[jamgirl]

Mars Petcare makes approx 35 brands including Royal Canin, Nutro, Greenies, Whiskas, Cesar .
I would love to see a review of it here. My dog loves it.

[Gemma60537]

Last summer I went to a meeting to join my local AKC club and I managed to attend the one night that they had a rep for Nutro foods out to speak…there I sat politely not telling him to take his products and go away as I was brand new to the club. He went on and on about Greenies and seemed a little surprised when I declined a handful of free ones or the free t-shirt that he was giving away. Mine chew on moose antlers, deer antlers and get their teeth brushed a few times a week.

I opted not to join the club. 🙂

[Hound Dog Mom]

I agree with Sandy. Unfortunately, the ingredients in greenies are really really bad – giving your dog a greenie would be about the equivalent of giving your kid a candy bar. 🙁

I give my dogs raw meaty bones daily (turkey necks, chicken backs, pork necks, etc.) and natural chews (bully sticks, pig ears, dried tracheas, etc.) for dental health. I also brush their teeth. Most “dental chews” on the market are full of unhealthy ingredients.

[pugmomsandy]

Greenies have been known to break apart and cause blockages. That’s all I’ve “heard”. But I don’t like the ingredients in it either. I use to use it and did not have any problems. For teeth cleaning I now use bully sticks, marrow bones, cow hoof, rib bones.

[onapap1]

Does anyone have current info about greenies ? I know very little that is current.
I have just started using them. Mine like them and I have not had any problem. I cannot find a current review.

• This topic was modified 4 years ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[bouchieboo13]

Anyone have an opinion on Greenies Pill Pockets. I use them to feed my dogs their Lipiderm supps. I try to stay grain free with all the food products I use but haven’t found an alternative for these.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I wouldn’t consider a bully stick to be a high calorie treat – at least not for an active dog. My dogs each eat about 2,500 calories per day each and they all get either a bully stick, dried trachea chew or pig ear before bed. I estimate their chew treat to be around 200 calories – this accounts for only 8% of their daily caloric intake. Obviously the owner of a small breed or couch potato dog would have to be more conscientious – but this goes for any treats and meals too. I believe that natural chews, such as bully sticks, are – aside from raw meaty bones – the most species-appropriate chew for dogs. Chewing is healthy for dogs – it helps to clean their teeth and to stimulate them mentally by satisfying their natural urge to chew. Feeding a natural type chew is much healthier – imo – than any of those junk food chews on the market like Greenies, Dentastix and Busy Bones that are loaded with carbohydrates and often contain gluten, corn, gmos, sugar, propylene glycol, artificial colorings, etc. etc.

As far as natural treats being contaminated with bacteria like salmonella – this is old news. It’s been known for years and years that natural treats often are contaminated with bacteria. Does the fact that a bully stick may be contaminated with salmonella pose a risk to your pet’s health? I don’t think so and history supports that it isn’t a risk.

Excerpt from: “The Human Health Implications of Salmonella-Contaminated Natural Pet Treats and Raw Pet Food” [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16447116]

“To date there have been no published reports of salmonellosis occurring in dogs as a result of exposure to natural pet treats.”

Just as a healthy dog should be able to handle the bacteria present in raw meat, a healthy dog should be able to handle the bacteria that may or may not be present on a natural chew. Every dog I’ve ever owned (even as a kid) ate natural chews regularly and my current dogs have been on a raw meat diet for over a year and a half – I’ve never had a dog get sick and . People just need to use common sense here. If you have a small and/or inactive dog – limit their chews to once or twice a week. Don’t give an immune-compromised dog a natural treat (or raw meat) as their immune system ay be too weak to handle the bacteria. Know that your treat came from a reputable manufacturer. Always wash your hands after handling natural pet treats and disinfect any surfaces that they touch.

