Does your doggie like Greenies?

[Scintillating]

Well read this...

CNN.com - Dog Treats Killed Our Dog

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (CNN) -- At least 13 dogs have died after being fed the top-selling pet treat in the country, owners and veterinarians have told CNN.

The problem comes because the treats, called Greenies, become lodged in a dog's esophagus or intestine and then some veterinarians say they don't break down.

"I know they are marketed in saying that they do digest. Certainly the ones that we've taken out, esophageal or intestinal, that have been in for days are still very hard," Brendan McKiernan, a board-certified veterinary internal medicine specialist from Denver, Colorado, told CNN.

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We used to give them to our dog - but he would consistently throw up after eating them - so we figured they just didn't agree with him.

We're afraid of giving him many kinds of chew, rawhide and pigs ears, for fear that they will block up his intestines. It's so hard to know what's safe!

Scintillating...

 

[Mara]

no joke scintillating...i was clicking over here to post this, my girlfriend just sent it to me!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/14/dangerous.dogtreat/index.html

 

[FireGoddess]

I''ve bought those for my SIL''s dog. No more...

 

[firebirdgold]

"Beau-Beau do you want chew-chews? " And he starts drooling and licking his lips. How could I possibly take them away?

Besides, my dog loves to chew and gnaw on things, so there''s no worries the greenie will go down in one big lump with him! (My mother still hasn''t forgiven me for the windowsill he ate).
They should probably put a stronger caution on the bag, but the owners are also partly responsible for giving a very solid chew to a dog that isn''t a major chewer.

 

[Scintillating]

I hear you Wren, but any package that says ""Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog" is something I''m not bringing home.

My guy is a large dog and a serious chewer, but he will swallow the last little bit of something without really chewing it. I suspect most dogs are like that. If that thing is hard and undigestible in that state, I don''t think it''s safe.

My guy likes nylabones, wishbones, and bullysticks, and we haven''t had any problems with them. He also loves a good frozen marrow bone - yuck.

Scintillating...

 

[Mara]

Portia is a huge aggressive chewer for such a small dog. If I give her a 12" bully stick in the morning, it's done by late afternoon...no joke!! But she does gulp down the last inch or so as well, when it gets too small to hold it in her paws, she starts chewing it in her mouth and sometimes it just gets swallowed. Most of the time we take them away from her at that point since she HAS had a blockage before which eventually got pooped out, and her tubing is small...but these are the only chew treats she gets, she doesn't get Greenies and actually the bully sticks keep her teeth really clean thank goodness...but yes with ANY particular large treat like that you run the risk, it's not just greenies...but in the article it mentioned that the greenies say they are super digestible but even after 2-3 days in the dog's tracts the vets said that they were still hard. That is kind of scary.

 

[Jelly]

I JUST got back from buying Jelly his favorite Greenies at Petsmart. How ironic that I should find this article as soon as I get back home.

I read the article and find it very sad about the poor dogs who died.

Speaking of Bully sticks, did you know what that''s made from? Bull testicles!!!

 

[Mara]

Its actually Bull Penis Jelly...not the testicles!! hehee. Portia LOVES them, it just makes us laugh.

www.bullysticks.com

 

[Jelly]

LOL Mara.

I bought Jelly a bully stick once and he loved it. My fiance and my mother were grossed out by the thought and the smell. Oh well.

 

[Mara]

I know it''s not an appealing thought at all!! But she shreds anything like greenies or nylabones (aka chews them with her teeth but doesn''t eat it, just leaves all the mess on the carpet) and she adores the bully sticks, they are easily digestible and natural and they keep her teeth clean so we suffer...hehee. Plus I just think it''s funny that we have this cute little white dog and she is vigorously over here chomping like a shark on a dried bull penis!

 

[monarch64]

Dunno...we''ve never given our dog anything but Milkbones treats, and we make sure to buy rawhide bones that say "made in America" as opposed to Colombian ones which we''ve heard have had tainting issues....

 

[littlelysser]

One of our dogs really loved greenies...but we noticed that *TMI WARNING* there giant udigested spongy chunks of greenie in his stomach. We stopped giving them to him at that point.

But I know of number of dogs that have died or had to have surgery because of greenie related issues...

So nope. No greenies for my pups.

They do love the bullystick though...blech

 

[fire&ice]

For the quick good breath - we give ours yip yap strips. They love them & then lick their beard & nose for extra good smell. Don''t know why they do that - but most dogs do.

Stopped giving greenies as they are gone like a milk bone. The best way to keep your dogs breath & teeth clean is to "brush" the teeth & gums w/ a gauze pad soaked w/ baking soda.

