Saturday, May 9, 2009

Greenies Chews Will No Longer Be Sold at Supermarkets

The dog chew called "Greenies" have been on clearance at the supermarket where I shop for groceries and now I know why. Consumer Affairs reports that Nutro, maker of "Greenies", is pulling them from supermarket shelves:
NUTRO Products, Inc. says it is pulling its Greenies line of pet dental chews from supermarkets and other mass markets. Beginning in June, the Greenies — which have been blamed for illness and deaths in some dogs and cats — will be distributed only through veterinary hospitals and pet specialty retailers.
[...]
It's the latest attempt to resolve highly-publicized incidents of pet deaths attributed to the popular treats. Pet owners said the treats failed to be properly digested and led to fatal intestinal obstructions.It's the latest attempt to resolve highly-publicized incidents of pet deaths attributed to the popular treats. Pet owners said the treats failed to be properly digested and led to fatal intestinal obstructions.

Read more on the safety concerns regarding the product at the Consumer Affairs website.

Nutro's announcement is here.

2 comments:

David French said...

Hello, pet friends!

In the spirit of full disclosure I consult for the Greenies company and issued this news.

Appreciate the opportunity to clear up any confusion about canine Greenies. The original product formulation was REPLACED in mid 2006 with a new formulation that is more soluble and digestible. There have been no reports of obstructions or blockages since that time.

Every person owned by a dog knows that they love to chew and they’re frequently indiscriminate in what they choose to chew! Some are “gulpers” like my Doberman.

It’s important to monitor everything your dog chews. Giving your dog appropriate–and appropriately sized–treats, chew toys and the like is just being a responsible pet parent.

The five sizes of Greenies each have a different texture to provide maximum dental benefit, accounting for the chewing capability in that weight range. It’s truly a case of “one size does NOT fit all.”

While some pet owners may not understand this, pet professionals–especially veterinarians–do. That’s why most are confident in recommending Greenies for daily oral care.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hello, Mr. French,

Nice try, really... but that doesn't explain why over the last two months our "specialty retail" pet supply shop has had TWO cases of impacted greenies. One, oddly enough, in a dachshund, and the other in a spaniel mix. Both were eating the appropriate sized Greenie, and only one survived. The dachshund - after four days in hospital and over $1400 in surgery costs.

Consider that this same shop sells about five times as many raw bones and American made Bullys as they do Greenies, and has, to date, NEVER received an impaction or illness complaint over either, aside from the rare upset tummy.

So you'll forgive me if I go with mother nature on this one. And seriously, where are these numbers coming from? None of my dogs has ever required dental cleaning, none have ever had their teeth brushed, and none have ever used anything aside from good food (as in low-carb, not "dental diet") and HEALTHY, natural chews.

Keep your plant by-products. Perhaps there's a market for rabbits? Personally, you couldn't PAY me to feed one of those nasty things to any of my pets.

Oh, and we have pill pockets, too - they're called "spoon full of canned food" or "down the hatch it goes."

Take care.