[Toxed2loss]

Hi Kevin,
Nylabone and greenies have both caused serious health problems.. I can’t remember the details. But, you can look them up on a search engine, and I believe Dr. Becker (DVM) on mercola.healthypets.com has some articles about it. The healthiest thing to give your dog to clean their teeth is raw meaty bones and a species appropriate diet. No grains. Dogs have no dietary need for grain. In fact, their canine cousins in the wild consume only about 5-6% vegetable matter (not grains, but including small amounts of fruit). Feeding grains leads to weight gain, dental carries and plaque, as well as many other adverse health conditions. Crunching up RAW bones, scrapes them clean. Feeding a meat protein based, balanced diet is the best thing you can do to maintain their good health. If you check out the prescription diets, you’ll see they contain mostly plant based proteins. Which don’t contain complete, biologically appropriate proteins for carnivores.

A raw chicken or turkey neck, or chicken wing is a good, inexpensive “tooth brush” for your mid sized dog. You can get them cheap, by buying past date ones at the meat counter. Buy in bulk, repackage & freeze in individual portions.

For more info on raw feeding check out Dr. Becker’s articles on that too. Hope that helps. 🙂

[Breeze]

Does anyone do anything special for dental health for their dog? I saw a Dr. Oz show about dog’s dental health. Brushing my dog’s teeth is not possible. She just will not stand for it. I give her T/CL canine chews, plus water additive (Nylabone), and my Vet’s office suggested Hills Prescription Diet T/D. I give her this food only as treats. Plus she has Nylabone bones she chews on. The vet said usually dental health is a problem in small dogs. I have a Elk Hound Mix, so a medium dog. Any suggestions? And Greenies, is so over priced. So don’t tell me to do that. I tried it once but it is just not economically smart.

[theBCnut]

No, Janus69’s posts don’t detract from the legitimacy of the thread. They just go to prove that when people read something on the internet, they have to decide for themselves how much they are going to check for themselves about what was said versus just blindly believe everything you read. That a good thing for all of us to realize, even if we don’t agree with someones point of view. There are a few regulars on the reviews that I don’t agree with their point of view, but I still learn A LOT from them and I would hate it if they quit posting because people don’t agree with them or something like that. There is plenty of room here for people who think differently, as long as we are polite to each other, and don’t take ourselves too seriously.

[Anonymous]

I would NEVER buy greenies for my dogs. Yuck! I read the ingredients once and never looked at greenies ever again. It’s another case of yummy marketing vs degrading ingredients.

And is somebody in this thread really defending Diamond? Ouch, there goes the legitimacy of the thread.

[Shawna]

WOW James, I agree with you!!! This is LOADED with excitotoxins.. Feeding these long term and often (if the ingredient list is correct) is just asking for trouble in my opinion… 🙁

I make treats for my kids too — dehydrated liver, heart, chicken, fish etc. 🙂

[dowsky]

was reading the greenies posts before posting. really thought twice about posting . but thanks kinda new to forums. you all don’t seem that mean any more LOL!

[soho]

The ingredients in greenies canine dental chews are:

INGREDIENTS: Gelatin, wheat protein isolate, glycerin, pea protein, water, potato protein, sodium caseinate, natural poultry flavor, lecithin, minerals (dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, magnesium amino acid chelate, calcium carbonate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide), vitamins (dl-alpha tocopherol acetate [source of vitamin E], L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of vitamin C], vitamin B12 supplement, d-calcium pantothenate [vitamin B5], niacin supplement, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], folic acid), dried tomato, apple pomace, vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ground flaxseed, dried sweet potato, cranberry fiber, dried cultured skim milk, choline chloride, taurine, decaffeinated green tea extract, carotene, chlorophyll (sodium copper chlorophyllin)

This is a treat that I definitely would not feed any dog or cat. I just started making jerky treats for dogs and cats. Here are the ingredients of the chicken variety:

Boneless skinless chicken breast.
Salt or molasses or honey depending on the variety.

That’s it. This is the kind of treat I think is species appropriate for a carnivore such as a dog or cat.

