Are Greenie treats unsafe for pets?

1. 71

   jennzieposted 11 years ago

   Some of my relatives heard of reports that Greenies treats were unsafe for dogs and cats and for that reason they do not give them to their pets. However, they also said it was a few years ago that they heard this.
   
   Has anyone else heard about this and if so, can they really be harmful for pets?

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   1. 91

      jenb0128posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I actually hadn't heard that, and I've used Greenie's Pill Pockets to get an old kitty to take his meds, with no ill effects. I did some digging, and found this discussion on a cat forum: http://www.catforum.com/forum/38-health … erous.html (It's a few years old, though).

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      1. 71

         jennzieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for the link, Jen. Yeah, some people in my family said they also heard about this a few years ago. In the forum it does say that the formula of the dog Greenies was changed after new owners took over the company.
         
         My dog also never showed any symptoms whatsoever after eating the Greenies and they were very good for her teeth. However, now my mom and sister are paranoid and are too afraid to feed her the Greenies, so I guess we have to look for something else to help with her dental health.

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         1. 91

            jenb0128posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            No problem! I can understand the paranoia... I'm also paranoid about what I give my fur and feather babies! Good luck with the product search... I know there are some good dental treats for cats out there besides Greenies, so I'm sure there are good dog ones as well.

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            1. 71

               jennzieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah, now that you mentioned it I do need to look for good dental chews for my cats as well.

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      2. 96

         Melissa A Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I'm pretty sure they are referring to the green 'chews' that allegedly aide in teeth cleaning, not the pockets. I have heard that they updated their product after the complaints.

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         1. 71

            jennzieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, I also think they were only targeting the dental chews and specifically the dog ones. And they did change the ingredients when a new company took over.

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2. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   I haven't heard of any recalls or ingredient changes for Greenies.  IMHO the only issue is that they are high in calories and so shouldn't be given too often.

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   1. 71

      jennzieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree that only a limited amount of the treats should be given- although I suppose giving too many of any treats could be unhealthy.
      
      There were some issues with the product back around 2005, which claimed that the treats were not fully digestible and that a few dogs had to undergo surgery to remove blockages after eating them. The ingredients to the dog dental chews had also been changed after the complaints.
      
      Here is an additional link I found with more info on the matter: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/greenies.asp

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