Greenies?

[Kate]

I have been trying to figure out if Greenies get the thumbs up or thumbs down? Does anyone know where they are made and if their ingredients are sourced from USA?

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

IMO they are Thumbs Down!  I have heard they are not very healthy for your dog.  They just glop up in the dog's stomach and sit there.  They don't just pass right on through.  Same with rawhides.  I think when we give our Doodles treats we are doing it more for us than them.  We love to see them happy and excited about something new.  My Gracie Doodle is on grain free food and no human food other than green beans with her kibble.  Her treats which are few are grain free tiny little bone biscuits.  No bully sticks, rawhides, greenies or even dog muchies...nothing I don't know about.  She is just as happy without treats.  It is you they want more than the treat anyway!

[Kate]

Thanks Nancie - I didn't end up buying them. I am finding all natural treats and chews for Louie that are made in the USA. He is so busy and I find that giving him something to "do" really helps with my sanity - he already gets between 4 and 5 walks per day, but he is one busy little guy. Can't wait until he is done teething!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think you're wise - the greenies debate is always ongoing....I have heard they've changed their recipe, but I am still not feeding them.

[Kate]

Thanks Allyson! Louie is losing his puppy teeth (yay!) and he really likes to chew on things he can "destroy" rather than just chew toys! It's a bit of a challenge to find things that I don't mind him consuming fully. Pig ears are doing the trick nicely. :-)

[David E]

Try frozen marrow bones. When they're done with them, I smear peanut butter or pill pockets around the inside of them and give them again. Good for many times. Both my two love them.
Also, moose antlers seem to be a favorite if you can find them. They last longer than most treats and don't cause any stomach problems or bad breath. They were greatly preferred over deer or elk antlers strangely enough! I found pig ears were really smelly. My guys didn't mind but boy, I sure did!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am surprised that a raw feeder would give their dog Pill Pockets as a treat. Pill Pockets, which are made by the same company that makes Greenies, have some not-so-natural or great ingredients in them, including wheat flour, corn flour, and wheat gluten.

Here are the ingredients in Pill Pockets:

Beef Flavor: Chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, vegetable oil, beef, natural flavors, wheat gluten,  dried corn syrup, corn flour, caramel color, lecithin, brewer’s dried yeast, salt, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), methylcellulose, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), mixed tocopherols, vitamin E supplement.
Chicken Flavor: Chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, vegetable oil, dried corn syrup, wheat gluten, corn flour, natural flavors, lecithin, brewer’s dried yeast, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), salt, methylcellulose, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), mixed tocopherols, vitamin E supplement.

[David E]

You got me....I know, they're not great. I use peanut butter also, natural peanut butter, not the stuff in the tube they sell at the pet stores.

My two are big chewers though....you pick your battles. One small pill pocket every few days can't be that bad. Every edible chew gets consumed in minutes - bully sticks, cartilage chews, even the hard cheese Himalayan chews which are expensive only last 30 mins or so. I have to be creative. I'm hoping as they get older they'll calm down somewhat.

You're quite right though, I should stick to peanut butter.

[Kate]

Frozen marrow bones...that's a good idea. May also help with the teething! I will have to look for some good USA marrow bones and then freeze them. Louie has a couple of deer antlers but he much prefers things he can actually destroy and ingest. Thanks for the suggestions!!!

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

I used to freeze marrow bones for another dog I owned that has since passed.  It was not a good idea because he ended up chipping his teeth from them being frozen.  Just my experience and when I talked to my vet about it he highly discouraged it because he had encountered many dogs with broken or chipped teeth from frozen bones.

[Kate]

Oh thanks so much for sharing that, Colleen! Maybe just regular unfrozen marrow bones then. :-) I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your dog. I just went thru that recently, myself. There's nothing worse. Hugs.

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

Thanks Kate, it has been awhile since he passed.  I didn't think the pain from that loss would ever go away but time does heal.  On another note my little foster Oscar is leaving me this Saturday for a new forever family that just lost their doodle the end of December from cancer.  I am sorry for your recent loss.

I agree with using just the regular marrow bones (not cooked) and my doodle loves elk and deer antlers.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Thumbs down here, they gave R&B diarreah:(