Greenies - Anyone Tried Them?

I've just noticed that Bobbie has teeth that look like... well, like she's lived on canned food all her life *cringes*. Our regular vet is booked up until next month, and I'd love to do something in the mean time to help her teeth out... I've been looking at these things called Greenies. For those of you who've tried them... Do you like them? Do they actually do any good? Do your dogs like them?
If not, what do you use?? All my other dogs have had their teeth brushed since they were young, and they've never had canned food if I had anything to do with it. Bobbies teeth are just... bad, and it makes me feel terrible for her.

Don't use Greenies. They have been known to lodge in the colon and cause blockages.
Raw marrow bones only!

OMG!!! That's terrible! O.O
Thanks for telling me!! What kind of raw bone marrow do you like? Where do you get it?

Soup bones at the grocery store .

Soup bones or knucklebones, chicken/turkey necks, that type of thing. You want a bone that is a non-weight bearing bone, so unfortunetly, many marrow bones come from the middle of the femur. The ends are a little better and the knobs even more so. It also depends on the size of your dog. You can find ox-tail in most grocery stores/butchers and that's really nice for small dogs.

Do you ever get concerned about the pup chomping down too hard and swallowing some pieces of bone? I know when Shadow used to eat bones - she would attack those things and so does our new pup, Beau. I'd prefer something digestible like Bright Bites since the scrape plaque off the teeth, but also dissolve.

The big soup bones are great, my dogs love them and their teeth all look great. Plus it keeps them occupied for awhile. :lol-sign:

I used to go to the butchers and ask for dog bones - they save bones for dogs!

I can't speak for Zoom, but I can speak for myself. One of three of my dogs is on a raw diet and he gets bones every day. He crunches and then swallows. I was worried at first, but he knows what he's doing.

Two to three times a week, they all get some type of bone to chew to help with teeth... sometimes ribs, knuckle bones, soup bones, etc..

I would rather choose something that is natural versus something like a greenie or Bright bites (which I have used before). With bones they have to really work hard and gnaw and they use their side teeth versus with something like a greenie where I have seen dogs simply chew and swallow and not have to work at it (and the blockage scare is notable).

Just my 0.02.

Smudges eats chicken and pork bone in.. Necks have been good for clean teeth. Both eat marrow bones, I don't find they do much for teeth, neither has ever chewed off any of the bone though.

Dekka broke a tooth on a weight baring bone, so I would be careful if you have a really agressive chewer. But they get neck bones (port, turkey, chicken) rib bones and chicken backs.

Yea that's what scares me - obviously you're not supposed to give any poultry bones to dogs, but once I saw Shadow choke hard on a little bone that some how got into her bowl and it was scary.

Bright Bites were developed by veterinarians, so I feel like they are good to use. They have the VOHC seal and are at least a step in the right direction for promoting good oral hygiene and preventing gum disease.

Why aren't poultry bones okay? My dog is currently munching on a whole chicken.

And while I don't feel bright bites are horrible.. I don't see how they are any better than something natural. Also, veterinarians push for Science Diet.. does that mean its good? Noooo. It's one of the poorest quality foods available.

People give poultry quite often in raw diets. There's no rule saying you shouldn't unless you cooked it ans then obviously it shouldn't be given. Dogs have choked on kibble. It doesn't matter how small something is. Everything is a potential hazard.

Yummy. Nothing worth anything plus dye. Yay. Don't see much in there that is helping a tartar issue. Dog would be better off with raw bones. Yikes. Along with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_pyrophosphate

Wonderful product. I'll stash that with my thoughts of SD and other products pushed by vets that shouldn't be.

We've found that if you freeze a raw turkey neck, it encourages them to chew with their molars really cleans off those hard to reach back teeth. I brush Strider's teeth with enzymatic toothpaste three times a week, though that is more for socialization that anything it seems to keep his canines pretty.

We gave one of our fosters a greenie once before we know better. He chomped it once. It broke in half and he just gulped both of the halves down. :yikes: In hindsight, we're lucky it didn't cause any problems. Didn't do much for his teeth though. I think it spent a total of 3.7 seconds actually in his mouth.

Shadow, keep in mind we're talking about RAW bones here. There is a BIG difference between raw and cooked bones.

You should never give a dog cooked bones, but raw bones are the best thing for tooth maintenance.

We just go the bone way, Sophie has broken a tooth because she is a machine, but it doesn't bother her at all and doesn't cause any issues, for an 11 year old, her teeth are still pretty good.

Buster's 5 now and still has pretty white teeth.

They get meat and bones daily.

I like Greenies. I haven't fed them for EVER, but they used to keep Gonzo's teeth fairly clean. They cannot do much for teeth with serious plaque and tartar, though. They don't actually scrape the teeth clean, like a knuckle bone, or other Raw bones do. Plus, they cost $2 each! D: For a tiny green plasticy thing! It takes my boys a few sessions to get through a package of knuckle bones, and those cost $2-3.

Knuckle bones are my favorite, because they are covered in cartilege, which makes them much safer than bare weight-bearing bones. I think you'll see amazing results with one. But, make sure you supervise the whole time, only give her 15-20 minute sessions with it, and take it away once she's gnawed it down to the bone. Pork necks, turkey necks, and pork feet are also good for teefers... but knuckle bones are seriously da bomb! ; )

Thanks for making that distinction, that's what I meant by the chicken bones, etc - no cooked bones, duh!