Greenies

[gilazno]

Just curious if anyone gets these for their babies...Biggie seemed to like them going down but not too much when they came back up...needless to say the bulk bag of greenies I bought (i think there were 10)will be donated to some doggie who does not regurgitate these..anyone else use these? anyone elses dog get sick from eating them?

[Sandi]

Hi - Sorry I have been trying to find the article I read on greenies. I must not have it anymore. I read an article about a year ago that someone almost lost their dog to a greenie. They got a blockage from one. I really wish I could find it. But I DO no that you are not alone with this!
Sandi

[melinda Poole]

I do not feed my bulldog greenies any more because he almost choked to death on one. He finally got it down and then I worried that he would have a blockage from it but he is ok. Needless to say I am very careful about what I let him chew on now. Frenchies seem to think they can swallow anything no matter what size. Melinda

[cholbrook7]

Yeah I agree with you guys but I do give Stella greenies those are her favorite but she really doesn't like to chew them all the way she just likes to carry it around in her mouth ... I think it's more of a security thing .. she always has something in her mouth and she trys to put 3 things in her mouth at one time and likes to kick her ball around at the same time. She makes us laugh all the time. :lol:

[Mokeymunster]

I think i may have found the article you were talking about sandi. Beware there are graphic pictures included.

Greenie Blockage (http://www.quikonnex.com/channel/item/15008)

[Solo_dog]

My vet even gave Solo a Greenie after a vist, and it was a PETITE one! When I did give Solo Greenies(and I don't anymore), she got the regular size. No more Greenies for us. :eek:

[Mokeymunster]

The reason they remain on the market is becuase they are supposed to be supervised while eating them. I know just as well as the next person, sometimes that doesn't help either. My boxer eats them, and i don't worry about her because she breaks it into very small peices before swallowing, she doesn't gulp. Some dogs do chew their food :lol: Not many though. I used to work at a clinic where we did give greenies after puppy shots were done, we always told client that the dog needed to be supervised because some dogs gulp.

[adora's mom]

Be careful with Greenies. Beckham has had pancreatitis brought on by Greenies and the vet said that some dogs just can't tolerate anything "paste like". Keep in mind that pig ears, cornstarch bones and other starch-based bones will turn into the same gluey stuff. Ick.

[Chris&Eti]

Coincidentally, there was a link posted on a nyc ****** board today about the dangers of greenies. Graphic disturbing image warning.
< http://www.quickonnex.com/channel/item/15008 >

[My2Frenchies]

I once bought my dogs some cornstarch bones, which I thought were nylon bones (duh!). They were quickly devoured (my dogs are very aggressive chewers) and soon after, regurgitated. It was NOT a pretty sight! :eek: I've never attempted to give them greenies after that experience. I'm glad I haven't after reading that article.

[franp]

Never used greenies once I looked at the ingriedients..That was reason enough for me.

Then I heard all the bad stuff..YIKES!

fran

[joycegil]

I gave Bleu 10 in 1 week. All of them are buried in the back yard. Bleu was never interested in them as something to consume, thank goodness.

[UFshutterbabe]

If you give your dog Greenies, make sure he already has some food in his stomach and that he's calm. I find this reduces the chance of vomiting. I know there's lots of debate about these treats, so you really have to decide for youself. If swallowing chunks that are too big is the only concern, they do make Greenie flake things- labeled for tiny dogs who shouldn't be chewing the bones.

[UFshutterbabe]

After looking at the link above - we never let Maxwell chew a greenie to the very end - we take it away before it gets down to about the size of the pieces that had to be removed from that other dog. I dont think dogs are capable of really chewing down those last bites like they should.

[franp]

FYI. There was just a posting on one of the Frenchie lists; a 20 week old pup CHOKED to DEATH on a Greenie.. He was supervised...

The breeder had this on a list to aviod.. The owner ignored the instructions..

The owner saw what was happening and was helpless...


