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The Benefits of Tripe For Dogs
What is tripe, and what are the forms of green tripe?
Green tripe is the untreated contents of a grazing animal’s stomach or intestines. It may sound disgusting, but this food is highly nutritious, containing plenty of enzymes, good bacteria, and nutrients that are excellent for your pet’s health. It’s also a very natural part of both dogs and cats' ancestral habits. Since both dogs and cats were hunters before being domesticated, they would often consume their prey’s stomach and other entrails. For carnivores, this can be one of the sole sources of many essential vitamins and nutrients.
Fun Fact:
Green tripe is called tripe not because of its color, but because it is untouched, unbleached and untreated (though it is lightly rinsed.) While green tripe can be tinted green due to grass or hay eaten by the host animal, it is predominantly brown in color.
Like many products, green tripe comes in many different qualities. For your pet’s best health and nutrition, make sure the green tripe you feed is:
From “grass-fed” or “free-range” and not feedlot animals.
Minimally processed. Fresh is always best, followed by frozen and freeze-dried varieties. These can be referred to as raw tripe. Low-heat canned tripe can still contain plenty of nutrients, but some of the digestive enzymes and probiotics that are sensitive to heat will be lost. This is usually just called green tripe, though it is cooked only enough for the canning process.
Locally sourced. Choosing locally-sourced Canadian animals when available ensures high standards in production and safety.
Green Tripe Nutrition Information
Protein: Green tripe is high in protein. 70% of this protein has 7 amino acids, which perform essential functions in your pet’s body, including building muscle and enhancing all system functioning from immune response to tissue repair to urinary tract health.
Probiotics: Raw green tripe contains high amounts of lactobacillus acidophilus, a healthy probiotic. The beneficial bacteria in your pet’s body, probiotics compete with harmful bacteria - like e-coli, listeria, and salmonella - for the same resources. Probiotics keep bad bacteria from overtaking your pet’s digestive system and making your pet sick. Acidophilus is naturally found in animal intestines, including your own, including your pets. By including acidophilus in your pet’s diet, you increase the amount of good bacteria that lives within their digestive system, promoting healthy digestion and optimal nutrient absorption.
Enzymes: Raw green tripe contains healthy digestive enzymes. Why does this matter? Natural enzymes aid the digestive process by facilitating the breakdown of food into nutrients. The more digestive enzymes available, the more vitamins, minerals, and usable energy your pet will be able to receive from food.
Natural Vitamins & Minerals: Raw green tripe also contains partially-digested greens, which unlock nutrients that may have been unavailable if your pet simply ate the grass that the host animal did. Herbivores such as cows and sheep have different digestive enzymes in their bodies for digesting things they normally eat - grasses for instance. Your pet, primarily carnivore, has different digestive enzymes for digesting raw meat, such as they would in the wild. By including partially digested roughage in your pet’s diet, you give them more stable nutrients for their digestive system.
Calcium & Phosphorus: Raw green tripe has a nearly perfect calcium to phosphorus ratio, as well as an optimal ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids, making it nutritionally balanced. Raw green tripe is also acidic in pH, making it easier for your pet to digest - perfect for sensitive stomachs (though the smell of tripe may turn yours.)
Healthy Fats: Raw green tripe is high in heart-healthy unsaturated fats, nearly 50% of the total fat in tripe is unsaturated. These fats provide quality, long-term energy and also increase healthy HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.