Green Tripe: The Superfood for Pets

The Superfood for Dogs and Cats?

I started on my path of raw feeding when I got my job at Darwin’s. I will never forget my first day; touring processing procedures, hearing about our sourcing policies, volumes of product formulations, and reading books upon books from the various nutritionists we follow. It was overwhelming.

The one thing I do remember crystal clear was our Formulations Manager asking me, with his “I am so excited to share this amazing thing with your pet” smile if I had ever heard of green tripe. I knew right then green tripe was big deal and I needed to find out why. So, off I went and here is what I found.

What is Green Tripe?

Green Tripe is the nutrient-rich lining of the stomach of a ruminant animal such as a cow, deer (venison), or bison.  Green does not necessarily refer to its color — it refers to the fact that it has not been touched, cleaned, bleached or scalded for human consumption. Green tripe’s actual color is brown. However, sometimes there will be a greenish hue due to the grass or hay the animal ate prior to slaughtering.

Why is Green Tripe good for your pet?

Raw green tripe offers a balance of nutrients as well as beneficial bacteria and enzymes. 

One of the best constituents of raw green tripe is lactobacillus acidophilus. This is one of the intestinal bacteria that keep unwanted bacteria such as e-coli, salmonella, and listeria from overpopulating and causing health problems. 

Another beneficial component of raw green tripe is digestive enzymes. The enzymes that help the ruminant digest its meal will give the pet the same benefit. Dogs and cats do not naturally produce amylase, so the nutrients present in the vegetative matter are not readily available to them. Raw green tripe contains not only digestive enzymes but in most cases, some pre-digested green matter as well. This combination of enzymes and nutrients provide pets with a nutritional powerhouse.

Sourced from Raw Green Tripe by Amy Fiumarelli

All righty then,

• – It helps digest food so your pet can get the full natural value from their meals
• – It helps promote good bacteria in the stomach – eliminating the need to add a probiotic
• – It helps protect your pet’s digestive tract from overgrowth of harmful bacteria while enhancing their immune system

Canned, Freeze Dried, or Raw – What Is Best Green Tripe?

Once I learned about all the benefits of Green Tripe, I was anxious to check out the different options.

Canned:

Exposed to high temperatures during processing and usually has added ingredients, this green tripe, like beef broth or chicken flavor, may or may not be “natural” or even come from a whole food source. We all know that high heat kills nutrients that are beneficial — especially the probiotics and enzymes – the very reason I want to feed green tripe. That, along with the questionable added ingredients (preservatives); I’ll pass on the canned option.

Freeze Dried:

Now, this sounds more “natural” and there are loads of single-ingredient options. However, it is shelf stable – meaning heat and processing – meaning valuable enzymes and nutrients have been removed. Again, if I am going to go to the trouble of finding green tripe for my dogs, I want to feed the best option; freeze dried? No thanks.

Raw:

No additives, preservatives, or heat exposure. This version of green tripe is then shipped to co-ops, butchers or plants where it is ground, packaged, and sent directly to the customer – fresh; retaining all the benefits to promote gut health. Raw green tripe is definitely the superior choice.

Why is fresh, raw green tripe so hard to find?

I mean I work at a raw pet food company and I still can’t get all the time. What is with that?

Cost and Return

The truth is that slaughterhouses can’t make enough money off green tripe by the time they save, shake, then transport it to a buyer. So most of the precious nutrient-packed goodness goes straight into the trash. That takes the sourcing options down quite a bit.

Popularity

How many of us have changed our idea of what ‘dog food’ is in the past 10 years? I know I have. It wasn’t that long ago that I thought I was making a quality food decision by buying a mid-range kibble, and even then, my neighbors thought I was crazy for wasting money on that. Over the years fresh, whole, real food for our pets has become more and more commonplace. Great news, right?

Well, overall, yes! For raw, fresh tripe availability – no.

The larger pet food companies have seen this rise in sales and decided to capitalize on it. That means they can buy larger batches and a higher cost, leaving the little guys in the dust. No problem, I will just buy from them. Wait – all their tripe is cooked, added to low-quality products, canned with chemicals and preservatives. They took all that great green tripe and overly processed the reason for wanting it in the first place.

Guess I will just stick to getting green tripe when I can get it raw, fresh, and unprocessed from reliable sources. It might not be every week, but when I do have it to feed I know it is the best for my pups!

Warning:   Your pets will most likely go absolutely nuts for tripe, however, it can have a strong aroma for us humans — honestly, it can smell like a barnyard.  In this dog owner’s opinion; a small price to pay for all the positives.

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Aimee Jurenka is a proud member of the Darwin’s Natural Pet Product’s team who is passionate about having a healthy is happy life with her pack!