The truth about Greenies
Ask The Vet Home > Dogs > Dog Care > Nutrition
From last estimate, over 1.5 million Greenies® snacks are being dished out to dogs. Greenies® manufacturers claim that given regularly (ie 1-2 times daily as a treat), Greenies chew treats decrease tartar on dog's teeth by 8 fold and it also freshens their breath to boot! So what's the problem? Veterinarians in America have had discussions about how Greenies® treats have ended up being stuck in the oesophagus of dogs resulting in the need for surgical removal.
Whilst most cases seem to involve smaller breed dogs, it was by no means restricted to size - that is to say, even medium and large breed dogs have been known to be affected. And it's serious, some of these pets have died or have had to be euthanized from complications resulting from the ingestion of Greenies®. There have also been reports of the product being so hard that dogs have had their teeth fractured as a result.
Greenies® come various sizes, ranging from LilBits for dogs under 10 pounds and puppies to Jumbo for dogs over 100 pounds. It does come with a warning label on the product detailing : "As with any edible product, monitor your dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog.”
Due to the outcry, the manufacturers of Greenies® dog treats have responded with removal of the initial claim that it is FULLY edible, changing it to say that a dog can digest up to 85% of the treat. They have also recently altered the formulation of the treat to make it easier to chew (reducing the hardness of the product) and ensuring that it does crumble more readily when chewed so that it doesn't have sharp edges when dogs attempt to swallow them.
Where does that leave you?
It goes without saying that if you are feeding Greenies® to your dog, choose the right size Greenie® to feed it. Don't be tempted to pick a larger one because it's more 'value for money'. I would avoid giving them to smaller dogs seeing the large majority of problems with Greenies® we see in vet clinics seem to occur predominantly in small dogs.
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