Greenie Bone Warning

[Deronda Elstrod]

My little dog, Nickey, a 6 month old Maltese, has survived two surgeries this week and is now stable and recovering at the Vet hospital. After exploration, they found part of a "greenie" bone stuck in his esophagus.

The vets I spoke to this week are furious about this product. The product DOES NOT DISSOLVE if swallowed in chunks that cannot pass through their system. They have done numerous surgeries to remove them, especially from the intestines. This is the first that the Dallas surgeons have seen in the esophagus.

I wanted to share this with you and ask you to pass along this warning to any pet owner that you know and to keep it passing on. BAN THE GREENIES!! I know my little one will never see another greenie again.

After almost $5000 in vet bills since last Friday, this has been a very expensive lesson to learn. The worst part of course is that my little Nickey (only 6 months old) has suffered tremendously and will most likely develop other esophagus problems because of this.

He is not 'out-of-the-woods' yet so I ask that you say a prayer for him. This has been an extremely emotional week for him and for his Mommy.

I'm hoping to get this word out -- not to damage any one in particular -- but to prevent other pets and families from having to go thru this trauma.

[calgal]

I'm so sorry to hear this. I have heard the greenies were not the best things to give a dog because of the chokeing it causes and that they do not digest properly and that some of the ingredients are not good for them either. I've heard that any product you feed your dog can cause cancer if it has artificial coloring in it. Boy, ya just never know!!

[Busta]

I will be sure not to give my dogs any more greenies. Thank you SO much for the heads up. I hope your dog is going to be ok.

[momtobella]

I quit giving them to Bella a while ago because she would always throw up big chunks of them

[Kade]

Oh, Winston will be so sad, but thanks for the warning!

[Liz]

Oh what a scary experience for you and Nicky. I hope he recovers quickly and gets to come home soon. I used to give Bogart greenies, but had to stop because he would swallow big chunks of it and it would come out in his poop. Yuck. A few times he threw it up too. It's the same reason why I won't give him raw hides-he just doesn't chew things up properly. If you are going to give your dogs these products, I think it's important to always watch them while they are chewing on them. But even then...it happens so fast and once they start choking, it's hard to be of much help. I guess it's a risk you take.

[mulroony]

Glad I never gave the pups any, hope your dog is ok, and thanks for the heads up.

[2pups622]

im, so sorry what you and your pup went threw i hold the greenie when my 2 are chewing them so i can monitor how much there chewing and they like it im there personal holder so it dont slip away

[scarlett]

so sorry about your dog. I will say a prayer for him.

[iluvmymalty]

what were the signs that made you take him to the vet?

[flyndog]

I'm so sorry about your puppy. Cozy and I will keep him in our thoughts. Please keep us updated on his progress.

As stated by the manufacturere, Greenies are not recommended for dogs under 10 pounds, puppies, or dogs that gulp. Unfortunately, your little angel fits 2 of the 3.

All dogs should be monitored while chewing *any* chewable product. Greenies are highly digestible for most dogs (my dog gets sick if she eats too much of them). I give Cozy Greenie Bits.

Ingredients:
Processed wheat gluten, glycerin, natural
flavor, powdered cellulose fiber, monosodium phosphate, monoglycerides of edible fatty acids, magnesium stearate and chlorophyll. No artificial coloring added. No preservatives, and no plastics
or other inert ingredients. Product appearance and color may vary due to natural ingredients. All ingredients are used in human food product.

[D.Schäferhund]

I am sorry for your pup, i will light a candle.....

[Deronda Elstrod]

6/10/05: Update on Nickey... he passed away about 1:30 this morning. Many of you have asked more information and have said you would contact your vet -- please do -- please do not let Nickey's death be for nothing.

Word needs to get out that this 'greenie' product is not safe!! It may be good for the teeth & gums but it can be fatal as we all know now. Someone stated something about the warnings -- I did not see that -- I bought individual ones from a jar at the pet store. I also let him have them under supervision but when they are very slippery and it slips down their throat, I don't know what else I could have done. I like the thought of holding onto them but how could I have known?

As you might imagine, I am going through a tremendous amount of guilt about ever giving these to my dog. He has only had 2 whole ones. I wish I could take back one week!!

If your vet would like more information, my vet is a specialist at the Animal Diagnostic Clinic Hospital (Brad Hines, DMV Dipolmat) here in Dallas. The address is 4444 Trinity Mills Ste 202,Dallas TX 75287. The phone number is 972-267-8300.

He has removed several 'greenie' parts from dogs but from the intestines; this is the first he has seen in the esophagus -- which could become common for very small dogs. This is also the first death he has encountered as a result. I think large dogs are at risk also because they make very large sizes for them. They get very slippery while they are chewing on them and any movement can make them lose control and swallow it. According to the vets, they DO NOT dissolve in the body.

I will be contacting the Greenie company to tell them of what happened. My surgeon and vets are writing papers to submit to the Vet associations.

6/9/05: My little dog, Nickey, a 6 month old Maltese, has survived two surgeries this week and is now stable and recovering at the Vet hospital. After exploration, they found part of a "greenie" bone stuck in his esophagus.

The vets I spoke to this week are furious about this product. The product DOES NOT DISSOLVE if swallowed in chunks that cannot pass through their system. They have done numerous surgeries to remove them, especially from the intestines. This is the first that the Dallas surgeons have seen in the esophagus.

I wanted to share this with you and ask you to pass along this warning to any pet owner that you know and to keep it passing on. BAN THE GREENIES!! I know my little one will never see another greenie again.

After almost $5000 in vet bills since last Friday, this has been a very expensive lesson to learn. The worst part of course is that my little Nickey (only 6 months old) has suffered tremendously and will most likely develop other esophagus problems because of this.

He is not 'out-of-the-woods' yet so I ask that you say a prayer for him. This has been an extremely emotional week for him and for his Mommy.

I'm hoping to get this word out -- not to damage any one in particular -- but to prevent other pets and families from having to go thru this trauma.

[Kade]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Nickey was an adorable little guy.

[Liz]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I will be sure to always warn everyone I know to be very, very careful and to closely monitor their dogs while chewing greenies or rawhides. Take care.