Greenies: Dog Treat May Carry Danger

[jdesigns]

I just found this on a local news station. Rather disturbing.

Up until tonight I would give Jax a greenie about every other day right before going to school.

The packages say that the greenies are 100% edible, but a company spokeswoman said that they are only 85% digestible. WTF? I think that is a bit misleading, don't you? Shouldn't everything that is 100% edible be 100% digestable as well?

If you don't feel like reading the article, at least watch the video in the story: Article and video


Isn't anything safe anymore?

Dog Treat May Carry Danger
Wayne Havrelly
KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator

UPDATED: 9:01 am PST November 15, 2005

A KIRO 7 Consumer Investigation exposes a potentially deadly problem involving one of the most popular dog treats on the market.

Millions of dogs chew on the treats every day, and there's a good chance your pooch is one of them.

Consumer Investigator Wayne Havrelly discovered the danger.

These dog treats are called "Greenies." They're sold in stores everywhere.

But our investigation found Greenies and products like them can pose a real danger to dogs.

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

He used to use Greenies, a doggie treat 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 us 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 dogs 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.

Our investigation 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 ways for the rest of my life!" Wright said.

During our investigation we tracked down nine people who claim their dogs died after eating greenies. We 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 our request for an on-camera interview.

They sent us a statement expressing sadness over all the dogs in our investigation. They say "millions of Greenies are sold and enjoyed by dogs, every week without incident."

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.

Perhaps the key sentance in here is that nearly all dog treats and toys can make them sick.



Source: KIRO 7

[AmyJane]

OH NO! I give those to my dog! Not anymore!

[Lnzbug]

Thank god my dog only likes socks & slippers! Thanks for the info-my neighbors feed those to their dogs all the time-I'll make sure I tell them today!

[Fowvay]

I have never had a dog that would eat that kind of stuff. I just gave them rawhide chewys and the occasional bone from the butcher.

Good to know though about those greenies... I will keep an eye out for them at freinds houses. Thats for sure.

[Paladin]

The product is for teeth cleaning / breath freshing. If your dog doesn't bite the thing into pieces it will not serve it's function and will be ingested whole -- which appears the case in the above incident. IMO, anyone who gives a treat designed to be crunched to a dog that gulps instead of crunching should not have a dog as they are criminally negligent.

And no, not everything edible is digestible. All that brown stuff that comes out in the end is the undigestible parts of the edible items. You want this, which is why you are recomended to have a diet high in (undigestible cellulose) fiber. Tomato seeds are not only undigestible, but survive the process ready to germinate in the provided fertilizer.

This is hype aimed at winning a deep pockets lawsuit over deaths caused by the consumers' stupidity. The majority of the money to go to the lawyers.

[pdoel]

This seems a bit odd to me. Rawhides are supposedly non-digestable, meaning NO part of a rawhide can be absorbed into a pets system. So basically the whole thing must be passed. So if a dog can eat a huge rawhide and pass it with no problems, why can't they eat a greenie, and pass 15% of it?

Anyone who has ever had a puppy, has probably seen crayons, rope, etc., all pass from their dog. Dogs eat all kinds of things that can't be digested.

Just to be safe, I just checked www.snopes.com and here's what I found:

The digestibility testing that we have with Greenies® show them to be about 85% digestible when adequately chewed — more digestible than the average dry dog food. The primary ingredient in Greenies® is wheat gluten, which is very digestible. If a dog swallows a large piece of Greenies®, or a whole treat, the digestion process will be extended because of the decrease of treat surface area to digestive liquids and stomach action. This would be similar if a dog swallowed a large piece of meat or vegetable.

Our Priority to Educate Pet Owners About Smart Treating

It is very important for pet owners to read the labels on any food or treat they feed, and follow the feeding guidelines. We suggest that pet owners monitor their dogs when feeding any food or treat. Our feeding directions can be found on our packaging and on our web site. The directions instruct dog owners to provide the correct size Greenies® for the weight category of their dog.

Greenies® are not appropriate for all dogs. The feeding directions state that Greenies® should not be fed to dogs less than six months old, dogs less than five pounds, and dogs who gulp food and treats. We offer an alternative called Greenies® Lil' BitsT. Lil' BitsT are made from the same ingredients as Greenies®; we simply chop them into smaller pieces for smaller dogs, puppies under six months, dogs with very poor teeth, or dogs that tend to gulp food or treats. Though injurious incidents with our product are rare, more often than not, the pet is not fed according to our feeding directions.

Our Responsibility to our Customers

This summer we were concerned when we learned about Matthew Balkman's dog, Beau. We completed a thorough investigation, including having our technical services veterinarian review Beau's medical file and speak with his veterinarian. Unfortunately, Beau, a Bernese Mountain Dog, ingested a large chunk of our product without sufficiently chewing it. Beau's veterinarian successfully removed the piece and we hope Beau has recovered well from his surgery.