[theBCnut]

Woof specifically mentioned unless they don’t learn from their mistakes, so I was specifically pointing out the brand she mentioned that is made by a company that obviously didn’t learn from their mistakes.

[InkedMarie]

I must make good dog food choices because nothing I’ve fed in the last few years is on Janus’ list

[BryanV21]

Patty made it clear that it’s a history of recalls that’s the issue, not one in particular. History shows that it’s quite possible for another recall/issue to arise in the near future… that’s the problem.

And their rating here at DFA is indicative of their ingredients and dry analysis, it is not based on their history pertaining to recalls or other health conditions. Which is why I tell people that inquire about Taste of the Wild that it is a good food per it’s ingredients, however Diamond’s history keeps me from recommending it.

Another case where needing to look into the gray area is necessary, as it’s not a black or white thing.

[janus69]

We should also consider that if recall is grounds not to buy a brand then we would prob be out of luck all together and unable to buy any. Here is the recall list of brands having been recalled:

ALPO
Americas Choice, Preferred Pet
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Blue Buffalo (RICE GLUTEN)
Bruiser
Cadillac
Canine Caviar Pet Foods (RICE GLUTEN)
Champion Breed Lg Biscuit
Champion Breed Peanut Butter Biscuits
Co-Op Gold
Companion
Companion’s Best Multi-Flavor Biscuit
Compliments
Costco/Kirkland Signature (RICE GLUTEN)
Demoulas Market Basket
Diamond Pet Food
Diamond Pet Food (RICE GLUTEN)
Doctors Foster & Smith
Doctors Foster & Smith (RICE GLUTEN)
Dollar General
Eukanuba Can Dog Chunks in Gravy
Eukanuba Pouch Dog Bites in Gravy
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Gravy Train
Grreat Choice
Hannaford
Happy Tails
Harmony Farms (RICE GLUTEN)
Harmony Farms Treats (RICE GLUTEN)
Health Diet Gourmet Cuisine
Hill Country Fare
Hy Vee
Hy-Vee
Iams Can Chunky Formula
Iams Can Small Bites Formula
Iams Dog Select Bites
Jerky Treats Beef Flavored Dog Snacks
La Griffe
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Master Choice
Meijer’s Main Choice
Mighty Dog
Mixables
Mulligan Stew Pet Food (RICE GLUTEN)
Natural Balance (RICE GLUTEN)
Natural Life
Natural Way
Nu Pet
Nutriplan
Nutro
Nutro – Ultra
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nuture
Ol’ Roy
Ol’ Roy 4-Flavor Lg Biscuits
Ol’ Roy Canada
Ol’ Roy Peanut Butter Biscuits
Ol’ Roy Puppy
Ol’Roy US
Paws
Perfect Pals Large Biscuits
Performatrin Ultra
Pet Essentials
Pet Life
Pet Pride / Good n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority Canada
Priority US
Publix
Roche Brothers
Royal Canin (RICE GLUTEN)
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet (RICE GLUTEN)
Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels
Schnuck’s
Schnucks
Shep
Shep Dog
Shop Rite
SmartPak (RICE GLUTEN)
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Brothers
Stater Brothers Large Biscuits
Stop & Shop Companion
Tops Companion
Triumph
Truly
Weis Total Pet
Western Family Canada
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

[janus69]

Also in regards to Diamond, their various products and seem to rate between 4-5 stars hear.

[janus69]

The recall was in May and there is no current actions being taken against them.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57429961-10391704/diamond-dog-food-salmonella-recall-expands/

[theBCnut]

Woof

Taste of the Wild is made by Diamond and Diamond has had multiple serious recalls. Both people and pets have died. They did not learn from their mistakes. They had to take things apart and do such a thorough cleaning this time because of things that were their fault and that they did knowing it was not the right thing to do. They made repairs to food handling surfaces with cardboard and duct tape and they left unbagged food laying around in the open for unknown amounts of time in addition to other FDA violations.

