I was browsing www.dogster.com, the Health forum, and read a post from a sad owner whose dog had died after eating a Greenie. Greenies are a compressed vegetable-based treat, shaped like a toothbrush, marketed to clean teeth and freshen breath for dogs AND cats. And dogs love 'em.

I did some more browsing and there is growing concern over the safety of Greenies and similarly made treats. In some dogs, pieces have become lodged in the esophagus, and caused intestinal blockages and perforations. In some dogs, they either do not digest at all, or turn into a wad of Greenie glue.

With my own precious pooch, I noticed she'd vomit chunks of undigested Greenie *hours* after eating one. So I stopped giving them to her. I'd nearly lost her to an intestinal blockage (vomiting was the early warning sign) -- so barfing is a red flag to me.

According to a Newsday article on the www.smokersclub.com site, enough vets have shown concern over the problems caused by Greenies *in some dogs* to begin doing research. The vet intereviewed said that after fish hooks and chicken bones, these vegetable-based treats are next in line as the most frequent causes of blockages.

I haven't found any info on cats and Greenies, yet.

Thats very true MossPatch and no one that asks ASPCA, PETA or BEST FRIENDS for advice gives Greenies or any kind of Rawhide treat to their animals. They recommend ONLY dog food and Milkbone or other biscuits. These chewy things are not made of natural substances and are dangerous. Another concern are the stuffed toys or ones made of intertwined strings. For a very very special treat besides the GOOD ones I've mentioned, I buy beef jerky and cut it into smaller pieces and they love it, cats and dogs alike. We at the dog organizations find a good rule of thumb to be:
"If you couldn't eat it, don't feed or give it to your pets." Simple, sensible and and safe.....

Thanks for the info.

I was going to buy my elderly neighbor's dog some of these as a treat. I certainly won't now.

I agree, chatty lady, about rawhides and similar chewy treats. I do occasionally buy cooked bones with a flavored filling for my dog. She'll lick the innards out of the bone and chew at the bone for a while. But the bone is too big for her to really get her teeth around, so she can't bite any pieces off. Other than that, she has her Kongs which I stuff with kibble and peanut butter. She's 12-ish, and her teeth are fine with dry kibble and biscuits to crunch on.

I can't eat gluten, so I'm not surprised it gives dogs problems.

I'd never heard about the issues with greenies before. I've given them to Jack without any issues, but I'll definitely think twice about it now.

I never did give them to him often, I brush his teeth for him with a toothbrush. He likes it.

Speakermom, pumpkin straight from the can (if your dogs will eat it) is a great source of fiber and an excellent remedy for doggy diarrhea. I should go back to making doggies treats; cheaper and healthier. You have lucky little weiner dogs!

I still believe that if you wouldn't eat it yourself then why give it to your beloved pet? Our pets will eat anything usually so its up to us to see they don't get anything that could harm them in any way....

I have not given my dogs greenies, but I have experienced dog barfing when I have given them rawhide products to chew on. This can't be good. I have made my dogs their own bickies they especially like the peanut butter ones.