Another reason NOT to give greenies..

fran

[UFshutterbabe]

I can't tell if you are asking rhetorically or not, but since you did quote me, I will respond. Why do I still feed my dog Greenies? Because all of the negative information I've found in researching Greenies relates to dogs swallowing big chunks of the treat. It is true that dogs have died from Greenie obstructing their airways or intestines. However, I am not concerned about this happening with Maxwell. He does not bite off peices of Greenie, he gnaws on it. He is not able to break off a peice that would obstruct his airway or intestines. Even after the recent incident where he threw up some Greenie and got something stuck in his nose, I'm still not "afraid" of these treats. Why? Because that could have happened with anything. If he had thrown up his food, he could have just as easily gotten a peice of that stuck as well.

We all want to take steps to ensure that our furry babies are safe and I appreciate your concern. However, there is an element of risk inheirent in life. If you take your dog for a ride in the car, you could get in an accident and he could die. When you go outside and play, while you look away for just one second, the dog could eat something poisonious and die. I have not yet seen enough credible information (that applies to my dog's situation and chewing habits) to cause me to take away these treats.

Not everyone is going to behave or make decisions exactly as you do.
I put the information that you quoted out there because there are other people who will still choose to feed their pets Greenies, so they might learn from my experiences as well. In the interest of full disclosure, Maxwell only gets to gnaw on his Greenies maybe a total of 10 minutes a week, all under very careful supervision. This is far less than the package guidelines. And not nearly enought to cause me any concern about the "nutritional content." We always take away the bone before it gets down to a size that the dog could swallow. Maxwell loves the treat and I love the fresh breath. I know my dog, his habits and my ability to supervise. Like I said, you have to decide for yourself what is right for you and your dog.

I think it's rather rude to say "no one in their right minds would give them, JMO." I must be mentally incapcitated, in your opinion. I also think it's unfair to imply that people who don't agree with you on this issue must not love their pets. I can assure you that isn't true in our case.

I sincerely appreciate all the information I've read on these boards, and I hope that no one takes offense at me "ignoring" their Greenie experiences, or at this post for that matter. I hope no one views this response as rude, it's honestly not meant to be.

[Carolyn]

I am not judging anyone here who chooses to feed greenies...what we feed our dogs is a personal decision. That being said....I have a very simple way of looking at things....why take ANY kind of risk if you don't have to? I do not feed greenies, pig ears, bullysticks, or anything else that is either bad for them nutritionally, needs close supervision due to swallowing big pieces or will create a fight if left on the floor. Fortunately Abby has no interest in chewing or for most snacks in general. She will occasionally eat a Wellness biscuit. Ferris is my chewer and he loves his Kong chewies. He is happy to chew away on these things and rarely makes a dent in them. Those are my thoughts for what they are worth. :)

[SadPandas]

Hi gang,
I gave Orson a greenie tonight and saw him swallow a big piece of it which led me to this thread. needless to say i am freaking out a little bit, i can't believe i didnt research this product better on this site and i am now worried something could be going wrong inside of him because of the large piece of greenie :(. Is there anything i can do? should i take him to the vet? Anyhelp would be greatly appreciated. I know i must sound crazy to some of you but i can't help but worry about my little buddy, i love him very much. I feel terrible i didn't research greenies or even search this forum before i gave them to him. Tonight was the 1st night i actually saw him eat a big piece but i can only imagine that he has done it before. I can hear him snoring over in his crate now and it warms my heart.

[frenchiesmom]

Fortunately for me I guess, greenies are not very available here. Although I had heard so much about how good they were supposed to be for dogs, and how much they loved them, that when in another town awhile back I did pick up just about a dozen of them to see if my dogs liked them. Fortunately I had only given them one a piece till I seen this thread. Needless to say, the rest went in the trash, and they did not appear to be all that crazy about them anyway. Glad to have found this out before giving them any more.

Thanks for the info everyone.

frenchiesmom

[ev960d]

I've heard alot of freaky choking stories about greenies. Recently we've bought just 1 for him to try out. I use it lure him to come to me for his daily brush. After I'm done, I will hold the other end of the greeny to ensure that he doesnt bite off a big chunk. After a while, I keep it away from him although he silently protest :D

My boy has grown up and he is indeed a powerful chewer. I wouldn't take the risk to let him handle greenies by himself. It's slippery & soft when he chews on them..potential chokes. Eh..the reason why I fed him greenies is I heard that it is good for their teeth, but I don't let him have full access to it.

