Our guest writer for the month of February is Moddie Lambert (BCCSDip, HthNut), a qualified Canine Nutritionist with over 7 years experience of tailoring enhanced raw feeding solutions for dogs of all breeds.
Moddie describes tripe as a “wonder food for dogs” and has written a blog to explain all of these amazing great benefits.
Tripe is the lining of the stomach of ruminating animals. Raw green tripe is lower in fat, is an excellent source of protein and has a calcium to phosphorous ratio of 1:1, which is perfect for dogs! Raw green tripe is full of living digestive enzymes and healthy pre and probiotics, too! White tripe has little nutritional value to a dog as it has been bleached! Raw green tripe is full of:
- Calcium which is essential for bone structure and controls muscle and nerve function.
- Phosphorous - helps form bones and teeth, helps muscles, kidney and heart to function correctly.
- Amino acids - 70% in green tripe, which is not available in muscle meat, these include:
- Leucine which promotes muscle recovery and repair after activity
- Proline which supports the production of cartilage and heals wounds.
- Aspartic acid which boosts antibody production.
It also contains all the fatty acids needed in the diet– omega 3 and 6.
Raw green tripe is full of Lactobacillus acidophilus which keeps the gut healthy and is naturally full of probiotics, it is also packed with digestive enzymes– dogs do not produce the enzyme needed to break down cellulose – these nutrients are found in tripe and also some pre-digested matter too.
A quick breakdown of vitamins and minerals in tripe based on a 4oz serving:
Calcium: 78.0mg
Iron: 0.8mg
Magnesium: 14.7mg
Phosphorous: 75.3mg
Potassium: 75.7mg
Zinc: 1.6mg
Copper: 0.1mg
Manganese: 0.1mg
Selenium: 14.1 mg
Green tripe helps to heal the gut flora if a dog has been taking regular antibiotics.
There is a downside, however, which is the smell! Raw green tripe smells like a whiffy farm, but luckily the benefits of feeding this food are so great that most people are willing to sacrifice their appetite and wear a gas mask to include this in their dog's food bowl. It is also less smelly if it is very fresh so make sure the quality you buy is good as it makes a huge difference. Green tripe is so beneficial to dogs that it is something they can eat every single day and can be fed as muscle meat as part of a dog's raw food diet. Tripe can also be used as a food topper for finicky, fussy dogs and would be an excellent addition to a sick dog's diet.
Some of the many incredible benefits of feeding raw green tripe include an improvement to skin and coat condition, reduction in allergy symptoms and skin conditions, cleaner teeth, improved digestion and absorption of nutrients, a reduction in digestive disorders and problems, and overall a huge improvement to general health, plus your dog will love you forever, even if he smells like a farmyard!
If you would like more information, you can contact Moddie here.