STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

alb · Marc Jacobs

disturbing article about dogs dying from greenies!

Tati · Chanel

i heard about this a while ago in the news and stopped giving it to my pets. its not worth the risk to me.

Becca · Kate Spade

Oh that's horrible.

My aunt gives these to her lab and often sends them as treats to mine.

Hermione · Kate Spade

I actually stopped someone in line in front of me at petsmart and told her about this (she was buying them for her new puppy)

i have a friend who will give her dog greenies but only when she is watching him, NEVER in his crate, i guess since they don't break into pieces they're easier to choke on -

also they make greenies for cats now and another friend of mine had a cat that was developing a bad cough - the vet couldn't figure out what was wrong with him and they tried all sorts of things - turns out it was the greenies for cats!

i'll never give them to my kitties or any dogs i may end up owning - i always tell everyone i know with animals too - scary!

Metric · Gucci

I gave my dog a Greenie once and she barfed all over the yard. It was sooo gross b/c the Greenie made the barf bright green. It it was about 30 seconds before my neighbor boy came over to cut the lawn so I was trying to run around and clean up this lime green dog vomit before he mowed. Charming.

Hence...we do not buy Greenies anymore.

luckylily · Gucci

well, i think it depends on the dog. some dogs are swallowers, some aren't. my dog for example just gnaws on stuff, he doesn't ever swallow. many dogs, on the other hand, gulp stuff down as fast as they can.

people should err on the side of caution and avoid the chews if they think their dog might swallow it. in general, i don't think pets should have swallowable items unsupervised.

rawhide is far more dangerous for the same reasons as greenies, but is still widely used. i would never give my dog a rawhide chew.

halleybird · Hermes

I am torn on this issue, because greenies are like crack to my dogs. Mostly, they chew them, not swallow them, and I give them the "regular" size, not the "large" size, b/c I am worried about parts breaking off.

But part of me feels like my dogs are large, and they have swallowed stuff that's a lot worse than greenies (Halley = plastic box of razors, several bottles of medicine; Sully = socks, pounds of Kleenex, and shoes). So I don't know what to do.

luckylily · Gucci

Halleybird, you make a really good point. There are tons of items in our homes far more hazardous to our pets than greenies.

halleybird · Hermes

luckylily wrote:

Halleybird, you make a really good point. There are tons of items in our homes far more hazardous to our pets than greenies.

yeah, but (arguing with myself here) I don't willingly give them that stuff. I guess I probably won't give them to them anymore, or maybe we'll just finish out the bag. Because if something DID happen, it would kill me if I knew it was dangerous and gave it to them anyway.

boobaby · Kate Spade

This is upsetting. Boo loves his greenies. I have already stopped giving him rawhide, cornstarch bones, bully sticks, and now greenies? Does anyone have a good alternative? He's a chewing machine, but will swallow big chunks, especially if he thinks someone will take it. He seems to strongly believe that everyone, human and animal, wants what he has.

alb · Marc Jacobs

I'm really conflicted about this too, b/c our dachsund loves them. We give her one every SAturday and I really think it helps her teeth, gums and breath SO much! However, she wolfs it down. I don't know how she gets it down so quickly, but in about two minutes it's gone. So, my hubby and I will watch her carefully from now on. I'm still undecided if I will buy any more after the package is gone. This sucks.

mckenke · BCBG

My friend's dog almost died from greenies. I went with her to the emergency vet appointment and after that I will never give my dog greenies again. The vet gave us a lecture about how they expand in a dog's stomach absorbing water and block their digestive system. My friend's dog had to spend 3 nights at the vet and barely survived. So, I am very anti-greenies.

I don't give my dog greenies or rawhides, but he loves his kong. They make kong treats that I stuff way down in there and he tries to get them out for hours by chewing on the kong or I put peanut butter it in and stick it in the freezer. That also keeps him occupied for hours on end.

JoceyBaby23 · Gucci

My puppy is a chewer.. He never swallows anything, so I'm not overly concerned. I don't think I will stop giving him greenies but I will watch him closer from now on.

txgal · BCBG

My Golden lives for her Nylabones. They can't break apart like normal rawhides. She used to swallow normal rawhides and her vet said that was very bad and to switch. They can be kind of expensive at a B&M store, but I've found places online that are really inexpensive. They really last forever. I think she has 3 or 4 buried through the yard.

halleybird · Hermes

My dogs love Nylabones too. I wish they'd like Kongs, because those are really the safest toys, but they won't go near them. Even if I put treats inside, they eat the treats and then ignore the toy.

For those looking for an alternative, what about these? My stepmom buys them because greenies do, er, gross things to her dogs' digestive system. I *think* they are basically Greenie-flavored Nylabones. Her dogs are aggressive chewers, and they seem to hold up like Nylabones (not edible). Any thoughts/experiences?

Smart Chew Treats http://orvis.com/store/product_choice.asp?pf_id=91T3&dir_id=1633&group_id=10585&cat_id=10586&subcat_id=10587&feature_id=17

lindsayp · Kenneth Cole

I thought Nylabones were bad too because they never digest and just stay in their stomachs???

halleybird · Hermes

lindsayp wrote:

I thought Nylabones were bad too because they never digest and just stay in their stomachs???

my vet says this is true only if your dog breaks off chunks when he chews them. When pets chew most Nylabones, they are sort of chewing off shavings that shouldn't be big enough to block a large dog's digestive system. But I guess a super, super aggressive chewer might be strong enough to break off a piece. I always make sure to buy the ones for "aggressive chewers" so they're super-strong.

Nylabones are supposed to be a safer alternative to cooked real bones, because those are weakened by the heating process and can break off more easily. But really, I think a Kong is the only truly "safe" toy -- as my vet says, anything can cause problems, really. But my dogs don't like Kongs, so I give them Nylabones because they're probably safer than whatever mischief they'd get into being bored around the house.