Offering freeze-dried tripe to a dog who is fussy

Tripe for picky dogs is a fair bet, but not a promise. The smell is strong, and the store describes it as a barnyard funk most people dislike and most dogs do not. Start with the 1.5 ounce bag, offer one small piece from your hand, and try again another day if it gets a pass.

Will a picky dog eat freeze-dried tripe?

Some will and some will not, and no page can tell you which yours is. What we can say is how the bag is described. The brand's scorecard calls the smell strong, which is the first thing a fussy dog meets. The store's line about the funk, quoted above, is a general one, not a promise about your dog.

Ours is raw green beef tripe, unbleached, with nothing else on the label. If you want to know what green tripe means before you buy, our green tripe guide covers it.

The listing names adult dogs, medium and large. It says nothing about puppies, so ask your vet first if yours is one.

How do you offer the first piece?

Keep it low stakes. The listing advises starting with the 1.5 ounce bag if your dog has never had tripe. A small bag is the smallest commitment, and it is hard to waste a whole bag on a dog that turns it down.

Break off one small piece, hold it in your open hand, and let your dog decide. No coaxing. In our experience, pushing a fussy eater tends to make the whole thing a bigger deal than it needs to be. If the piece is sniffed and left, pick it up, close the bag, and try again on a different day.

A first try is simple:

• Open the small bag and break off one small piece.
• Offer it from your hand and wait.
• If it is refused, put it away and close the bag.
• Try again another day with a fresh piece.
• Wash your hands afterward, because this is raw tripe.

Piece size matters a little with a fussy dog. Smaller is easier to take on a first go, and our guide to how to feed tripe goes into amounts.

Should you offer it by hand or on the bowl?

Both are listed uses. The listing describes tripe as a reward, broken into bite-sized bits and handed out one at a time, or as a meal topper, crumbled over kibble or a raw meal.

For a first try, the hand is the cleaner test. Your dog either takes it or does not, and you know what happened. Crumbs on the bowl mix the answer: if the meal is eaten, you cannot tell whether the tripe helped or got ignored.

Once a dog has said yes from the hand, a crumble over a regular meal is a simple next step. Our topper guide covers that. Leave fresh water out, and stay close while your dog eats.

When picky eating is a question for your vet

We sell treats, and we are not the people to sort out why a dog is not eating. A vet is.

The bag says: "Not intended as a complete diet." A treat should not be asked to carry a refused meal. If your dog is skipping meals, losing interest in food it used to like, or acting differently around eating, make that call before you try another treat. A sudden change is worth a phone call more than a new bag.

A dog that is simply selective, with a regular appetite and clear favorites, is a different matter. For that dog, a small first bag and a few relaxed tries is a reasonable plan.

The product page lists the sizes.