This is a specific conversation about Raw dog food — what to know before you start — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Tripe is one of the most nutritionally rich raw ingredients you can feed — but the fermentation gases that make it so pungent for us humans translate directly into serious wind for dogs, and Basset Hounds with their long, slow digestive tracts are particularly prone to it. Raw feeding done well can be excellent, but done badly it creates nutritional gaps that cause real harm over time, and the difference is balance and sourcing. Before I point you somewhere better, can I ask: how long has your Basset Hound been on raw, is this tripe the only protein you've been using, and are you open to a complete ready-made raw option that takes the guesswork out of the balance side of things?
She's 9 years old, about 28kg. We've been doing raw for about three months, started with tripe because someone at the dog park recommended it. It's been a disaster — the smell is unbearable. She's otherwise healthy but I want to stick with raw if possible. Happy to try a ready-made complete option.
inparticular.ai
Good — three months in on tripe alone is actually a concern beyond just the smell, because tripe on its own isn't nutritionally complete. The gas is your clearest sign something needs to change, but the balance issue is the more important one to fix. For a 9-year-old Basset at 28kg, a complete ready-made raw makes a lot of sense. Can I ask one more thing: any known allergies or sensitivities, and has she had any joint issues? Senior Bassets often benefit from formulas that include added joint support.
No known allergies. She has started slowing down a bit on walks which the vet said is normal for her age and breed, but no diagnosed joint condition. Nothing specific to avoid food-wise.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — that actually makes this straightforward. I'd go with Nature's Menu Country Hunter Raw Nuggets in Chicken. It's a complete, balanced raw food — so it meets all her nutritional needs without you having to supplement — and chicken is one of the lowest-odour raw proteins you'll find, a significant step down from tripe in every way. The nuggets are frozen and pre-portioned, which makes feeding a 28kg dog easy to get right. At her age and weight you're looking at around 420–450g per day split across two meals. The recipe also contains added salmon oil for omega-3s, which will support her joints passively without needing a separate supplement. It's widely available on Amazon UK and most good independent pet shops. Switch gradually over about a week — introduce it mixed with whatever she's finishing of the tripe to avoid any digestive upset from a sudden change.
That sounds really good. Will the flatulence stop completely or is some of it just her breed?
inparticular.ai
Honestly, Basset Hounds are gassier than average as a breed — the shape of their gut contributes to it — so I wouldn't promise silence. But tripe is genuinely at the extreme end of wind-causing ingredients, and switching to a clean chicken-based complete raw should produce a noticeable and pretty immediate improvement. If after two to three weeks on the new food she's still producing a lot of gas, it's worth looking at whether she's eating too fast — Bassets can be gulpers — because that swallowed air becomes a problem of its own. A slow feeder bowl is a cheap fix if that turns out to be part of it.
She does eat very fast actually. I'll look into that. Thanks — this has been really helpful.
inparticular.ai
Good catch — worth sorting alongside the food change so you're addressing both things at once. Nature's Menu Country Hunter Chicken Nuggets for the nutrition and balance, slow feeder bowl for the gulping. Give it two to three weeks and you should see a real difference. If she settles well on chicken you can experiment with other proteins later — duck and turkey are also low-odour options — but start simple and let her digestive system stabilise first.