[InkedMarie]

Janus, maybe I need to go back to sleep because i don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

[janus69]

“Some people don’t review dog foods that way, they seem to think if a food has inferior ingredients but their dogs “look great” on it that it is a good food. It’s not.”

Yes Marie and those are the people that should be checking what they are posting to inform people.

[InkedMarie]

I think you as well should assess what the site is for and what in the spirit of that purpose is appropriate.

Janus, you directed the above at me. By site I assume you mean the DogFoodAdvisor. That is a review of dog foods. Thats what it’s for and that is what Mike Sagman does, review dog foods, which is appropriate. He reviews the foods based on their ingredients and guaranteed analysis, which is also appropriate.
Some people don’t review dog foods that way, they seem to think if a food has inferior ingredients but their dogs “look great” on it that it is a good food. It’s not.

[woof]

Greenies was originally a private company, and had only one product. When the original Greenies company got into financial difficulty because of a problem with some dogs being injured by the product, the Greenies company owners sold the company to the Mars Candy Company.
The same thing happened with Nutro, when they ran into financial difficulties, they were bought out by Mars. In both instances, Mars, using their expertise in manufacturing, reformulated the products and reintroduced them to the market. One might say that Mars was an opportunist in buying nationally branded companies at a deep discount, but that is what financial solvent, well established companies do. The see value in the brand, even if the brand is suffering from a major negative publicity problem. Once they purchase them, they do what they do best. Reformulate the product, and move forward to reestablish the brand in the market place. As many of you that are familiar with the old Greenies product, there are far more that don’t have a clue that there ever was a problem. The one problem that I see is that things that happened 10 years ago keep getting dragged up as if they happened just yesterday. This past year, Taste of the Wild dog food had a recall, and the plant was shut down, totally dismantled, and sanitized before they could start producing product again. Yes, some dogs got sick, and some died, but it wasn’t as a result of something that the manufacturer (Diamond Foods) did deliberately. Today, the food is back on the market, and being fed to dogs without any problems. To keep bring up the past as if it was yesterday just isn’t fair to any manufacturer. How would you feel if your automobile insurance company were to keep charging you higher premiums for an accident that you had 10 years ago? You would be screaming it isn’t fair… Lets leave the past in the past, and not dredge up history, unless there is something to be learned from that history. If the company / manufacturer didn’t learn from their mistakes, I can see where past history has a place in not trusting their product in the future, but this isn’t the case with either Greenies, Nutro, or Taste of the Wild. I am not endorsing any of these products as being the best, or the most beneficial, however, if you were to feed any of them to your dog, I don’t believe that they would be harmful. The free market place does a great job of discarding the unsafe manufacturers in favor of the reputable ones.
Woof

[Shawna]

PS to clarify — the second quote from Consumer Affairs regarding the 700 complaints is regarding ALL NUTRO products, not just Greenies.

[Shawna]

Many people did have an issue with Greenies and like Aimee said, they were reformulated. I can’t fault them for dogs choking as 2 have mine have choked multiple times and it wasn’t due to Greenies. And one of mine is a long time raw bone eater but if someone in the house drops a piece of food several of the dogs will snatch and swallow.. And a few times the food item has been too big to go down..

I found the below — take from it what you will 🙂

From Veterinarynews.DVM360
“During a Feb. 22 teleconference with media, Joe Roetheli, Greenies founder and chief executive officer, says the company financially compensated or reimbursed veterinary expenses for no more than 20 fatalities allegedly tied to the bone-shaped dog treats.” http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=322331

LATimes
“KANSAS CITY, MO. — The maker of Greenies, one of the nation’s best-selling dog treats, settled a class-action lawsuit by pet owners who claimed the teeth-cleaning product injured or killed their dogs.” http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/18/business/fi-dogs18

Setteling a lawsuit could simply mean that they didn’t want the negative publicity a trial would bring but the reformulation makes me believe there WAS a problem.

