Treats for Teeth Care

[Milopup]

I was in the store looking at some dog treats (something I do on a daily basis, whether in stores or on the internet) and I noticed the following things:

- Wysong Dentatreat: powder to sprinkle on food, which has enzymes for teeth care

- Merrick Texas Toothpicks

My pup is not cooperative when we try to brush his teeth and the above products were recommended as something which might help take care of his teeth. Has anyone used either of these?

Thanks.

[Anna_525]

Greenies. I started using it but Alfie got tired of it after 2 days. On occasion we would try to brush his teeth. He likes the toothpaste that accompanies the Kong dental toy. Chewing on the Kong toy that has toothpaste is also supposed to work, but Alfie licks on it instead.

[bradl]

A raw knuckle bone one in a while keeps teeth bright. Fair warning: I believe over the life of the dog you may get a slab-fracture or crack a tooth or two. However five out of five dogs interviewed said, "Who cares - we prefer bones!"

Greenies scare me.

[Anna_525]

Brad, is there anything in Greenies that we should be aware of? Alfie got tired of it so I wouldn't say he ingested a significant amount. He does have good breath, though!

[bradl]

It's hard to know what to believe or trust. I've heard 'friend-of-a-friend' reports of problems with gulpers and greenies - of course gulpers can be killed by just about anything, including aspirating kibble. Anyway, here is a representative example of the type of thing I've heard:

Greenies are another popular chewie. The manufacturer's own tests show that these chews are effective in reducing tartar growth, however the claim to controlling doggie breath is disputed by many customers. The makers of Greenies make the claim "no crumbs", this may be true as these chews have a tendency to break apart in large chunks. They also state that "gulpers" should be strictly monitored. Put those two things together, large chunks and gulping, and there is definitely the possibility of a resulting esophageal or intestinal blockage. In fact, one woman claims that a large piece of Greenie became lodged in her dog's throat. By the time her vet found the obstruction, it had become "glued" to the esophageal wall. According to the report, the doctors had an extremely difficult time removing the green chunk, and the dog died from surgical complications

-- from http://www.classykennels.com/chewyalert.html

Another list carried an accunt of a Cairn lost to a petite greenie.

> The product has a disclaimer on the back in small print to give gulpers

> the greenie pieces.  This leads me to believe the manufacturer is aware

> the product has flaws.  The Vets at (UC) Davis frown on the product.  Guin

> was the 3rd dog at Davis to lose their life from this product.  Pico is

> the 9th dog that I have heard of to suffer from this product

I dunno. As you may have seen from my treat drawer I do tend to try just about everything. I agreed that the greenies did become a gummy mass and I can easily imagine a hunk turning into cement if stuck - that makes me nervous.

[Anna_525]

Aha. I was wondering why they were selling the Greenies crumbs. This is why I love this forum, I learn something new everyday. I do have a bag of the Greenies so now I'll pound them to pieces before giving it to Alfie.

[Eliz222]

Brad, I have heard the same thing in regards to choking on Greenies, so I have avoided them.

I feed my dogs (haven't in a month or so now...bad mommy!) raw chicken wings. Finch is a gulper, so I have to break hers up in small pieces, which is why I don't do it as often as I would like, or should! I have heard great things about raw chicken bones and health of teeth.

[Milopup]

The raw bones and chicken wings worry me because of germs and salmonella. Even if the dogs can fight the germs, how do you "disinfect" the dogs so when they cuddle and give ya a kiss, the germs don't come with them? Unfortunately humans are not so adept at dealing with salmonella from the chicken wings. :(

[bradl]

I don't kiss them on the lips but then I didn't do that before - never know when they've been doing, er, doggy personal housecleaning. They aren't disinfected after eating garbage, birds, mice, and the aforementioned personal hygiene, so unless they're rolling around in their dinner, I just don't worry about it.

Basically, I don't do anything I didn't already do after cooking dinner. Wash bowls with soap and water, wash hands ... that's about it. You are right of course, salmonella is nasty for humans.

[jlr79]

We had a potentially bad experience with Greenies Friday night. The whole family was in the family room and Abby was happily chewing on her Greenie. She hadn't had it very long at all but she obviously went through it very quickly. She got up and ran upstairs and acted like she had some stuck in her throat!! After three or four minutes she acted fine. It scared us to death!! Should I worry about an obstruction now? She's acting totally normal and going to the bathroom as usual. Needless to say the last Greenie we had has been thrown away and would have been anyway after I read Brad's post!!! Thanks Brad for the information!!! Any other suggestions on safe chews?? I know you always have to monitor them, but we're looking for things that don't break apart quite so easily.

Jan

[Anna_525]

I did try pounding a Greenie yesterday to see if I can break it into pieces and they seem indestructible and really gummy. It went straight to the garbage!

Anna

[savannahsmom35]

Before I saw this posting, we bought the Greenies that are in pieces (for puppies younger than 6 months old). We haven't had any problems with the Greenie pieces but after this, I don't think that we will be buying Greenies of ANY kind. Thanks to all for the wonderful info!

[Cairnmania]

One of my Cairns has twice thrown up pieces of Greenies, so they are off my shopping list. They are not, as the manufacturer complains, fully digestible if larger chunks are swallowed.

With regard to raw chicken wings - small bones can easily splinter and pierce the throat or intestinal walls before they are digested. Samonella is not a problem for most healthy dogs, bones are a problem. Raw knuckle bones are better.

Stacey

[Kathryn]

So glad for the info about greenies, and will share it with other doggy parents. I have given Allie greenies about twice but she is a "gulper," and it didn't seem like the greenies could do much good for her teeth if they barely touched them on the way down her throat! Luckily, she didn't have any problem either choking or digesting and passing what she gulped.

She'a actually a really lucky dog because she has swallowed some pretty dubious stuff over the years.

[Guest girliejr]

I'm glad Jack isn't the only one who has problems with Greenies. He LOVES Greenies, and in the beginning, they loved him too. However, the last three times I have given him Greenies, he threw up right after eating it. I am a slow learner, apparently, because it took him throwing up 3 times for me to "get it" that the Greenies were making him sick! Needless to say, we don't buy Greenies anymore.

[Milopup]

I definitely see greenie pieces in my pup's poop the day after he eats one, so not fully digestible. So has no one used the Wysong Dentratreat powder and Merrick Texas Toothpicks??

[bradl]

Mmm, beef tails. May have to give those toothpicks a try. I think there's room in the drawer

[Milopup]

The woman at the natural food store said it was the best thing they found for cleaning teeth. She also said that greenies were fairly ineffective on teeth, only slightly more effective on breath.

[CallisMom]

Regarding greenies - I'll have to look for the article - but I read that the greenies also act like a cement glue . . . too much - even when chewed thoroughly - can guck up in the esophagus and "set" blocking the air passage way.

This isn't the article I was thinking of but still worth reading:

WARNING: Green "toothbrush"-shaped dental chews prove deadly

Excerpts from the article:

It seems that this product had adhered itself to the esophageal walls and as these very experienced vets struggled to free up her sealed passage way, her heart finally just gave out and stopped beating.

Evidentially, these products become somewhat like cement if they get caught in the esophagus.

[bradl]

BTW Milopup, we tried the Texas Toothpicks tonight - the dogs liked them and they lasted several minutes

[Milopup]

Brad - you really are quick on the draw!! Glad your gang liked them, hope they help teeth as well. The woman at the natural pet food store (!) said that the Texas Toothpicks are great for keeping teeth clean, and that to maintain it people use the Wysong Dentratreat. The Wysong is supposed to taste like cheese, and actually looks like the dried parmesan stuff you see.