Greenies

What Are Greenies?

Greenies Dental Chews are chlorophyll-laced dog biscuits designed to scrape tartar away from your dog's teeth, eliminate bad breath, and reduce your pet's chances of developing canine gum disease.

The inventor of these treats, Joe Roetheli, actually developed them because his own dog was so resistant to regular tooth brushing, and he felt he could devise a better way to clean and freshen his pet's mouth. His product proved a success, and today these dental chews can be found in supermarkets and pet supply stores everywhere.

Each chew treat is shaped like a toothbrush, but this is mainly a visual effect geared toward owners, since what dog is likely to make sure he's starting his treat at the proper end? Still, they are kind of cute, and the shape gets the message across; these treats are meant to clean teeth.

Aside from their cleaning properties, these treats also provide your dog with some actual nutrition since they contain added vitamins, minerals and protein.

Ingredients

The primary ingredient in Greenies is wheat gluten, an important thing to know if your pet suffers from this particular food allergy. Each bone is meant to be about eighty-five percent digestible when properly chewed, with the remaining fifteen percent passing harmlessly through your dog's system.

Here's the complete ingredient list:

• Gelatin
• Wheat protein isolate
• Glycerin
• Soy protein isolate
• Sodium caseinate
• Natural poultry flavor
• Hydrogenated starch hydrolysate
• Vegetable oil
• Sodium tripolyphosphate
• Lecithin
• Ground flaxseed
• Calcium carbonate
• Magnesium monostearate
• Monoglycerides of edible fatty acids
• Choline chloride
• Potassium sorbate
• Minerals:
  • Magnesium oxide
  • Zinc sulfate
  • Ferrous sulfate
  • Copper sulfate
  • Manganese sulfate
  • Potassium iodide
• Vitamins:
  • (d)-Alpha tocopherol acetate
  • B12 supplement
  • Calcium pantothenate
  • Niacin supplement
  • Vitamin A supplement
  • Riboflavin supplement
  • Vitamin D3 supplement
  • Biotin
  • Pyridoxine hydrochloride, aka Vitamin B2
  • Thiamine mononitrate, aka Vitamin B3
  • Folic acid
• Chlorophyll

How to Treat

Just how many chew treats should your dog have, and how often should you offer them? The manufacturer offers the following guidelines.

Feeding Directions

• Only allow your pet to consume no more than one dental chew per day.
• Do not give these treats to dogs weighing less than five pounds.
• Do not give these treats to dogs less than six months old.
• Always keep fresh water available for your pet.

Appropriate Treat Size

Do Greenies Pose a Health Hazard?

There have been a few reports of dogs having trouble digesting this brand of chew treats, mainly resulting in bowel obstructions that required surgical intervention.

Ideally, dogs will gradually wear the bones down as they chew, but in many of these cases, the problem seemed to stem from dogs swallowing large chucks, rather than gnawing off small shavings. Solid chunks of these bones are harder to digest because it takes longer for the digestive juices to penetrate the bones. This may result in gelatinous masses that have the potential to become lodged in a pet's intestinal tract. This is why the manufacturer has suggested appropriate size treats for a range of different dog sizes.

In fairness, it should be noted that to date there have only been approximately nine cases reported out of millions of treats sold, so the actual incident rate is relatively low. This is comparable to problems encountered with other chew treats such as rawhide chews, cornstarch bones, pig’s ears, and cow hooves.

The bottom line: you should always choose a treat the right size for your dog, and pay a bit of attention while your pet's chewing it. Dogs have been known to choke on their kibble and get intestinal blockages from eating animal bones, so it's not quite so surprising that chew treats also pose some potential health hazards.

Conclusion

A combination of oral care and nutrition in one tasty treat makes Greenies Dental Chews a reasonable choice for your pet on several levels. As with any food product, bone or chew toy, keeping an eye on your dog while he's enjoying his treat will help assure the experience is a safe and pleasurable one.

External Links

• Greenies.com