Top-selling dog treat gets makeover following complaints

[bigdoglover]

Belleville News Democrat

David Twiddy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The makers of Greenies, the nation's top-selling dog treat, are rolling out a newly formulated version they say is easier for dogs to chew and digest.

The change comes months after a series of lawsuits and media reports claimed the treat sometimes sickened or killed dogs.

Officials with S&M NuTec, a Kansas City-based company that was acquired earlier this year by candy maker Mars Inc., said they had been working on a new formula even before the negative publicity, but they acknowledged they hope the updated Greenies win back skittish pet owners.

"We know there are perception issues out there about the original Greenies," said Kristy Vetter, consumer care strategy coordinator for S&M NuTec. "We think this will give pet owners confidence about what they're giving their dogs and help their dogs maintain happy, healthy lives."

Greenies are hard, dark green treats shaped like a bone on one end and a toothbrush on the other. The company claims the treats help scrub the dog's teeth, preventing periodontal disease and freshening the animal's breath.

The treats have proven extremely popular, with S&M NuTec saying it sold 315 million Greenies last year. Market research firm Euromonitor International said Greenies represented almost 20 percent of the U.S. dog treat market in 2005.

That dominance was threatened earlier this year when CNN and numerous newspapers began reporting stories from pet owners claiming undigested Greenies had caused throat and intestinal blockages that required surgery and were sometimes fatal. CNN estimated in February that at least 13 dogs had died, and a class-action lawsuit against S&M NuTec is currently pending in federal court in Missouri.

Company officials have repeatedly said the treats are safe when used as directed. They have noted that owners must buy the correct size of Greenies for their dogs and must ensure their pets adequately chew the treats.

But Vetter said "any good business looks for ways to improve" and, with the help of Mars' researching arm, the company has added features to address many of its critics' claims.

She said the new treats have a chewier texture and "break points" built in to help dogs crunch the treats into smaller, easier-to-swallow pieces. The ingredients have also been changed to break down more quickly in the stomach.

Vetter said the reformulated Greenies are already on shelves in mass retailers such as PetsMart and Petco and should begin appearing in veterinarians' offices and independent pet suppliers by early November.

S&M NuTec also plans a major marketing push to encourage pet owners to get their dogs' teeth checked and cleaned regularly.

Alan Sash, an attorney representing plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit, as well as a New York couple who sued the company last November after the death of their dog, said he was pleased the company was changing the formula.

"I doubt it's a coincidence, considering the timing of the change and the fact we asked for a change as part of our class action," Sash said.

Euromonitor analyst Beth Higgins said it's too early to determine how deeply the negative publicity this year hurt S&M NuTec's sales, but she said a new formula should help regain some lost ground.

"It looks like they've done a lot more research, probably more than any other pet care product," Higgins said. "If people are willing to read the label and see how it works, customers will be willing to come back to the product."

[rmci]

That's great news!

[calgal]

I was looking in the Fosters & Smith catalog just a few minutes ago to see if there was anything really nice or different and noticed they have those "new" greenies and they show a hand bending one of them. I had to laugh. Companies will go to any length to keep sales going. Nothing takes the place of a "real" bone (raw of course) to keep the dogs teeth clean and to keep the breath fresh.

[mulroony]

They have lost my business for good unless they come out with some super duper product that changes dog ownership as we know it (like kong did )...

[calgal]

Kong was made to keep dogs occupied when the caretakers couldn't, but not the greenies. Those were not to be trusted in a couple of ways, one was because of choking, so you had to be right there watching their every nibble. The other is because they are not 100% edible, so they lodge in the digestive track and cause some serious problems. I like toys that make them think and problem solve and are safe when left alone with them.

[Kona]

There's not really any difference between Greenies, either the old formula or the new, and any other edible chew toy/treat like Nylabone Healthy Edibles or Booda Velvet Bimples. In all of them the main ingredient is an inert food product like corn starch or potato flour or rice flour, plus flavor and color to make it appealing, and possibly a few vitamins or minerals to make to buyer think that they are actually buying something healthy for their dogs.

They are just chew toys, plain and simple, and they aren't any more dangerous for dogs than any other easily destructible chew toy. I wouldn't leave my dog alone with a Greenie any more than I would leave her alone with a stuffed animal. Soft toys are only appropriate for some dogs, and even then only under close supervision. Don't leave your dog alone with any toys that she may shred and swallow.

The big scare with Greenies was started when a news reported left her dog alone with a Greenie to chew on. The dog bit off a large piece of it and it became lodged in her stomach. Rather than accepting responsibility for her own bad decision, she went on the air and talked about how these "dangerous" products are "killing" dogs left and right. The next thing you know people stopped buying Greenies because they were "poisonous." How silly.

I don't blame the company at all for reformulating and redesigning the product. They have said all along to only give your dog the correct size chew for her and always supervise her when she's chewing on anything that's not indestructible, and that good advise still applies.

Not all toys are appropriate for all dogs, but if your dog enjoys Greenies and you only give them to her when you're there to keep an eye on her, I don't think there's any reason to panic.

[bigdoglover]

Agree....toys should be supervised. I know of a Giant that died because he got a ball caught in his throat. Now, the owners were throwing the ball, but should have known it was too small and could get lodged in his throat.

Its a matter of common sense and responsibility, not to mention making yourself accountable for your own actions.

[Pearlulm]

I've told this story before but... Gretchen ate a greenie one day and about 2 in the morning she started heaving. After a while she threw up a large piece of undigested greenie. I am just glad that she did throw it up and it didn't get lodged in her intestines. I will never buy another greenie! I don't care what they do to them! I do believe that companies have a responibility to test their products! Consumers expect that a product is fit for the purpose it is sold for!

[very_vizsla]

i never heard that story about the greenies being 'bad'. i was @ a large dog festival in june & i wondered why they were giving them away as samples. greenies are really expensive!! i tried them on jersey & she seems to like them.

[luck]

Lucky was given a greenie a while ago as a treat when she went to the vet, but she didn't seem interested in it at all

And even though I always supervise my dogs when they are chewing on anything that may be swallowed, I tend to steer clear of treats like that, since I've heard of so many horror stories of dogs choking on large pieces of certain chew toys and treats. That's just not something that I want to even chance with my dogs.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

A vet tech at my vet said they are constantly finding undigested chunks of Greenies in dog's stomachs when they do Xrays for whatever reason. I just won't feed them anymore. Won't feed the Boodas for the same reason, however the dogs do occasionally get Nylabone Edibles as they are much harder and don't seem to break off in chunks like the others do.