Comsumer Affairs
“The dental chews were reformulated to be “more highly soluble and thus safer, yet effective as a daily preventive of oral disease,” the company said in a November 2007 statement.”

“A division of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied that it is investigating NUTRO Products Inc., whose pet foods are the subject of more than 700 complaints from consumers who say their dogs and cats became ill and, in some cases, died after eating NUTRO products.” http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/05/nutro_greenies.html

[theBCnut]

Many people do think or feel things are good or bad. And most understand that they have to decide for themselves if they think or feel the smae thing is good or bad. And since Dr Mike has been on this site since you started espousing your view, but has not chosen to agree with you, I’ll have to assume he is happy with how things are going and doesn’t need you to police the place, until I hear otherwise.

[BryanV21]

I know it’s easier to see things in black and white, as it requires no thinking on the part of those that listen/read, but there is a gray area to just about everything.

[janus69]

Patty I do not “think” or “feel” a food or treat is good or bad. I do not “think” or “feel” a method of training is good or bad. It either is or it is not or it in inconclusive. To spread unchecked info on a site that prides it self on doing what is best for a dog is a disservice to both pet owners and the site itself. Anything posted ends up as a reflection of the site and its credibility, i.e. if one was to post lets say the urban myth of bad Gerber baby food (which actually deals with an issue in France years ago and there is no recall now nor was there ever in North America) then someone reading will say DFA said…. not joe schmoe said. As a dog owner and someone who is replying to a posting it is our obligation to give correct info and not hearsay and misinformation. Under your Bryan and InkedMarie viewpoint if some posted they were having old english sheepdog puppies and I was to say you have to drown the ones with the same coloured eyes. because if they go blind in one then they will go blind in both (the belief of the day when the breed was created), that is fine. It takes seconds to double check what you are going to say, to unchecked it spreads information harmful to pets ten fold whether you intend it or not

[theBCnut]

janus69

We’re all adults here and take responsibility for our own actions, which means if I choose to believe what I read on the internet without verifying it, it is my responsibility. People may believe they are reporting facts and still be wrong or a topic may be about opinion. It’s your opinion what people should post and that differs from a lot of peoples opinion. I would rather hear what people think than hear from someone who says they don’t have a right to post what they think.

[janus69]

No Bryan, I am not. And as you seem to think you should post whatever you feel be it correct or wrong and thereby possibly causing harm on a site that is DEDICATED TO THE PROTECTION AND SAFETY OF ANIMALS, it is you that is for sure the asshole and I will know not to believe anything you post and hope that at some point an ignore button is added so I can remove you all together from anything to do with my dog. There is no need to reply we have said all there is to say.

InkedMarie

I think you as well should assess what the site is for and what in the spirit of that purpose is appropriate.

[InkedMarie]

Bravo, Bryan!

[BryanV21]

If I don’t say “it’s a fact…” then it’s clearly my opinion, and as such it shouldn’t be taken as gospel. If somebody does take it as gospel, then that’s on them… not me. Nor do I take what other people say as fact, unless they state it as such, and even then I’m skeptical. Perhaps you’re new to the internet, but that’s the way it’s always been.

I can’t stand it when people need things spelled out for them. I don’t cater to idiots and a**holes… not in real life, and not anywhere else. If naive people continually get treated differently, then they’ll never learn NOT TO BE NAIVE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

So if you think I or anybody else should always add “IMHO” to every post then you’re the one that’s out of your mind.

[InkedMarie]

It’s no one’s job to post correct info, its up to people to ask questions and then research the info they’ve been given. In regards to greenies, I prefer to err on the side of caution and not feed them. Bones are much better, imo.