In September, we were extremely saddened to hear about the death of Gilbert Wright's dog. We replied to his e-mail expressing our sorrow and offering to begin an investigation a few times, but our e-mails were not answered. In early November we were able to get in touch with Mr. Wright via regular mail and have offered to start our investigation. He has asked us to hold off for now. Because we have not yet conducted an investigation, we can't comment on this specific incident. We do wish his family the very best.

Millions of Greenies® are sold, and enjoyed by dogs, every week, without incident. I personally feed Greenies® to my dog, Max, every day. My children feed Greenies® to their dogs. Our employees feed Greenies® to their dogs. We receive testimonials from thousands of pet owners who love our product, and we receive story after story of how our product has saved their dogs' life by improving their oral health.

So, sounds like greenies are just as digestable (if not more) than most dog foods. Also, sounds like they have it listed on the label that they are not for dogs under 5lbs, under 6 months old, or dogs that gulp large pieces of food. Also, just like with rawhides, they suggest you do not let your dog eat this stuff unattended.

And, like they say, millions of dogs eat these products everyday without incident. A few dogs with problems doesn't sound to me, like we have an epidemic on our hands.

[digitalputty]

I gave my dog one every day as well ... for about a week. Then I came home to a living room full of green vomit - NOT exaggerating. No more greenies for my doggie!

[skittle buggy]

I have never give our dog a greenie. The vet said chewing on rawhide helps keep her teeth clean so we let her have some every once in a while. although she does tend to scarf her food ocasionally. Go figure

[AmyJane]

Originally Posted by Paladin

The product is for teeth cleaning / breath freshing. If your dog doesn't bite the thing into pieces it will not serve it's function and will be ingested whole -- which appears the case in the above incident. IMO, anyone who gives a treat designed to be crunched to a dog that gulps instead of crunching should not have a dog as they are criminally negligent.

And no, not everything edible is digestible. All that brown stuff that comes out in the end is the undigestible parts of the edible items. You want this, which is why you are recomended to have a diet high in (undigestible cellulose) fiber. Tomato seeds are not only undigestible, but survive the process ready to germinate in the provided fertilizer.

This is hype aimed at winning a deep pockets lawsuit over deaths caused by the consumers' stupidity. The majority of the money to go to the lawyers.

I dont stand and watch my dog so I dont know if he chews or gulps. Does this make me criminally negligent?

[dgoldbe2]

I generally give my Greyhound doggie crack, er, pig ears, and my Daschund rawhides.

I also occasionally give them Greenies, but always when I am sitting in the living room with them. One time my Greyhound choked on a piece of pig ear, and she puked all over the kitchen trying to hack it up.

She learned her lesson and now chews thoroughly everything we give her.

Who says old dogs can't learn?

[WNAB911]

My Puggle wouldn't eat the greenies when we gave them to him. He prefers dirty socks!!!

[shellbug]

Rawhides are not good for them either, kinda does the same thing as the greenies.
~shelly

[jdesigns]

Jax always throws up after chewing on rawhides.

[jdesigns]

FDA Investigates Greenies Following KIRO 7 Investigation
Wayne Havrelly
KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator



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.

Source

[Paladin]

Originally Posted by CyberGreenBaby

I dont stand and watch my dog so I dont know if he chews or gulps. Does this make me criminally negligent?

Makes you a troll looking for a fight. You give the dog a treat and they start chewing or start gulping. You do not need to stand and watch.

[AmyJane]

Originally Posted by Paladin

Makes you a troll looking for a fight.

WTF?

[Jillybug]

My little dog gracie lou doesn't care for any kinda of treats, she is just not interested.
But little mollie will eat anything..pizza, taco bell, cereal, chips, pretty much anything that she can get somebody to give her with her little "my mommy starves me" look that she gives people. (neither dog is supposed to have human food)
But I have given them greenies, gracie just walks away from it, and mollie just carries hers around..Never really eats it, just keeps it with her.

But I do give them breath mints, and I have those little dissolving strips for dogs...And I brush their teeth before bed.
So they are all minty fresh!

[dgoldbe2]

Originally Posted by CyberGreenBaby

WTF?

The issue is that in the wild and wooly internet, the statement you made is normally classified as a trollish response.

It is a very touchy subject for many.

Wikipedia defines internet trolls as:

a troll is a person who posts inflammatory messages on the internet, such as on online discussion forums, to disrupt discussion or to upset its participants. It can also be used as a verb, meaning to post such messages, and "trolling" (the gerund) is also commonly used to describe the activity.

This is not to imply that anyone is a troll, just explaining the nature of the response.

[AmyJane]

Originally Posted by dgoldbe2

The issue is that in the wild and wooly internet, the statement you made is normally classified as a trollish response.

It is a very touchy subject for many.

Wikipedia defines internet trolls as:



This is not to imply that anyone is a troll, just explaining the nature of the response.

Huh..weird.

People are too touchy nowadays and I didnt think there was anything wrong with my question. Nor was I picking a fight.
Anywho...back on topic.

[squeebug]

and here I was thinking a troll was some big ugly thing sitting under a bridge. I guess I need to go back to school and learn stuff all over again