Some of the most popular dental chews for tooth brushing and breath freshening in dogs are sold under the brand Greenies. Just as many other products for cavity hygiene, one can buy Greenies dental chews for dogs online in any country of the world, including the USA, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Before purchase Greenies dental chews, you can find many positive and negative reviews about this veterinary dental care product. Some dog owners and veterinarians believe that Greenies help to maintain the healthy teeth and gums of the dog. Others believe that Greenies are bad for dogs.
In order to understand whether Greenies are good or bad, the dog must take these dental chews regularly for several months. To evaluate a short-term effect of Greenies chews, the dog owner will be able by himself.
Greenies actually remove plaque and eliminate bad breath. Therefore, the dog owner hardly can reasonably argue that Greenies are bad for dogs. Only veterinary dentist can evaluate a long-term benefits and harms of Greenies dental chew.
Remember that Greenies chews do not treat teeth and gums, but maintain their health. Thus, if the dog has caries and tartar, Greenies dental chews will help to slow down the progression of teeth and gums diseases, but are not able to treat the diseases of teeth and oral cavity.
Reviews about the fact that Greenies dental chews are bad for dogs can be left by the dog owners who were not convinced that their dog has healthy teeth before to start using them in the dog.
One of the most known negative reviews about Greenies was published by the FDA. Once, The FDA received a letter stating that a dog swallowed too large piece of Greenies, which was stuck in its throat.
Because of the stuck Greenies in the throat, the dog began to choke and its health seriously deteriorated. To clean the upper respiratory tract from the Greenies remnants, an expensive operation was required.
It can be assumed that many people have formed an opinion that Greenies are bad for dogs exactly after the publication of this letter. Herewith, few people claiming that Greenies are bad for dogs muse about the fact that breathing problems in the dog could occur only because the dog owner chose incorrect size of Greenies.
If you want Greenies chews not to pose risks to the dog’s health, their size should be the optimal. In retail sale, five different sizes of Greenies are available (Jumbo, Teenie, Petite, Regular, and Large). Thus, the optimal size of Greenies chews can be chosen for any dogs, including very small, medium, large and very large dogs.
When buying Greenies dental chews for dogs, it is necessary to pay attention not only to their size, but also to the components they include. If the dog is overweight or it is not very active, you should choose Greenies chews low in fat and protein.
- Greenies original dental chews for dogs contain at least 5% fat and at least 32% protein.
- Greenies weight management dental chews for dogs contain about 4% fat and about 22% protein.
Greenies dental chews high in fat and protein are bad for obese dogs, but useful for exhausted or very active dogs.
If except overweight, dogs have problems with joints, it is best to use Greenies Hip & Joint Care canine dental chews high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin-mineral complexes, glucosamine, amino acids and chondroitin.
Pain and inflammation of the joints occur not only in older dogs, but also at high loads on musculoskeletal system and joints of young dogs. Therefore, Greenies Hip & Joint Care canine dental chews can be used to maintain the dogs’ joint health at any age.
It should be noted that some dogs may experience allergy to one or several active ingredients and nutrients included in Greenies. The main symptoms of allergy are itchy skin, rash, anxiety, gastrointestinal disorders, vomiting, and diarrhea.
If one or several allergy symptoms occur in the dog after using Greenies, it can be argued that Greenies are bad for this dog. If the dog has allergy to the nutrients contained in Greenies, the symptoms and signs of allergy will appear already after the first use of dental chews.
Therefore, if signs of allergy occur a few weeks or months after the start of Greenies use, allergens should be searched not in the dental chews, but in the food, beverages or pet meds that dog has taken in the last few days.
Greenies dental chews can be bad for dogs as in allergy, so and in their excessive use. Greenies contain a lot of calories, therefore their uncontrolled use may lead to weight gain.
If the dog consumes high-calorie Greenies dental chews, its food portions should be reduced. Information about nutritional facts per serving of Greenies can be found on the package.
It is noteworthy that positive reviews about Greenies are much more than the statements about the fact that Greenies are bad for dogs. Herewith, any opinions that Greenies are bad for dogs can be disproved by the fact that Greenies have been successfully used for over 10 years and the popularity of this veterinary product is not reduced.