greenies - YorkieTalk.com Forums

speck103 · 11-29-2005, 04:37 PM

[COLOR=Purple]Did anyone see the spot on greenies on channel 9 news at 3pm (west coast)? It was really interesting and they had one lady on there with a bunch of yorkies. Some greenie got caught in one of her little ones intestine and it had to be removed. They also had some other dogs and owners on there with similar issues. Some had even died. I had read many times on YT about the dangers of greenies, that's why I stopped giving them to my Merlot. It was an intersting story and very informative.

yorkieusa · 11-29-2005, 05:33 PM

Here's the article:

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

spydergurl · 11-29-2005, 05:41 PM

I threw mine out when I first heard this. Sad, but true!

yorkieusa · 11-30-2005, 09:36 PM

FDA Investigates Greenies Following KIRO 7 Investigation

SEATTLE -- Federal investigators are now looking into the potentially-deadly problem with a popular doggie treat, Greenies.

Following the KIRO 7 Consumer Investigation into these greenies dog treats, the Food and Drug Administration says it's getting new information about alleged problems with greenies and the case is now under review.

The FDA is looking into the situation to see how widespread this problem might be. If you have any information that could help FDA investigators they want to hear from you.

To file a complaint with the FDA visit the FDA Web Site and file a complaint.
http://www.fda.gov/opacam/backgrounders/complain.html

http://www.kirotv.com/consumer/5436588/detail.html

spydergurl · 11-30-2005, 09:51 PM

Good. Finally someone is looking into this. They should be put out of business. I can't find that article that was written by a vet and he said research was done on them and there is an addictive substance in there, that's why they love them so much and are so "addicting". Everybody always says they are so addicting, but they think they are kidding. Well, we will see what happens. Thanks for showing this to us.

mylittletigger · 11-30-2005, 10:17 PM

The thing with Greenies too is that not only are they barely digestible but they have 52% protein which means if you give them to your dogs on a daily basis you must limit the amount of food intake to make up for the overuse of protein. I had a customer come in today who was looking at Greenies and warned her of the possiblity of the dangers (getting stuck, chunking off, protein levels, etc.) and they still got them. Guess I gotta try harder next time. At least I'm trying to put the word out, Just wish more people would listen.

spydergurl · 11-30-2005, 11:22 PM

Good for you...at least you tried. When I see people in stores going to buy them, I don't have enough nerve to tell them.

suzu1 · 12-01-2005, 04:33 AM

Hopefully after the FDA investigation they will be pulled from the market.

mylittletigger · 12-01-2005, 07:58 AM

yeah but that'll be so hard for them to do considering they're one of the most popular dog treats. and the sad thing is, so many other companys are attempting to copy them. Nylabone, and dentabone to name two. if they don't take them off shelfs they should at least put a large warning label on them that people will actually notice.

deb b · 12-04-2005, 02:19 PM

my yorkie Ginger used to get a greenie once a week as a special treat. Back then they only had the greenies for 10 to 20 lbs. Now they put out the smaller one for 5 to 15 lbs. ( perfect I thought for my 8 lb. , 3 year old) for her. So it was a little easier to give maybe two times a week. Then it was like when I would come home from work she would not give up until I would give her one. (you know how you can understand your yorkie?? ) She knew where we kept them. Then my daughter would come home during the day and she would do the same thing to her. I would buy them on sale so they cost 27 cents each. Not to bad I thought. Long story short she has trained us to give her 2 a day (the teenies) On the package it says 2 can be given a day. I tried to look up info about them on the web site. Now I'm seeing that they are dangerous and can be lodged. So far whe has not had trouble and seems to digest them ok.. Does anyone have a web site I can go to for more info?

yorkieusa · 12-04-2005, 02:33 PM

This thread has a lot of info plus a number of web sites mentioned:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22689

txshopper73 · 12-04-2005, 03:17 PM

Yuppers! Threw mine out, too!

JPop's Mom · 12-05-2005, 12:07 PM

How about the greenie lil bits? (the little chips) I've starting giving mine those, they love them sprinkled in their food. Think they are OK to give?

