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Warning Against Dangerous Dog Treats
(CBS) LOS ANGELES For those who have pets, it is not surprising to hear that many consider them part of the family; they become your own “children.” But what if you know that what you have been feeding your children for years may lead to their death.
Candee Aaron has two puppies that are dear to her. “John and I have no children, these are our children,” she said, “I birthed them, I play with them, I love them.”
Less than two weeks ago, Candee Aaron nearly lost one of her “children,” this 12-week-old Yorkshire terrier named Maggie.
It was a week ago Saturday, Aaron gave two puppies a doggie treat called a Greenie, and little Maggie began to choke, they rushed her to the emergency pet clinic.
“It’s a good thing the surgeon was there and then he opened her up and then they found there was pieces in her intestines, it had perforated her intestines, I thought she was a goner.”
The dog started vomiting and it continued through the morning.
In El Cajon, Janet Steinberg rushed 15-year-old Taffy to the emergency pet hospital. “By the time I got her there,” Steinberg said. “She was comatose. They couldn’t find a discernable pulse or blood pressure on her and they took her back and I thought it was over and done with right there.”
Steinberg explained that they discovered a small quarter sized piece of a Greenie lodged in her small intestine that was causing all the problems.
Taffy and Maggie survived but a French bulldog puppy did not. His owner in the bay area says he watched helplessly as his 16-week-old French bulldog stopped breathing after a piece of a Greenie got stuck in the puppy’s throat. Mack died in his owner’s arms.
Another four-year-old Dachshund named Burt died this past July. His owner says Burt began vomiting and was rushed to emergency where he collapsed on the examination table. The owner says a chunk of Greenie was found in Burt’s intestines.
There are other deaths reported by owners as well, posted on the Internet as a warning to all pet owners.
Pacific Palisades’ veterinarian John Condello says he had a recent case involving a Greenie, which required emergency surgery.
But what is it about the Greenies that are different from milk bones and other things?
According to Dr. Condello, greenies seem to be less easily broken down inside.
“In my personal experience in my 20-plus years of practice, I’ve never seen a dog have to go in and have a piece of a milk bone or a meaty bone surgically removed in terms of causing an intestinal obstruction, so that’s a similar type of edible treat. So I don’t know if it’s about the nature of the composition of the treat; if this is such a good treat the dogs are just too greedy and eating them too quickly but there certainly seems to be some combination of factors that make this more problematic than other treats.”
One of the reasons this treat is so popular is dogs love them. Just standing in this dog park for less than five minutes we are surrounded by dogs waiting for a treat.
But even though there can be problems with any product, dog owner Sara Mornell is willing to take the risk saying that her dog loves them. “I’m not going to take that away from her in the off chance that one of them, one percent or five percent or a little tiny percent chance could hurt her, that means a lot of treats I would have to stop giving her, you know.”
David Pollison also plans to continue using Greenies. “It’s possible any dog could accidentally swallow too large of a chunk and get it stuck in his throat or his intestines, that happens with almost any kind of product like that.”
The company provides warnings on the label. It says “Greenies are recommended for dogs over six months old,” suggesting little Maggie was too young to eat them.
The label says dogs should be given the right size Greenie for their body weight and consumers are cautioned to monitor their dogs to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. “Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog.”
Dr. Condello does not think that that is a sensible warning. “I think dogs by their very nature greedily gobble the food given the chance.”
According to Dr. Condello, if your dog likes to gulp down treats, you might want to stay away from Greenies. To be safe, he says, you need to closely monitor your dog, and discontinue any treat that causes vomiting, choking or makes them sick.
“Many dogs do love these treats and many dogs do very well on them however I would certainly monitor my own dog’s use of these treats.”
Janet Steinberg and Candee Aaron say they will never again give a Greenie to a dog, and they are grateful their cherished pets have survived.
“We were very lucky, weren’t we Maggie we were very lucky with you,” Aaron told Maggie while in return her puppy seemed to be grateful as well.
http://cbs2.com/consumer/local_story_332193140.html