We have made previous mention of the addition of tripe to a raw diet, discussed its many benefits and praised it for its healthy range of nutrients.
Whenever I crack open a tupperware container full of tripe, Louis’ eyes perk up, Ella’s nub of a tail begins to wag... 
Upon opening the container, the most foul smelling odor I have ever encountered meets my nostrils. My 14 pound Louis leaps on me he as if he was poked by an electric rod. Ella followed, jumping toward it as high as possible (she reached mid-calf). Good thing I taught the dogs to ’sit’ while meals are prepared!
“SIT!” I commanded them. Both doggie tushes plop to the ground, eyes locked on the meal being prepared.
I carefully add it to their dishes, while trying to breathe through my mouth. Tripe is basically cow stomach and its partially digested contents. The green color is from the partially digested grasses and plants in the cows stomach. It is rubbery in texture, giving a great chewy workout for the jaws and neck muscles.
The thick, rubbery, natural tripe texture slow down Louis and Ella Bean’s normally frenetic eating pace and both dogs chewed happily, eyeing each others bowls. As I scrubbed the stainless steel bowls, après-dinner, I started to give some more thought as to why I should continue to assault my nose for the benefit of my beloved dogs.
It is actually instinctive for dogs to eat nutrient rich green tripe. No wonder I got such an explosive reaction! I ignited their doggie instincts. When ingesting tripe, the nutrients in grasses, grains, naturally occurring gastric juices, amino acids and other digestive enzymes that have already been processed by the cow’s stomach are easily absorbed by the dogs. The gastric juices and enzymes are excellent for dogs; the amino acids aid muscular development and gastric juices keep teeth clean and healthy. While they digest, those juices and enzymes assist the dog to pull the maximum amount of nutritional benefits from their diet.
Benefits of tripe include:
- Improved appetite and digestion
- Cleaner teeth
- Dry and itchy skin problems improved or eliminated
- Coats with richer color, shine and lower susceptibility to fleas
- Calmer temperaments
- Decreased waste in feces
Being that these are all great benefits, I suppose I have a new icky addition to incorporate into the fur kid’s diet. Remember, tripe is not meant to replace a portion of a current feeding program. It is meant to be fed as a part of a balanced diet. Additionally, if your dog happens to be one of the many with beef allergies, you needn't miss out! There are options available made from lamb tripe and duck tripe.
Don’t be alarmed by the pure nastiness of this product. This is the real deal, so there may be clumpy pieces of white fat, ingested hair and a range in color and texture that may vary by each purchase.
Gives a renewed meaning to a BARF* diet, huh?
We often feast on whole ground carcass, and when mom opens a baggie of the beef the smell of tripe overwhelms the other meatiness. She HATES it but we go to TOWN!! It's numero uno on my list of delicious tasties, with frogs coming in a close second.
ReplyDeleteI have a very delicate palate. I see you do too.
We've been feeding a raw diet for a couple of months now, and just yesterday tried green tripe. When emptying the chub into the airtight (important) refrigerator container, a small quarter-sized piece fell on the floor. Milo promptly rolled in it over and over, as if the smell was devine and he wanted to make sure he also smelled as lovely. They seem to be in heaven and eat the stuff with such enthusiasm.
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