The amazing secrets of green tripe

Leave aside the benefits of tripe, I hadn’t even heard of green tripe until I started feeding my dog the BARF diet. Tripe is quite a popular ethnic dish in some parts of UK and Asia, but I had no idea that this natural food is beneficial to dogs too.Let’s learn a bit more about tripe and the many benefits it offers dogs.

What is tripe?

Tripe, according to Wikipedia,is ‘a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals’. While tripe can be obtained from any grazing animal, it is usually taken from cattle, sheep, lamb, pigsand goats. There are two types of tripe: one that is available in the supermarket, cleaned, bleached and boiled, making it fit for human consumption but leaving no nutritional value for your pet. The other is green tripe, the untreated contents of a grazing animal’s stomach or intestines. Understandably you might get grossed out, but this food is highly nutritious and gives your dog plenty of enzymes, good bacteria, and essential nutrients. Before dogs and cats were domesticated, they would hunt their prey, and eat the stomach and stomach contents as well. Often this was the only source of essential vitamins and nutrients for the animal.

Color of Tripe:

Green tripe isn’t actually green in color, although a predominantly grass or hay diet of the grazing animal may tint it so. It is called green because it is untouched, untreated and unbleached, although it may be lightly rinsed. Tripe is actually brown.

Grass fed tripe:

When choosing to feed tripe, make sure it comes from grass-fed or free-range animals as against feedlot animals. It should be minimally processed. Frozen or freeze-dried is also fine. However, canned tripe can lose some of the digestive enzymes and probiotics because of the low-heat canning.

Nutrient dense super-food:

Tripe is rich in several vitamins, nutrients and enzymes that are good for your dog, such as proteins, probiotics, digestive enzymes, natural vitamins and minerals, calcium and phosphorus and healthy fats that are all really good for your dog.

How does green tripe benefit dogs?

Do try and get your hands on fresh green tripe. If you can’t or are unable to handle it, the canned variety is also fine, even though some benefits may be lost or reduced. For weight gain or illness recovery If your dog is underweight or recovering from an illness or surgery, green tripe is an excellent choice for your dog. For weight loss and weight maintenance Incredibly, the same green tripe that can help gain weight is a good way to reduce weight. Dogs fed a low-nutrition kibble diet tend to put on weight. This is unhealthy weight gain, brought on by excessive carbohydrates. Tripe is rich in calories, but these are the calories that your dog digestive system needs for overall functioning. It will make them feel full without missing out on the needed nutrients. For picky eaters Dogs absolutely love the strong smell of tripe. This makes it a super food for those senior dogs that have lost their sense of smell or stubborn, picky eaters. A bit of tripe in their daily meal will have them wolfing it down in no time. For pregnant or nursing mothers If your bitch is pregnant or has recently delivered puppies, you can add tripe to her diet to give her all the good vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fats that she and the puppies need, without putting on weight. For sensitive stomachs Green tripe already contains partially digested greens and enzymes, hence it is ideal for dogs with sensitive stomachs. Whether you choose to feed frozen or fresh,green tripe offers your dog all the naturally-occurring probiotics and digestive enzymes. For coprophagia That is the scientific term for dogs that have a fascination for poop. The digestive enzymes that green tripe has can get your dog to stop eating poop. This might not work if your dog eats poop out of stress, anxiety, or boredom. For dental health Large chunks of raw or freeze-dried tripe have a rubbery texture, making it a good chewy food for your dog, and helping improve the oral health of your pet. Green Tripe should be part of your dog’s natural, species-appropriate diet.If you can manage the smell, you must definitely include it in your dog’s regular diet. There are very few naturally-occurring foods that can offer the same superior nutrition.

While on the subject of species-appropriate food, have you considered BARF?

Benefits of BARF – Basic Ancestral Raw Food If you are already feeding your dog green tripe, great! If not, read on to know how your furry friend can benefit from a species-appropriate raw diet. The best way to help your dog’s overall health and nutrition is to feed it a balanced, species appropriate food. And the best option is raw. A part of the wolf family (yes, even your sweet Lab or lap-sized Apso), your dog needs and will thrive only on a raw diet.

Why Raw food?

Raw food is a natural food and it contains the exact mix of all the nutrients and goodness that a dog would get if it were a wild creature. More importantly, it doesn’t have any of low quality protein that is not good for your dog. You can make your own raw food in the right proportion, or you can buy commercially prepared raw food for your diet. Switch to raw, and watch your furry companion thrive.