Opinions on Greenies

[calico1]

I have been giving my dog (a Rottie) greenies and she abosulutely loves them. Now I have read a few comments here and there on different internet sites that Greenies can be dangerous. Has anyone heard of this? Seems like little dogs are the ones with the most problems. I have never seen my dog choke or throw up or get diarrea or anything because of them but I don't want to give her something that isn't safe. Can anyone give me any information or know anything about this? Or is it just nonsense?

[SiouxJ]

1. My Boris (Border Collie) has been eating them for

a year or two now. One "Petite" size every day. They keep his teeth sparkling and he's never thrown them up. They seem to pass easily through his system too. His former owner was in the habit of giving him a smoked rawhide every day so I had to find something to replace those, that was healthier. After trying cornstarch bones etc., the Greenies seem to be the best. He tended to throw up the cornstarch and if I gave him nothing, he'd eat his plastic toys or shoes (well, he'd chew them up, not eat them).

So far I haven't heard anything negative about them and I swear by them for keeping teeth clean. Boris' sister Natasha doesn't like Greenies so she doesn't chew on them. When I compare their teeth, Boris' look cleaner than mine, while Tasha's look dingy and in need of cleaning. I've often thought I should do a commercial for them, using my two dogs' teeth as evidence of their cleaning power ;-) .

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I give my German Shepherd Greenies. He loves them, and I have had no

negative experiences.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. I have changed my mind. No more greenies for my boy!!!.

[Branjor]

3. They have caused

death by choking and intestinal obstruction. They DO NOT DISSOLVE when pieces too big to pass through the system are ingested. We just received word that a dog who belongs to another member of my rescue group has died of an intestinal blockage caused by a greenie. The warnings are NOT NONSENSE.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-l&q=Greenies+danger&btnG=Google+Search

[calico1]

5. This is the kind of stuff I was referring to.

So far nothing has happened but it worries me.

[roguevalley]

10. my dachsie Timmy gets ragingly angry and actually will bite me. I

don't give them to him anymore. Its scary how he gets. The others wolf them down and get antsy. I don't care for them.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

4. My Pekes love them too, but they

throw them up. I switched to another brand (Denta Fresh, I think) and they don't cause any GI distress

[calico1]

6. I will do some research on these. Thanks. n/t

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

8. I checked the box last night

They are called Breathalicious . I bought them thru Hearts United for Animals - they sell them (and many other nice items )on their website as a fundraiser

[calico1]

9. Thanks. I did some searching last night and

there was a site that compared the two. The difference seems to be less protein in the Breahalicious and more herbs. However, they are both made with cellulose. I was reading on another site last night that dogs have a hard time digesting cellulose. Now I can't find it and don't remember the name of it. It was some holistic or natural dog product site. I am trying to find some site with reviews or information on the safetly of these treats but so far all I have been able to find are the negative reviews on Greenies.

[IndyOp]

7. Nearly fatal for a German Shepard - Amazon.com review:

I am highly recommending you DO NOT give your dog Greenies. My German Shepherd was given one by a friend. He loved the taste and ate it wholeheartedly. However, within a 24 hours, he was vomiting blood and taken to the vet's emergency clinic. Not only did the product tear up his throat, but he had an intestinal blockage because the Greenie did not digest easily. He was at risk for emergency surgery, but my vet was able to help him pass it. He had to be on an IV for a week. Folks, the packaging on Greenies even says it is fatal if not thoroughly chewed. DO NOT RISK IT! I almost lost my best friend.

S-H-I-T!

[luckypunch]

11. No Greenies Here!!

My dog is is a big dog..a Greyhound and she threw up every time she had one, it took me a few days to figure out it was the Greenies. No more greenies here.

[seito]

12. I had a real scare last night

My 2 year old shih tzu swallowed a petite greenie whole. I called the emergency vet and they told me to watch her closely for signs of vomiting or diarrhea. He said they are digestible.

After this happened, I read the horror stories on the internet about bowel impactions etc, and I was very concerned. Thankfully, she has passed most of it(it was very much recognizable when it came out), and she seems to be just fine 24 hours later.

If you use greenies, I recommend you take a second look. I will never use them again.

[EmmaP]

13. No more Greenies

We gave them to Sophie (pug/shar pei mix) a few times and everything was fine. But the last time we gave her one, she threw approximately half of it back up...whole. That was about a year ago. She hasn't had another one since then.

[Mutley]

14. My dogs were always fine with them...

But I stopped buying them because they are just too expensive. After reading some of the replies to this thread, though, I won't be buying them again for other reasons!

[smurfygirl]

16. we no longer give greenies

for a couple of reasons.

They are outrageously expensive.
They are dangerous.
They are not something found in nature, or at least the way they are made is not natural to me.

Our dogs will take fresh mint eagerly along with parsley. We have switched to raw bones, and I have to tell you that being vegan and doing this was difficult. But the change is tremendous. Their teeth have never looked better. They seem to be happier with the bone and we never have to worry about it getting lodged. It makes it easier to sleep at night.

After losing Sheba I don't risk anything anymore. I'm not the mom leashing the pets like crazy but I am more aware of people feeding the dogs and how much they are eating and drinking. I guess I'm still shocked about Sheba. She died so fast, and life is NOT the same. I wish I could afford a raw diet for them or at least a fresher diet. Storm gets salmon 3 times a week for breakfast but that even puts a pinch on my pocket considering I live nowhere near salmon.

[AirmensMom]

17. Good for you!

One of my sister's dogs had trouble with greenies. She finally switched to raw food and they both have nice white teeth now. She doesn't even give them bones to chew on -- she buys whole chickens and grinds them up, bones and all. She finds them on sale for as little as $.40/pound. That's pretty cheap.

We have been feeding raw to our cats since May and the difference in their teeth, fur, ears, and general health is amazing. Oh, by the way, they don't have bad breath anymore and neither do my sister's dogs.

Did Sheba die from a greenie? I'm so sorry about your loss. :cry: