# Greenies question



## Meshkenet (Oct 2, 2009)

I have a six year old Chihuahua who has bad breath. She has had a teeth cleaning recently, when they had to remove 12 of her teeth because of tartar and infection (that was when I adopted her from a rescue, not my doing!).

My question is this: she is now on Horizon Legacy grain-free kibble and getting 2/3 of a cup per day, split between two meals. I am wondering if I can give her one mini-greenie (breath and teeth cleansing treats) per day, and if so if I would have to adjust her food.

Anyone uses these treats? Are they worth it? 

I know it doesn't replace good dental hygiene, this is only as an extra means of getting her breath better.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

AVOID greenies like the plague. There are much safer and better bones on the market for teeth cleaning. When I got my toy fox from rescue (he had spent 3 years in a plastic cat carrier) his teeth were horrid. After 2 weeks of just good old fashioned milkbone therapy (and yes it has to be the name brand) his teeth were looking a TON better. 

I always tell my clients to avoid teeth cleaning products that look smooth and compressed because dog can swallow large chunks and can cause blockages (my dane did this and nearly died from a greenie). Look for ones that look like compressed sand particles. Those actually break up in the gut and can be digested even if larger pieces are swallowed. 

I suggest these absolutely before greenies.




































You don't necessarily need to remove the kibble ratio that would equal the bone as you won't be giving the bones daily but maybe 2x a week. I would adjust the kibble ratio if you notice any weight gain.


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## Herrick's Mommy (Nov 5, 2009)

Dog_Shrink is absolutely right. We were also interested in using the greenies products for our dog's bad breath and our vet said to not use them for the same reasons that DS mentioned; they're not digestible and they could end up causing major blockage and hurt your dog. This is what I give my dog for his bad breath and he loves them! They also help a lot and my vet approved them: http://www.lifesvigor.com/breathies...sley-chicken-breast-flavor-6-oz-dogswell.html


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

They have changed the formulation, but there was a big class action lawsuit over Greenies killing dogs. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.

If she chews her food, now that the teeth are cleaned up you might see how she does just eating the kibble. You could always escalate to Science Diet T/D. If you don't like Science, maybe somebody knows of a more acceptable product like it.


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## shimmermama (Nov 5, 2009)

Herrick's Mommy said:


> ...they're not digestible and they could end up causing major blockage and hurt your dog.[/URL]


Ahhh!! Really? I had no ideas that Greenies could be bad for dogs. My old vet actually recommended them for me to use to work on Shimmer's teeth issues. I've tried the Dogswell treats before that Labsnothers mentioned, but my dog didn't like the way they tasted. 

Any other natural teeth cleaning treat recommendations?


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Put parsley in her food. It helps with and breath and buff's teeth.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

Dog_Shrink said:


> Put parsley in her food. It helps with and breath and buff's teeth.


Interesting... fresh, or dried? And how much, just a sprinkle?


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## My Dog Bishop (Sep 27, 2009)

One of my dogs had horrible breath when I got him! Brushing his teeth proved to be pretty challenging; he clearly had never had his teeth brushed before. That was made apparent by all the plaque on his teeth and his reaction to the brushing. LOL

I started using something called DentaTreat, made by Wysong. Here is a link, if you're interested: http://www.wysong.net/products/dentatreat-dog-cat-supplement.php

It reminds me of the kind of parmesan cheese powder that you would sprinkle on popcorn. I sprinkle it on the kibble. As it was told to me, there are enzymes that "eat" the bacteria from their teeth. It took about four weeks to really notice a difference in my dog's breath. I put it on every meal, and my dog's teeth are actually white again! No brushing necessary! I am sticking to this stuff. It has proven to be effective, and it's a natural remedy. I now use it for both my dogs.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

For parsley I use the dried and about a couple teaspoons for my 5 pound toy fox. I just sprinkle it on his food. (he gets a mix of wet and dry).


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Hmm I've used greenies before but Nia is the lightest chewer you can imagine and when it gets soft, I throw it out instead of letting her eat it. Worked fine in this house.

You can use raw frozen carrots for chewing.

