Greenies--too much like cigarettes to the smoker: high pleasure and added risk
Written: Aug 08 '06 (Updated Aug 11 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great taste and utter joy in gnawing the heck out of this product.
Cons: Our dog had digestion problems. Others have reported animal deaths from choking and digestive blockage.
The Bottom Line: Loved by the dog, dreaded by the owner. After looking into it, we've forbidden our pet from consuming it because of the health risks.
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| glacier's Full Review: Greenies Smart Treats Petite Size |
First things first--Our dog and our standards
We have a great dog. This review, though not about her, needs to be read in context to the situation, experience, habits and care of my animal. It also must take into account the general physical attributes of the dog consuming (and loving) the treats.
Lana is what the vets call a 'true' mini-schnauzer, so she's small -- about 12 pounds -- and a bundle of joy for my whole family. As such, we've been really careful about her care, nutrition and training. When we first purchased her from a local breeder we took the time to meet both the mother and father and were thrilled to see she came out just as we'd hoped -- cute , black, and a bundle of energy.
For her daily food, we purchase a highly recommended local blend of dog food with little preservative and no 'filler' upon recommendation of a local breeder. I tell my wife this eats better than we do (nutritionally, at least). Her treats typically include a processed treat which is packaged like sausage and smells like a good bratworst. She periodically gets a half of a vita-bone treat from the coffee shop I frequent. She never knowingly gets people food.
Introducing Greenies
Greenies came into our life last year when a regular customer at my wife's shop brought one in for the dog. She has three mini-dachshunds at home and is equally fond of her animals.
I was shocked at the sheer joy the Greenie brought our animal. She quickly scurried off to her corner and spent the next 15 or 20 minutes chewing and consuming the treat. The customer told me her dogs were crazy about these small, hard treats and that they were great for teething dogs, which was precisely what we were going through with our then-puppy.
We talked to a few other happy customers and soon visited the local pet store to pick up a bag of the small (petite) bones. On a daily basis the dog enjoyed one or two small bones at the shop.
Despite what most people believe (including myself initially), Greenies were not developed as treats, but to be chewed on as an alternative to brushing. As an added bonus, these treats have breath-freshening characteristics that make them all more attractive for the owner. Combine that with a taste that dogs can't seem to resist and a claim to be 100% edible, and you have a blockbuster product--you'd think. On top of that, the cute toothbrush/doggie bone shape appears to be both a thoughtful design as well as pretty good marketing.
Digestion Problems Arise
About one week after introducing greenies to the dog, she started hacking at night as if to vomit. I gave her water, thinking that perhaps she had a hair in her throat or something of the sort. Another day or two later, she vomited onto our bed (yes, she's a bed-sleeper). I knew what the cause was as soon as I saw it. It was thick, foamy, and green and a difficult mess to clean up.
We quickly halfed the portions by snapping the bones in half (not particularly easy to do) and began asking around about this problem. A few friends had nothing but good to say; another handful had similar digestive problems; a third group discouraged us from using them at all because of choking hazards.
The choking scare and all the fallout from Greenies
After hearing about choking, I did a bit of a search online and found some disturbing things. There are, indeed choking problems, as well as digestive blockage problems, which can be equally as deadly. According to the CNN story below, one Denver-area doctor saw seven blockage cases alone in the past five years--a number indicative of a much greater problem.
choking and blockage links
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/14/dangerous.dogtreat/index.html--CNN story about choking.
http://www.burtscause.com/--Burt the Dachshound died from choking.
Greenies' Response
I'm a bit alarmed by the reaction S&M NuTec, the manufacturer of Greenies, has had to this public choking concern. They've launched this website, http://www.thetruthaboutgreenies.com/ which 'educates' about the product and its proper use. The website, while educative, smells of public relations spin more than anything else.
Some of the verbiage from the site:
"Seek out treats that provide healthy benefits for your pets"
"Monitor your pets to ensure they chew their treats adequately"
"Ask your veterinarian if ingredients in a treat are appropriate for your pets"
"Read the labels and follow feeding guidelines"
"Treat responsibly!"
Another thing I noticed: The size recommendations for this product have changed since this category was created in Epinions. In the title of this opinion you'll see petite size for dogs 10-20 pounds. On the greenies site I listed above, they show the petite for dogs size 15-25 pounds and they've added the 'teenie' size since I first saw them for dogs size 5-15 pounds. It is most likely they've added the smaller category to decrease the choking and digestive risk to the smaller pet.
Conclusion
Greenies are undoubtedly good-tasting, but weren't designed for eating. They are a dentrifice and a breath-freshener. If these products weren't edible and merely a chew toy, these problems wouldn't be circling S&M NuTec as we speak. So for us this product is out, probably much to the chagrin of my pet. The risk/reward ratio is too high when it comes to the chance of losing a beloved pet.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
glacier
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Location: Anchorage, AK, USA
Reviews written: 84
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
Proud father of two living in the last frontier.
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