | Pumpkin Meal | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Carrots | Broccoli | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin Supplement | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

According to dogfoodanalysis.com, the guaranteed analysis is as follows:
Protein, Min 26%
Fat, Min 12%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calcium, Max 1.5%
Phosphorus, Max 1.2%

According to the label on the bag of kibble, Salmon Oil is the source of DHA. 

So, he likes it. He will be switched to raw once the grinder is up and running ;) 

the most disgusting thing I've fed. yet.

was from a can.



Tripett New Zealand Green Vension Tripe. I have seriously never thought I would vomit from feeding something until I opened this can. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous!  And I've fed some pretty gag-worthy things before... organs, brain, tongue, feet, etc. But nothing - and I mean NOTHING - smelled this putrid.

But wouldn't you know... the dogs LOVED it. Ate every little morsel they could find.

The Tripett Beef Green Tripe wasn't as bad, still the 'tripe-y' smell, but not nearly as horrible as the venison. And the dogs also enjoyed it. I enjoyed the limited ingredient list (as compared to something like Solid Gold's version)

From Best Bully Sticks.com:

Tripett Pure Green Venison Tripe is from venison raised and fed on the grasslands of New Zealand. Like the lamb tripe, venison tripe is easy for puppies to digest and is a great alternative for your pooches who are allergic to beef. Green Tripe (Green simply means the tripe is pure and unbleached) contains the partially digested grasses in an animal's stomach and is rich in digestive enzymes, gastric juices, taurine, amino acids and essential fatty acids which are important to all aspects of your pets' health. Tripett is intended to be mixed with dry or raw food. It is not a replacement for your pooches current dog food.
Ingredients: New Zealand Venison Tripe, Water, Garlic, Vegetable Gum  

Ingredients: Beef Tripe, Water, Garlic, Vegetable Gum

Even MORE Tripe!

Just in case raw green tripe or Dr. Harvey's Power Patties aren't enough to convince you that your dog WANTS green tripe, check out Solid Gold's GREEN COW!

Per their website:

Tripe is the stomach lining of the cow’s “fourth” stomach, or abomassum. The abomassum is where the actual digestion of the grasses and grains the cow has ingested takes place. Green tripe contains the partially digested plant matter the cow had eaten as well as the naturally occurring gastric juices and digestive enzymes.

Green Tripe is excellent as the sole diet or as an accompaniment to dry kibble with a great taste dogs love!

*Note - when purchasing a tripe product such as this, geared towards dogs, it is IMPERATIVE to make sure the ingredients list GREEN tripe! If not, honeycomb tripe (bleached, partially cooked) may have been used, and that is useless in its nutritional value to a dog!

Ingredients of Solid Gold GREEN COW:

---

Green Beef Tripe | Beef Broth | Potatoes | Potassium Chloride | Dicalcium Phosphate | Garlic | Choline Chloride | dl-methionine | A-Tocopherol | Vitamin E Supplement | Zinc Amino Acid Complex | Iron Amino Acid Complex | Copper Amino Acid Complex | Manganese Amino Acid Complex | Calcium Panthothenate | Vitamin A Acetate | Niacin | Vitamin D Supplement | Riboflavin | Folic Acid | Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide | Selenomethionine | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Biotin | Thiamine Mononitrate |

Protein, Min 8%
Fat, Min 6%
Fiber, Max 1%
Moisture, Max 82%

485 kcal / 13.2 oz can

And, this is for you Kristin :)
On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is gag worthy and 0 is spring breeze fresh -
10 - raw green tripe, thawed
8 - raw green tripe, frozen
5 - Solid Gold Green Cow
2 - Dr. Harvey's Power Patties
0 - Your pup's twosies after a good meal of green tripe

So what are you waiting for?? Go out there and [let your dog] try some [green] tripe!

Raw Green Tripe

Whole Dog Journal said it best in their July 08 article "How Green is Your Tripe":

"Ewwww! What's that awful smell? If your dog thinks it's the most exciting thing you've ever put in a bowl while you gag and hold your breath, it's probably green tripe..."

But what is raw green tripe? Tripe is the stomach of ruminating animals. The food this animal eats goes through an incredible digestion process that creates an ample amount of gastric juices, amino acids and digestive enzymes. Essentially - it opens the door for your dog to fully benefit from the food he eats.

We try to incorporate raw green tripe/organ blend 3-4 times per week into our dogs' diets as their muscle meat and organ portion of their raw meal plan. Stinky? Very much. Beneficial? Even more than the stinky!

Teeth, digestion, jaw muscles, coat, eyes... raw green tripe promotes total health!
See: Nutrient Breakdown

More information and ordering:
Fresh
Green Tripe
Hare-Today
Prey4Pets
Healthy Paws
A Place for Paws
Eat Wild
Momo Food
Healthy Pet Diet
Raise a Paw for Raw
True Carnivores

Canned/Dehydrated
Tripett
Solid Gold
Wholistic Paws
Ziwi Peak
Pet Kind
Free Range Dog Chews
Best Bully Sticks