Tripe & Offal

Firstly fatty acids. Tripe is an excellent source of fatty acids most notably Omega 3 and Omega 6 both of which boost your dogs immune system, reduce joint inflammation all while maintaining a healthy coat and skin. If your dog doesn’t like oily fish, tripe is an excellent alternative which still provides the fatty acids needed to maintain that perfect shiny coat.

The technical nitty gritty: tripe has the near perfect calcium-to-phosphorus ratio 1:1 making tripe a naturally balanced protein. Phosphorous is essential in the function of organs including the heart and kidney while helping to form bones and teeth, calcium is also essential for bone structure.

The Amino Acids: 70% of amino acids that are provided by tripe are not available within muscle meats

·         Leucine – essential for muscle memory and repair

·         Proline- helps to heal wounds and supports and production of cartilage

·         Aspartic acid- boosts antibody production

Gut health:

Tripe provides the essential probiotics and enzymes needed for gut health:

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a healthy probiotic that competes with harmful bacteria therefore promoting gut health, they help aid the healing of the gut flora which is especially important if your dog has been taking antibiotics.

Digestive enzymes- tripe provides the digestive enzymes within your dogs digestive system. The more digestive enzymes present the more vitamins, minerals and useable energy your dog will be able receive from food. Tripe is especially important where dogs have pancreas issues, as digestive enzymes are produced by the pancreas, feeding a protein which is jam-packed with digestive enzymes aids digestion by lessening the load on the pancreas.

Does your dog eat other dogs poop? Coprophagia cravings may be satisfied by feeding your dog tripe as it gives them the nutrients they are craving from other dogs waste.

As offal is high in amino acids (the building blocks of protein) it is prized for its plethora of health benefits.

Liver:

The energy booster for working dogs. Liver is rich in vitamins and minerals

·         Vitamin A- helps the production of immunoglobulin which is an antibody that defends the body against external pathogens, helping with the overall immunity from infections.

·         Vitamin B2, B9, B12 – all support the nervous system, brain function and red cell production making them important for dogs with stress and anxiety.

·         Vitamin K2 – activates the protein osteocalcin and other complexes that supports dental health and bone health, it also reduces age related bone density loss and the risk of bone fractures.

·         Zinc – boosts the immune system, promotes good digestion and a healthy coat and skin. Zinc also helps speed up the healing of wounds.

·         Iron- enhances your dogs attention, concentration and memory.

·         Copper – activates enzymes in the body aiding brain function and energy production.

Lung:

By incorporating lung into your dogs diet you are providing them with a natural source of iron, iron is vital in the transportation of oxygen around the body and the creation of red blood cells. Lung also contains potassium which is an essential electrolyte that helps the functioning of the heart and nervous system.

Heart:

The heart is the best of both worlds, not only does it supply your dog with offal, but also with muscle meat. The main benefits of feeding your dog heart is the availability of taurine and thiamine. Taurine is vital for heart health, its a preventative measure against heart disease and can help regulate heart rhythm. Thiamine improves carbohydrate metabolism and helps to nourish the brain.

Kidney:

The main benefits of adding kidney to your dogs diet is the addition of selenium and diamine oxidase. Selenium enhances your dogs response to infections making it vital for their immune system function. Selenium is also important for: reproductive health, maintaining healthy muscles and is required for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland (which regulates energy production and your dogs metabolism). Diamine oxidase is an enzyme that breaks down histamine (which is a compound produced by the body and is found in some foods). Too much histamine in the body contributes towards allergy symptoms, thus introducing kidney to a dogs diet can reduce allergy symptoms.

Good in moderation:

Although offal is jam-packed with benefits, it is also extremely rich. Too much offal can give dogs an upset stomach, offal should be gradually introduced and fed every now and then not as every meal.