Hmm...I think I might not want to buy him another. Greenies are not cheap here and ingredients unknown (there's no labels on the greenies)..better not.

I'm glad that in bulldog world people discuss their genuine concerns and sometimes it does give me 'pressure' not to ask stupid things or say the wrong things. I believe that our love for our doggies brought us here together. Although we have never met, we showed genuine concerns for each other ;)

Cheers for bulldog world! Hip hip huray appicon

[Carolyn]

I googled and found the ingedients in greenies:

Ingredients: Processed wheat gluten, glycerin, natural flavor, powdered cellulose, monosodium phosphate, monoglycerides of edible fatty acids, magnesium stearate, and chlorophyll.

[cookiesmug]

Well I guess greenies are now a bye bye for us.
Too bad, no more greenie dance for Dobby! But I'm sure he'll find something to "worship" again :p

[Carolyn]

I would like to make a suggestion. if your dog is fond of chewing (like most dogs), invest in a kong.

Kongs are great and my Ferris has several....he particularly loves the round ones that are about 6 inches long and not the usual ones that look like an ice cream cone. Seems that dogs either love them or have no interest whatsoever. Abby could care less about Kongs. Ferris seems to go for his Kong after Abby has gone to bed, he is bored and looking to keep the mouth busy.

Kat....I don't know that the ingredients to greenies are necessarily bad (don't know)...but just wanted to post them for those that know what they are. I gave greenies to Abby when she was a pup...she loved the first one or two and then had no interest in them. Since then...I made a decision not to give them anything that they could wolf down in large pieces.

[lcmwest]

Hi- I rarely give greenies, but Scout does love them. She has swallowed one or two pieces that were too big for my comfort level, so I supervise her. They passed in her stool. Just watch to see if they pass in Orson's stool. If he has a blockage, the symptoms are vomiting, possibly diarrhea. If that happens take him the the vet ASAP. One of our cats, Bobcat, had a blockage from ingesting a very small piece of plastic from a kitty toy when he was young, and we did not know it. He vomited, and couldn't keep anything down, and he became lethargic. We got him in that afternoon, and he had to have emergency surgery. They showed us the plastic after, it was so small. Everything turned out fine, but it was very scary and he is not allowed within a tails length of plastic.

[Carolyn]

It became apparent when she started knocking back her raw bones with less and less chews that the little piggy could not be trusted to properly chew before swallowing.

Jessica...very good point. My two used to chew off small bits but now that they are older....the strength of their jaws does make for larger pieces to swallow. This is not to say that pups are not at risk. We all have to decide what is best...and how much supervision we can be responsible for. In our house...it can get confusing...."I thought you were watching"..."NO...I thought YOU were watching". And that is why I choose to take the risk out of the mix. It's all about us, isn't it?

[SadPandas]

Okay you guys, it has been about 24 hours since my little piggy decided to one bite a big piece of greenie and he has pooped twice and doesnt seem to have any symptoms of anything being wrong. Thanks for the replies you guys :). I just put some peanut butter in a kong and Orson is trying to get it into a corner so he can get a better licking point. Also, even though i do talk like an overprotective mother i am in fact a father :). My girlfriend and best friend gave Orson to me on my birthday. Anyway, thanks again and i will keep you posted if anything changes with my little man. He is loving the peanut butter kong but doesnt seem to be chewing on it just kind of rolling it around and trying to lick the insides.... CUTE!

[EllieMae]

Thanks to all you guys I would never give Ellie a greenie, but are raw carrots safe? They tend to break off in big chunks...Ellie loves carrots, they are the only thing she will dance for, but are they safe?

[SadPandas]

Carrots, what a great idea. I have no idea if they are saf or not but i hope someone here does. The kong only got attention till th epeantu butter was licked out of it. he didnt seem too interested in it otherwise.
pandas

[Chris&Eti]

Vegetables need to be cooked or pureed before they can be digested by dogs as they are unable to process cellulose. Carrots therfore, can be a problem if they swallow large chunks -if nothing else, this interferes/slows down the digestion of their last meal.
Some alternatives that Eti likes- piece of banana smushed into a Kong ( even better frozen), small pieces of peeled apple.

[franp]

Chunks of apple;Dari's FAVORITE...she blows drool bubbles for apples..:lol: