What are Greenies Made From?
With this new formula, Greenies now dissolve faster and are safe for your dog. They are no longer likely to get stuck in your pet once they eat them, especially if your pets are like mine and barely even the treats wolfing them down in huge chunks.
The new chews are not as stiff as the original treats were, so that helps if they swallow the bigger pieces. Even though the new Greenies bend easier, they still offer the same brushing effect when being chewed so that they help clean the teeth and gums of your pet.
These dental chews are available in a variety of flavors, but the original flavor contains wheat flour, glycerin, wheat gluten, gelatin, water, powdered cellulose, lecithin, minerals, and natural poultry flavor as the top ingredients.
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.
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 had a personal experience with the new formulation of Greenies a couple years ago that proved these suckers do, in fact, dissolve!
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.
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?
Are Greenies Safe for Puppies, too?
Like almost any other chew for your pets, you should not give them to your puppy if they are under 6 months of age.
Their teeth are still not permanent yet at that young of an age, and eating the chews can damage their teeth or pull them out prematurely.
Pet owners, please wait till your puppy is at least 6 months old before giving them Greenies.
FAQ
Are Greenies harmful to dogs?
The lack of harmful ingredients means Greenies Dental Treats are a safe, healthy pet food that is easily digestible. Just make sure your pet chews them thoroughly before swallowing.
Do Greenies dissolve in a dog’s stomach?
Are Greenies good for dogs 2022?