[aimee]

When Greenies were first marketed veterinarians saw cases of esophageal obstruction from the product. The obstructions proved difficult to resolve and had a higher complication rate than other types of obstructions. The product has since been reformulated to address that problem.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18380620

[janus69]

Exactly HDM, although I am guilt of giving the dog the bone from the roast. He won’t eat pigs ears though for some reason. Love bulwinkles, freeze dried liver treats(non-chinese) and sweet potato treats as well as raw carrot, sweet potato, turnup, brocolli stems, tomatoe…

[Hound Dog Mom]

As for the qustion at hand of “Are Greenies Safe?” – I think they’re just as safe as any other chew. Obviously there’s always a risk of choking or intestinal blockage, but that’s with any chew type treat. My issue with them is not their safety but their ingredients. Very low quality, like feeding your doggie a candy bar. Stick with raw bones or natural chews (bully sticks, dried trachea, pig ears, etc.).

[janus69]

thanks hound dog mom

[Hound Dog Mom]

janus69 – As long as poultry bones are raw they’re safe. Raw bones are safe, all cooked bones are dangerous (even bigger non-poultry bones).

[janus69]

” I offer my advice and opinion for free” If it is incorrect it can be dangers if not fatal to ones pet and anything that is opinion should in fact be marked IMHO or some such to show it is NOT fact. The only person or persons with a responsability to post fact are those from DFA? What rock did you crawl out from under? The whole site is about the health and well being of ones pet. If you wish to kill or improperly care for your pet that is your option, to post it and encourage it here is inhumane and could be seen to boarder on criminal. If you feel DFA is the only ones that have to post fact and correct info then maybe they should appoint moderators to delete posts that do not do so.

[BryanV21]

It’s people’s “job”? Seriously? I don’t recall receiving a paycheck from the internet, so it’s not my “job” to do anything. I offer my advice and opinion for free. Please let me know how to start getting paid for it, as I’d love to make a few more bucks.

If anybody has the responsibility for posting correct information, along with giving the most well-educated opinion as possible, it’s the person or persons that run Dog Food Advisor… not those that read and contribute to it’s comment section or forums.

[janus69]

You know what Bryan, it is peoples job to post correct info. The whole purpose of this very site is correct info. The info in the forums must strive to be as correct as the review of food or the warnings of recalls or it all is for not.

And Guinessandi, as it states in the link I posted, there is NOT enough info, the examples you posted have no vet statement and in two show the treats were unsupervised. The same can occur with rawhides or nylabones if unsupervised.

[BryanV21]

Janus, the internet is full of misinformation and BS opinions. If you don’t like it then log off. Sorry you can’t separate fact from opinion, but it’s not other people’s jobs to cater to your wants and needs. Again… if you don’t like it then leave, because if there’s anything full of it here it’s your attitude.

[janus69]

Chicken feet? Interesting I was wondering about that and ducks feet as well. Had always been told not to give a dog the bones of foul as they can splinter.

[janus69]

Wrong Bryan. There is to much mis and disinformation spread around and it is dangerous. I do not want to trust the health and life of my pet to urban myths and wives tales.

[pugmomsandy]

I used to give greenies. The dogs did not get the teeth cleaning benefit out of them. Ate them too fast. Now I just give them a real bone to chew and their teeth are clean. Marrow bones, rib bones, chicken feet, neck bones, split knuckles.

[BryanV21]

There’s nothing wrong with giving your opinion on something. This is not a forum for facts only. If people have personal stories, or have heard a story, then they should share it. The more information the better.

Most of the time, if you can’t tell if something’s fact or opinion, that’s your fault… not the posters.

[GuinnessandI]

It’s not stories heard when people post up stories about how they lost their dogs to Greenies.
http://www.optimumchoices.com/Greenies.htm#Stories

[janus69]

I am going to say something here that I feel I will have to repeat again and again and again. UNLESS YOU KNOW IT FOR FACT DON’T POST IT. UNLESS YOU RESAEARCHED IT AND CHECKED IF MYTH, AGAIN DON’T POST IT. No one needs opinion listed as fact or something a friend of a friend’s cousins mothers brother heard. In regards to Greenie, there is nothing indicating that they are anymore gangerous then any other unsupervised treat…

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/greenies.asp