[News] Greenies May Carry Danger
 

Another Greenies story. Please be especially careful feeding your Yorkie ANY treat if they are "gulpers" and don't chew.
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Dog treats called Greenies are sold in stores everywhere.

But Seattle television station KIRO reported that products like them can pose a real danger to dogs.

Matthew Balkman of Issaquah, Wash., uses cheese to reward his dog, Beau.

He used to use Greenies, which are designed to clean teeth and freshen doggie breath.

"The dogs do like 'em. They're tasty; he liked eating them," Balkman said.

But last May, Beau acted started acting sluggish after eating one.

"He wasn't eating at all," Balkman said. "I took him to the vet, the vet monitored him for a day and said there was something obstructing his bowel, 'We need to go in and operate.'"

Dr. Jayne Jensen performed the operation and removed a large green lump from Beau's intestine.

"She handed it to me, asked me if I knew what this is, and I said, 'Yes, that's a Greenie,'" Balkman said.

The package says Greenies are "100 percent edible," but a company spokeswoman told the station they are "85 percent digestible."

"That was not 85 percent digestible," Jensen said. "That was not digestible."

Constance Odle's dog Berkley is recovering from the same emergency surgery. But instead of a Greenie, a similar product was blocking the dog's intestine.

"At first, I thought he ate a piece of a toy, and when the vet told me what it was, I felt terrible guilt because I was the one who gave it to him," Odle said.

Berkley is the latest of several dogs Dr. Jennifer McBride has operated on after eating teeth-cleaning products, mostly Greenies.

"We will see things in abdomens that will dissolve like bones and, over time, they will dissolve and go away. But these are mostly indisolvable, so they tend to get stuck more often," McBride said.

The station discovered the results are sometimes fatal.

"I tried to revive her," said Gilbert Wright.

Wright lost his prized show dog, "Pompey of the Desert" after feeding him a petite-size Greenies treat. He feels an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"And I will feel that way for the rest of my life," Wright said.

During its investigation, the station tracked down nine people who claim their dogs died after eating Greenies. KIRO passed that information on to the company.

A warning on the Greenies label says to make sure you're giving the right size Greenie for your breed of dog. It also cautions you to "monitor your dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed".

"They don't chew. They don't even have the muscles to chew. I mean, we chew, we do that. Dogs don't do that," said Jensen.

"They also say on their Web site to avoid gulping or sloppy eating but, heck, people can't even train their children not to do that," said Gilbert Wright.

Company officials with Greenies declined a request for an on-camera interview.

They sent a statement expressing sadness over all the dogs in the investigation.

"Millions of Greenies are sold and enjoyed by dogs, every week without incident," it said.

And "though injurious incidents are rare, more often than not, the pet is not fed according to our feeding directions."

Gilbert Wright just got a new Pompey, but his heart will always be with the show champion original who won countless awards for agility.

Beau has recovered from surgery, and Mathew Balkman feels lucky.

"I'm saddened for the people that have actually lost their pets, because we came very close."

Vets say nearly all dog treats, chews and toys can make your pets sick.

They say it's important to keep a close eye on them.

http://www.local6.com/family/5373540/detail.html

Boo Greenies! Esp this part:

The package says Greenies are "100 percent edible," but a company spokeswoman told the station they are "85 percent digestible."

TY for sharing!

I am so upset after reading this. I am relieved to the point that I just finished up a bag with my babies without incident. They love them, but trust me, after reading this they have had their last tast of Greenies and any similar treat. Thank you so much for the education!!!

I have read something like this happening before on this site and have tried to be very careful. It's hard to watch them every minute so I don't think I am going to use these anymore. I took one away the other day that only had the tip left and it made me uncomfortable....enough of that! :eek:

:eek: Thanks for the info!

I'm banning Greenies. None for Maxi!

Hi Everyone,
I just joined this website today and am very impress by it. I too have given my little yorkie a greenie last week for the first time. He loved it. But after reading the post and the articles here, I will think twice about buying any more greenies.
Thanks
Maiflower

I guess my dogs have ESP!!! When Ginger was younger (she's now almost 6), she wouldn't have anything to do with Greenies. So, I never gave her any. When her pups were born, they too didn't want them. Since then, I have not even given the idea any thought. Sometimes, when I see them in stores, I think about buying them. Then I look at the price and say....NOT!! :eek:

I too am not going to buy any. There's enough to watch out for when you give them stuff like fruit and vege's. And they find stuff on their own quite nicely. :popkorn: :cake:

Suz

Thanks so much for posting that! Zeus used to get greenies all the time b/c his vet said they were ok and they were allowed with his diet. NO MORE!! He gets carrots now and he loves them! Thanks to all of you who have posted on the dangers of greenies!! :thumbup:

Thank you so much for the info! Just yesterday I sent off for a sample of one. I think it will just come in the mail and go straight in the trash! Whew, I cant imagine what I would do if I lost either one of my dogs.

One of our distributors came in with Xmas gifts for us today. Including Bailey she brought him one of those tennis ball material bone shaped toys and THREE GREENIES, I acted all excited and didn't want to be mean.. She said " i'm sure there ok, cause I got em from the vet" Oh well it was the thought that counts, and he loves the TOY, but I'm done with the greenies and SO IS HE.

I thought this entry from the Urban Legends Reference Pages
at snopes.com might interest you:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/greenies.asp

Interesting.. thanks for that link.

thanks for the info. My old yorkie loved them and ate one everyday. Thank goodness she never had trouble with the Greenies. She often choked on the raw hide sticks. I use to have to put my fingers down her throat. I always threw the short ones out. I still have a big box of them but my babies are not going to get them. They both gulp down everything. In fact, I was going to aks if anyone else had that problem. They eat literally everything they can find. Not just chew but swallow. Sometimes it is too gross.

Thanks
sam&deesmom

Toki never liked greenies too much. Even better, I don't have to buy them.