Rating: 
Tripett Dog Food earns the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
The Tripett product line includes four canned dog foods. Feeding instructions posted on the company website advise…
“Tripett is intended to be supplemented with good quality dry or raw dog food.”1
For this reason, we must assume the product is not designed to meet AAFCO nutritional profiles as a “complete and balanced” dog food when fed as the sole menu item in a canine diet.
- Tripett Original Formula Green Beef Tripe
- Tripett New Zealand Green Duck & Salmon Tripe
- Tripett New Zealand Green Venison Tripe
- Tripett New Zealand Green Lamb Tripe
Tripett New Zealand Green Lamb Tripe was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Tripett New Zealand Green Lamb Tripe
Canned Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: New Zealand lamb tripe, water, garlic, vegetable gum, menhaden fish oil, glucosamine, chondroitin
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2.5%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 11% | 6% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 55% | 30% | 8% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 41% | 54% | 6% |
The first ingredient in this dog food lists lamb tripe. Tripe usually consists of the first three chambers of an animal’s stomach. As repulsive as it may seem to us humans, tripe is favored by dogs and sometimes even includes the stomach’s contents.
In any case, lamb meat (and especially tripe) is naturally rich in all ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient lists water… which (of course) adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The third ingredient is garlic can be a controversial item. Although the majority of experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.2
However, the limited professional literature we surveyed provided no definitive warnings regarding the use of garlic… especially in small amounts (as it is here).
The fourth ingredient is vegetable gum… a plant-based gelling or thickening agent used in many wet pet foods. Vegetable gum can add a fair amount of dietary fiber to any product.
The fifth ingredient is menhaden oil… obtained from processing a species of small ocean fish known as menhaden. Like most fish oils, menhaden oil is naturally rich in quality omega-3 fatty acids.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With one notable exception…
We find no added vitamins or minerals on the ingredients list. This is yet another reason this food looks to be for supplemental use only.
Tripett Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Like similar designs, Tripett Dog Food is unique in its simplicity.
But being 100% meat, the product is probably not intended to be fed as a complete and balanced canine diet.
To us, Tripett looks like a supplement. Because they usually lack some essential nutrients, supplemental dog foods should not be fed continuously as the sole item in a dog’s diet.
We prefer to use a product like this as an appetizing topper… to be served over a dry kibble. Or mixed with another nutritionally complete dog food.
In any case, judging by its ingredients alone, Tripett appears to be a quality product.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 55%, a fat level of 30% and estimated carbohydrates of about 8%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 54% and a mean fat level of 29%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 12% for the overall product line.
High protein. Above-average fat. And low carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.
Free of any plant-based protein boosters, this is obviously the profile of a canned food containing an abundance of meat.
Bottom line?
Tripett Dog Food is a meat-based canned product using an abundance of beef, venison or lamb tripe as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars.
Enthusiastically recommended… for supplemental feeding only.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
12/26/2010 Original review
12/26/2010 Last Update
- Tripett website, 12/26/2010 ↩
- Yamato et al, Heinz Body hemolytic anemia with eccentrocytosis from ingestion of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) and garlic (Allium sativum) in a dog, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 41:68-73 (2005) ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.