How Many Greenies Can a Small Dog Have a Day?
We ecommend feeding one Greenies Dental Treat a day to all sizes of dog.
If you have a small dog, you should choose a smaller dental treat:
Greenies Lil’Bits have different feeding instructions. Owners measure out these treats on a teaspoon and sprinkle them over the dog’s food. The feeding directions say a dog can have these treats 1-2 times a day.
As with the other Greenies Dental Treats, though, it is important not to give too much. (Dogs can have one teaspoon per three 3 pounds.) It is also recommended that owners reduce this amount if they have concerns about their dog’s weight.
The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACIVM) has experienced some health problems. They reported 30 cases of esophageal blockages as a result of eating Greenies. The majority of these cases have been in smaller breeds.
Greenies have also caused teeth fractures in smaller dogs. It is essential to follow the instructions on the packet. The treats specify the size of the dog, as well as the recommended number of treats per day. If you feed a large treat to your small dog, this could cause health problems or even death. This is because the treat could be too hard to chew and digest.
How Many Greenies Can a Dog Have in One Day?
The manufacturers of Greenies Dental Treats say you should give your dog a Greenie once a day. They say that daily dental treats can help to freshen your dog’s breath.
Dog owners have different opinions about how many dental treats to feed their dogs:
Greenies are not recommended if your dog suffers from allergies or hypersensitivity.
At the 2005 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACIVM) meeting, there was discussion among internal medicine specialists about Greenies® causing esophageal obstructions that were difficult to relieve. Over 30 cases have been reported with most problems occurring in small breed dogs, however there was one case in a medium and one case occurring in a large sized dog. All of the problems were related to ingestion of Greenies or similar products and resulted in esophageal foreign bodies. Complications reported include small intestinal obstruction; stricture, ulceration and perforation. A few pets died or were euthanized from complications. Greenies are also associated with tooth fractures in dogs.
It has been estimated that dogs in the US eat over 150 million Greenies a month! But are they safe for all dogs?
According to a recent press release, S &M NuTec, the maker of Greenies dog treats, says it plans to change its packaging in response to complaints from some pet owners and veterinarians that the treat may pose a health hazard to some dogs. S&M NuTec also said it may remove a claim that Greenies are fully edible, saying its own studies show a dog can digest up to 85% of the treat.
There are no published surveys about the safety of Greenies or similar products, but it is clear that some dogs have problems with these chews. Greenies come in a variety of sizes including Jumbo for dogs over 100 pounds, Large for dogs 50 â 100 pounds, Regular for dogs 20 â 50 pounds, Petite for dogs 10 â 20 pounds and LilBits for dogs under 10 pounds and all dogs under 6 months old. The manufacturer recommends that you feed the correct size 1 â 2 times daily as a treat. They also offer this caution: “As with any edible product, monitor your dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog.”
If you are feeding Greenies®, make sure you are feeding the correct size relative to the size of your dog. Monitor your dog to make sure he chews it adequately and does not “gulp” it. If he does not chew it adequately or if you have a small dog, you may want to consider not feeding Greenies®, offering a different treat, or sticking with good old plain good quality dog food which is all most dogs need.
Are Greenies safe for dogs?
Years ago, there was a big hubbub about Greenies, the dental health chews that people give their dogs to help clean their teeth. Some dogs would apparently not follow the instructions, and rather than chew them, would simply swallow them whole or nearly whole. So much for helping their teeth!
Many dogs needed surgical removal of the Greenies from their intestines. Owner were not pleased. Veterinarians were stressed. I doubt the dogs were enjoying it much either.
So Greenies responded with a new formula that came out a few years ago. It is a bendier chew, but still offers the chewing experience needed to help your dog’s teeth and gums. But if your dog decides to swallow it whole, it will dissolve easily by letting the digestive juices do their job, no surgery needed.
I had a personal experience with the new formulation of Greenies a couple years ago that proved these suckers do, in fact, dissolve!
A tiny, 4 lb dog swallowed his big brother’s Greenie. It didn’t even make it to the stomach! Instead, it sat in the esophagus, right above the stomach, which I am sure was very uncomfortable for the dog. I could see on x-ray the clump of Greenie stretching the esophagus to 3 times its size! I immediately told the owner to take the dog to a specialist up the road from where I was practicing. They had an endoscope, and could put the dog under anesthesia, reach down his throat, and pull out the Greenie. Easy peasy, right?
The people chose to not go, for whatever reason (financial I assume), and the dog did not have the procedure. I called them a couple days later (not knowing they never went to where I sent them) to see how the dog was doing. The dog had been completely miserable for 48 hours, and unable to eat or drink. The owners did not understand the seriousness of this situation and chose to “give it time.” Well, apparently, over the course of 3 days, the Greenie dissolved, even in the esophagus, which lacks significant digestive juices! The dog was able to fully recover.
I was less than thrilled the dog had to unnecessarily suffer that long (and no one told us!). But I was very impressed at the dissolving ability of the new formulation of Greenies! The dog eventually recovered after one miserable weekend.