• What is everyone's view on greenies? My girlfriend told me she heard they were bad for your dog, but a lot of people still recommend them. What does everyone think?


  • I don't know if they are bad or not, but I give them to Medjai. It takes him all day or even a few days to eat one of the tiny ones. Medjai is too picky an eater so I don't have to worry about him scarfing it down too quick and it messing with his stomach.

    They do help with the doggy breath though.


  • Canine crack? My dogs love them, but rip through the small ones in about 5 minutes, the medium ones take maybe 10 or 15. That's a pricy chew so they only get them once in a while. We have never had any intestinal problems but others have, so if your dog frantically swallows big chunks of them, it could be a problem.


  • Okay, that's what I was reading up on. It says they get lodged in throat and sometimes intestines. However, Sid is THEE pickiest eater ever and he seemed to enjoy it. It took him quit a while to get one of the small ones dog, he would chew and spit it out and chew some more. He has some left on his bed which I'm sure he will wake up and chew on some more. So I guess if he doesn't swallow large pieces I am safe. Thanks!!


  • I gave one to AJ and he loved it…but it came right back out of him in short order with little warning and much force. Same response I received from rawhides and pork products. We avoid them now. I give a half biscuit of Natural Choice Tartar Control on occasion. He likes the flavor and his tummy tolerates it well.


  • When I babysit my sister's chow, she has an absolute rule for me - that is to NEVER feed a Greenie to her dog. Her dog Beatrice has had nothing but trouble with them (puking). When Beatrice first had one and puked, my sis did a lot of research on them and came up with lots of info indicating they were not a healthy treat, but I know you have to take everything on the Internet with a grain of salt. All we can say is that they don't agree with Beatrice.

    There is a version of Greenies for cats too. My cats first took to them and they were definitely kitty crack for them. I used to keep a few in the pocket of my jeans and pull one out as a treat every now and then… until... my jeans went into the wash with them, and even with warm water, soap and lots of rinsing they did not even decompose at all. That was the last time I fed my cats Greenies.


  • @AJs:

    I gave one to AJ and he loved it…but it came right back out of him in short order with little warning and much force. Same response I received from rawhides and pork products. We avoid them now. I give a half biscuit of Natural Choice Tartar Control on occasion. He likes the flavor and his tummy tolerates it well.

    i think that was the same problem i had. then i read about them not getting digested and just figured i'd pass. i use knuckle bones (raw, not sterilized or cooked), bully sticks and the occasional raw hide. ALL WITH SUPERVISION. I do not use hooves as those are harder than a dog's teeth and can crack or chip teeth.


  • @agilebasenji:

    i think that was the same problem i had. then i read about them not getting digested and just figured i'd pass. i use knuckle bones (raw, not sterilized or cooked), bully sticks and the occasional raw hide. ALL WITH SUPERVISION. I do not use hooves as those are harder than a dog's teeth and can crack or chip teeth.

    LOL… and those "hooves" really hurt when you step on them with your human bare feet!


  • I want to know how some of you manage to have "picky eaters." My Basenji would eat anything she even assumed to be food. We have to really monitor how much she eats too, because she would never stop!


  • What is a Greeney please ?


  • @TikaLynn:

    I want to know how some of you manage to have "picky eaters." My Basenji would eat anything she even assumed to be food. We have to really monitor how much she eats too, because she would never stop!

    I agree, my girl would eat anything. She kept eating the leather collars that belonged to my Jack Russell…...while he was wearing it. :eek: I was always afraid to come home and find his back legs poking out of her mouth. :rolleyes:
    She would eat rubber balls and then for the next couple of days I would be picking up rubber dog poo.

    John


  • Greenies are a brand of dental cleaning, consumable chew toys. They are green and shaped like a toothbrush. They come in different sizes. We give them to Ella somewhat regularly and she loves them and has never had a problem with them. We give them to her while we are eating our meal to occupy her. I forgot what they are made of but I recall deciding that the ingredients were pretty good.


  • Thanks for the info, we have just bought a chew for Malaika and it's green in colour and made from vegetable matter so i'm wondering if it's the same thing. Will have to take note of the name next time. This is just a boring roll shape but i think you can get them in toothbrush and dinosaur shapes.


  • I have found they give Kananga some pretty bad gas. I'm not a fan of them personally.

    Instead I use the thin flat rawhides and those do wonders on his teeth. My vet actually recommended getting them because they are cheap and very effective at cleaning teeth. It really forces them to chew with their back teeth more and it tends to be fairly safe. I always monitor him and he's never had an issue with trying to swallow any large pieces. I got a bag of 40-50+ of them for $6 at a local pet store.


  • @TikaLynn:

    I want to know how some of you manage to have "picky eaters." My Basenji would eat anything she even assumed to be food. We have to really monitor how much she eats too, because she would never stop!

    at my house it is as simple as getting a boy basenji. Honestly, give me a piggie eater any day! When I was showing Digital, the brindlewonderkid, he would look at steak and say "eh, I had that yesterday". My girl will work or bait for dogfood.


  • Just looked at the ingredients while home for lunch. I am not too impressed. gelatin, wheat protein and glycerin are the first 3 items. Ella likes them and they do not give her gas. But I will probably look for a better quality consumable chew.


  • I keep a beef rib bone around for chewing. AJ loses it in his bed and when he finds it again it's like, "Wow! Is it my birthday?" I haven't had any trouble with it and the marrow provides beneficial iron. It's good exercise for his jaws and helps clean his teeth. I figure dogs have been chewing bones for thousands of years and they're not extinct yet, so who am I to argue with Nature?


  • @agilebasenji:

    at my house it is as simple as getting a boy basenji. Honestly, give me a piggie eater any day! When I was showing Digital, the brindlewonderkid, he would look at steak and say "eh, I had that yesterday". My girl will work or bait for dogfood.

    +1

    My boy is very picky. I've actually leaned him out a bit (to work off his winter weight) and he's gotten a bit more motivated, but still picky.

    Someone will offer him a treat and he'll look at them as to say "Excuse me? This doesn't look like my normal food". I can't use treats to train him, he's just not motivated enough. :rolleyes:


  • @agilebasenji:

    at my house it is as simple as getting a boy basenji.

    +2. Brando has been picky since he arrived at my house 2 years ago. The girls will long be done their meals and Brando will still be looking at his or eating one morsel at a time. I will say that when I switched to Orijen that helped him eat better. Even with treats, he usually will take it, but then drops it on the floor and many times will leave it for the girls.


  • I'm glad that Shelley asked - Ididn't know what a greenie was either. I was given one at a dog show in a goody bag (but didn't know what it was called)but never gave it to mine because there was no mention of ingredients.

    Personally, I'm always wary of giving my dogs anything that looks as though it contains a colour. Each to his own I suppose, I'm probably too paranoic aboput these things when I look at what they do eat in the way of objects!!

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