 

[LuvThatBling]

I don''t feed my dogs Greenies because I had heard that they can kill dogs. Plus, both of my dogs love to chew so I''m sure that I''d have to have stomach surgery to extract Greenies bits.

We did start buying them a treat that they just LOVE...dehydrated sweet potatoes. It doesn''t stain the carpet, smells good & is totally digestable. We bought the first package at a pet store but since we have a dehydrator, we then made them a batch (I don''t know what it says about us that the first time we break out the dehydrator in a year, it''s for dog treats LOL). They both really like them. We took a package to a couple of people & they said their dogs really enjoyed them as well. The packaged version is called "Sam''s Yams".

 

[njc]

Our Vet actually recommended Greenies to us just a couple weeks ago, with the caution that we needed to make sure the pup chewed it, which she does. Guess we will just need to watch her more closely and make sure she isnt swallowing the last little bit and find something new when the bag is done.

 

[AmberWaves]

Actually, I heard that a major problem with the greenies isn''t blockage, but the fact that they can turn into shards, and really cause some damage by causing tears and poking holes in the esophagus. Our vet told us to not let the dog have them. Right now I just bought some dehydrated chicken breast strips for my pup at the Trader Joe''s. I swear he just loves them to bits. Kind of disgusting bits, but he loves em.

 

[JDgirl]

Rawhide can pose the same dangers as greenies. I don''t give either to my dogs. The only thing they get to chew are bully sticks, which are 100% digestible. I try and take away the last couple of inches (my guys swallow that whole just like Mara said), but sometimes I forget, and they haven''t had a problem. I am very cautious about my dogs and their diet. I feed my dogs food by Natura (Innova, California Natural, Healthwise) or Solid Gold. I would sooner feed them greenies than foods by the big manufacturers (Iams, Purina, Ol'' Roy). If anyone wants to learn more about quality dog foods, I highly recommend this site to learn about ingredients and foods: http://www.mordanna.com/dogfood/index.php?page=identify

 

[mrs jam]

Oh my lord, those things are doggie crack to my dogs! I have two little dogs (both around 5lbs. each) and I buy the petite greenies for them. I am amazed by how these things turn my angels into DOGS! I mean, I can''t touch them while they''re chewing on their greenies or I get the "whale eye" sideways look and my shih tzu even gave me a warning growl. My dad''s wife has a very, VERY old cockapoo who only has two teeth, and she bought him the greenie flakes. My dad was messing with him one night while he was trying to enjoy his treat, and he actually bit my dad''s finger. My dad was in shock that he was somehow bit by a sweet, loving fluffball who only has two teeth.

Seriously, thanks for the warning. I have been a little leery of these things and have only given it to my girls when I''m home to supervise, mainly because the one who finishes first tries to steal the other one''s. I''ll have to give them an extra Pupperoni instead, I guess.

 

[Mara]

for those whose dogs just love greenies, if you can stomach the thought of bully sticks, dogs typically love them and they keep portia''s teeth as clean as if she was eating something like a greenie...and they are 100% digestable all natural materials...so instead of giving them something else just as a treat (aka someone mentioned pupperoni or dehydrated potatoes etc) which may not give them the same ''teeth cleaning'' action as something rubbing and chewing against their gums and teeth...if you want something similar, i highly suggest the bully sticks.

we stopped giving her BS for a while just because i get them online in bulk (much cheaper than retail) and i ran out and it was at holiday so i kept forgetting to get her new ones...well within a month her teeth didn''t look as healthy, and her breath was bad!!! i had no idea that the bully sticks were keeping her teeth so clean! recently she started them up again and her breath is back to normal and the vet says her teeth look fabulous and we NEVER brush them. i know we should but she hates it so giving her these is just easier and she is such an aggressive chewer that it seems to do the trick!!

 

[fire&ice]

Mine hated having their teeth brushed w/ a brush and the dopey toothpaste they give you. However, they have no problem w/ the guaze w/ baking soda and something a little tasty. I wrap it around my finger and massage. They look forward to it.

 

[Mara]

F&I we are actually able to do the finger massage on her teeth and gums just fine, she loves it, but as soon as something ''foreign'' goes into her mouth she doesn''t like it. The vet said just the finger massage really doesn''t do much though...hahah.

 

[fire&ice]

This greenie thing is all over my dog board.

Mara, the guaze, baking soda method is my vet''s preferred method. And, I can tell you when the guaze comes out - it''s nasty w/ stuff.

 

[LuvThatBling]

My vet told us the same thing about the gauze. My dogs aren''t wild about the gauze either, but they still prefer it to the toothbrush/toothpaste.