Also the BEST things to chew are bully sticks! The dogs LOVE to eat them, even my picky one. They are completely digestible, not a blockage hazard and not really much of a choking hazard either. They also have braided or twisted ones to make it harder to chew and last longer.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> Also the BEST things to chew are bully sticks! The dogs LOVE to eat them, even my picky one. They are completely digestible, not a blockage hazard and not really much of a choking hazard either. They also have braided or twisted ones to make it harder to chew and last longer.


^--This! My girls both love bully sticks.. They were only kind of okay with bones, they were okay with nylabones, they liked rawhide but um.. you know that's not digestible and is covered with chemicals.. but they LOVE bully sticks. 

We get ours at fleet farm, only the ones that are Made in the USA.. They have two brands there.. the other is made in Brazil.

These ones actually! http://www.fleetfarm.com/catalog/pr...treats/jones-natural-chews-bully-stick-12-in- 
I didn't know fleet sold things online.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

You know, I've heard so much about bully sticks.. but I have no idea what they are! Does anyone have pictures? I went to Petsmart looking for them, but because I don't know what they look like, I might've missed them.  OK, I probably sound really dumb now.

Cadence loves the greenies, though. I don't know if they actually help clean his teeth. The Dentastix gave him dirrhea, and I've never given him another one since. He also hates having his teeth brushed--I have to hold him down or use dental wipes instead. Sigh. Are the greenies really that bad? I never give them to him when I'm not around to supervise.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

lucidity said:


> You know, I've heard so much about bully sticks.. but I have no idea what they are! Does anyone have pictures? I went to Petsmart looking for them, but because I don't know what they look like, I might've missed them.  OK, I probably sound really dumb now.
> 
> Cadence loves the greenies, though. I don't know if they actually help clean his teeth. The Dentastix gave him dirrhea, and I've never given him another one since. He also hates having his teeth brushed--I have to hold him down or use dental wipes instead. Sigh. Are the greenies really that bad? I never give them to him when I'm not around to supervise.


yeah greenies are pretty bad...ive heard of quite a few dogs getting intestinal surgery due to blocked intestines from greenies. Bully sticks look like tree twigs kind of or plain sticks. They're actually made from a bulls penis stretched very thin, dried (sometimes roasted) and cut into differentsized pieces. Just google it! They're sometimes also called tendons or muscles. You can ask the pet shop owner. I know tisol has tons, I always buy 5ish at a time


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## shimmermama (Nov 5, 2009)

I loved giving the bully sticks...but then my bf found out what they were and was disgusted by having our dog chew on bull penis. Someone told me that giving certain kinds of kibble also helps with bad teeth/breath. Is that true? Otherwise I'll have to try the Wysong stuff or parsley. Have other people had luck with those treatments?


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## Bikhi Akhbar (May 26, 2009)

shimmermama said:


> I loved giving the bully sticks...but then my bf found out what they were and was disgusted by having our dog chew on bull penis. Someone told me that giving certain kinds of kibble also helps with bad teeth/breath. Is that true? Otherwise I'll have to try the Wysong stuff or parsley. Have other people had luck with those treatments?


tell your boyfriend not to eat them.

if they're good for the dog that's all that should matter.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

Greenies have killed a very few of the dogs that were given them. Make up your own mind. dogs don't need Greenies.


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## FlashTheRottwuggle (Dec 28, 2009)

I was surprised when I came upon this thread because my vet actually gave me a greenie for Flash and highly recommended them. He detests rawhides. However Flash didn't really seem to care for the greenie and it made a mess, so I threw it out. We were given a bag of rawhide chips which she rarely shows an interest in. However she loves these chicken rawhide sticks we were given. She literally chews them up and swallows them. But after reading threads on rawhides, it worries me to give them to her. I won't use the greenies for sure. I think I will look for the bully sticks. (The idea of her chewing on that gives this divorcee a little giggle. LOL)


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

Bikhi Akhbar said:


> tell your boyfriend not to eat them.
> 
> if they're good for the dog that's all that should matter.


+1. My harley riding, gun toting DH has no problems with them as long as they make the girls happy. In fact, I'm about to place our first order on bestbullysticks.com and he's looking forward to some quiet Wii time.

We love bully sticks. The six-seven inch ones last Melodie two days. Mandie not so much, so we'll be getting her the twelve inch ones. Also the girls are crazy about beef trachea. They don't last as long as the bully sticks but have some great crunch.


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