Canine Ode to Green Tripe

In the year since I discovered it, I have come to believe that green tripe just might be the holy grail of dog food. I have yet to meet a dog who won't devour it. It's been praised by breeders and used in Europe as a food staple for dogs for decades.

Tripe is the stomach of ruminating – or grass-eating – animals such as cows, buffalo, sheep, and others who have a four-chambered stomach. Their food (grass or hay) is swallowed and passes into the first two chambers where it is then regurgitated, chewed, and mixed with saliva. It is swallowed again and then passes into the last chamber of the stomach where it is further broken down by gastric juices and acids – YUM!

Green refers not to the color, but to the fact that the tripe is fresh – not washed, scalded, and bleached like the tripe you might find in the grocery store has been. That so called white tripe has no nutritional value for the dog.

How can something so disgusting be so good? On analysis, green tripe was found to contain the correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus ideal for canine health. It has the necessary essential fatty acids in their recommended proportions. Also discovered was the presence of Lactobacillus Acidophilus – the good intestinal bacteria. All this from one food source – what's the catch?

The green tripe I buy smells like an outhouse and looks like vomit. During the summer when I thaw it out, we humans are forced to either evacuate the house, or put the tripe outside. This is what I think endears it to dogs. The nose knows – all those beneficial bacteria and enzymes, the gastric acids which aid digestion and clean teeth, and a rubbery texture for chewing pleasure – what more could a dog hope for?