11-29-2005, 04:37 PM	#1
speck103 Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 255	greenies [COLOR=Purple]Did anyone see the spot on greenies on channel 9 news at 3pm (west coast)? It was really interesting and they had one lady on there with a bunch of yorkies. Some greenie got caught in one of her little ones intestine and it had to be removed. They also had some other dogs and owners on there with similar issues. Some had even died. I had read many times on YT about the dangers of greenies, that's why I stopped giving them to my Merlot. It was an intersting story and very informative.

11-29-2005, 05:33 PM	#2
yorkieusa Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 21,173	Here's the article: 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 __________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel

11-30-2005, 09:36 PM	#4
yorkieusa Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 21,173	Update FDA Investigates Greenies Following KIRO 7 Investigation SEATTLE -- Federal investigators are now looking into the potentially-deadly problem with a popular doggie treat, Greenies. Following the KIRO 7 Consumer Investigation into these greenies dog treats, the Food and Drug Administration says it's getting new information about alleged problems with greenies and the case is now under review. The FDA is looking into the situation to see how widespread this problem might be. If you have any information that could help FDA investigators they want to hear from you. To file a complaint with the FDA visit the FDA Web Site and file a complaint. http://www.fda.gov/opacam/backgrounders/complain.html http://www.kirotv.com/consumer/5436588/detail.html __________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel

12-01-2005, 04:33 AM	#8
suzu1 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: KY Posts: 243	Hopefully after the FDA investigation they will be pulled from the market. __________________ Sharon~~ I Love My Babies Maxwell Binks Page Tigger's Page

12-04-2005, 02:19 PM	#10
deb b YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: cape girardeau, mo Posts: 1	are greenies addicting my yorkie Ginger used to get a greenie once a week as a special treat. Back then they only had the greenies for 10 to 20 lbs. Now they put out the smaller one for 5 to 15 lbs. ( perfect I thought for my 8 lb. , 3 year old) for her. So it was a little easier to give maybe two times a week. Then it was like when I would come home from work she would not give up until I would give her one. (you know how you can understand your yorkie?? ) She knew where we kept them. Then my daughter would come home during the day and she would do the same thing to her. I would buy them on sale so they cost 27 cents each. Not to bad I thought. Long story short she has trained us to give her 2 a day (the teenies) On the package it says 2 can be given a day. I tried to look up info about them on the web site. Now I'm seeing that they are dangerous and can be lodged. So far whe has not had trouble and seems to digest them ok.. Does anyone have a web site I can go to for more info?

11-29-2005, 05:41 PM	#3
spydergurl YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 516	I threw mine out when I first heard this. Sad, but true!

11-30-2005, 09:51 PM	#5
spydergurl YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 516	Good. Finally someone is looking into this. They should be put out of business. I can't find that article that was written by a vet and he said research was done on them and there is an addictive substance in there, that's why they love them so much and are so "addicting". Everybody always says they are so addicting, but they think they are kidding. Well, we will see what happens. Thanks for showing this to us.

11-30-2005, 10:17 PM	#6
mylittletigger YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,216	The thing with Greenies too is that not only are they barely digestible but they have 52% protein which means if you give them to your dogs on a daily basis you must limit the amount of food intake to make up for the overuse of protein. I had a customer come in today who was looking at Greenies and warned her of the possiblity of the dangers (getting stuck, chunking off, protein levels, etc.) and they still got them. Guess I gotta try harder next time. At least I'm trying to put the word out, Just wish more people would listen.

11-30-2005, 11:22 PM	#7
spydergurl YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 516	Good for you...at least you tried. When I see people in stores going to buy them, I don't have enough nerve to tell them.

12-01-2005, 07:58 AM	#9
mylittletigger YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,216	yeah but that'll be so hard for them to do considering they're one of the most popular dog treats. and the sad thing is, so many other companys are attempting to copy them. Nylabone, and dentabone to name two. if they don't take them off shelfs they should at least put a large warning label on them that people will actually notice.

12-04-2005, 02:33 PM	#11
yorkieusa Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 21,173	This thread has a lot of info plus a number of web sites mentioned: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22689 __________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel

12-04-2005, 03:17 PM	#12
txshopper73 Donating YT 14K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 14,226 Blog Entries: 1	Yuppers! Threw mine out, too! __________________ As always...JMO (Just My Opinion) Kimberley

12-05-2005, 12:07 PM	#13
JPop's Mom Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Louisiana Posts: 139	How about the greenie lil bits? (the little chips) I've starting giving mine those, they love them sprinkled in their food. Think they are OK to give?