Greenies are an excellent dental treat that help keep dogs’ teeth clean, yet these treats may become problematic if not thoroughly chewed.
Dogs that consume Greenies without properly chewing them could ingest them whole and cause blockages to their digestive tracts.
Greenies contain numerous ingredients which are harmful for your pet’s wellbeing, including glycerin, wheat flour and wheat gluten.
Contents
1. Glycerin
Glycerin (sometimes known as glycerol) is an odorless, colorless viscous liquid made up of animal fats or plant oils extracted by distillation. It’s used widely across food and beverage products as an humectant to prevent sugar crystallization as well as add bulkiness, softness, sweetness, and texture to products.
Aspartame can also be found in gum and candies, and is the main component of some chewable vitamins. Large doses can be toxic to dogs if consumed; ingestion can result in life-threatening blood sugar drops, leading to seizures and liver failure.
Vegetable glycerin may cause digestive side effects like laxative effects, diarrhea, thirst and high blood sugar in some individuals. Produced from heating triglyceride oil into a thick substance, vegetable glycerin can be found in products such as beverages, nutrition bars, cake icings, soft candies, chewing gums, condiments diet foods and dried fruits.
2. Gelatin
Gelatin itself is not harmful for dogs (it comes from animal skin, connective tissue and bones), however in large doses too much Gelatin could result in weight gain while lacking essential nutrition from its diet.
Greenies are specifically designed to help clean a dog’s teeth by acting like a toothbrush and scraping away plaque and tartar build-up, freshening their breath, and eliminating food debris stuck in hard-to-reach places.
Dental chews are made using ingredients sourced from within the US. Wheat flour and wheat gluten give these treats their distinctive texture, while glycerin, natural poultry flavoring and choline chloride provide additional flavor while providing essential nutrition.
3. Dried Potato
Dried potatoes are a grocery store staple. Made from potato byproducts such as scraps and misshapen pieces, along with limited amounts of fryer skimmings, dried potatoes are typically steamed before being cut into small pieces and dried in an industrial dryer for production. Trail mix and pet treats often incorporate potatoes as ingredients with long shelf lives, like trail mix. But consuming raw, dried potato products can be extremely dangerous to dogs due to the high levels of solanine alkaloids they contain – this chemical could potentially cause serious stomach upset, even poisoning. Therefore it is wise not to feed your pup instant or mashed potatoes as these contain large quantities of fat that can lead to digestive distress or pancreatitis ingestion.
4. Wheat Flour
An apple pie may taste delicious to us, but it can be deadly to your dog. Unfortunately, many human foods contain ingredients toxic to dogs such as chocolate, raisins and macadamia nuts; artificial sweeteners like xylitol found in sugar-free gum and candy is especially hazardous – when consumed it causes their blood sugar levels to plummet, leading to seizures, tremors, coma or even death in pets.
Avoid feeding your dog table scraps like mashed potatoes and gravy, cheese, onions, garlic and chocolate as these could contain bacteria, pesticides, heavy metals or other chemicals that are potentially toxic for their health. Instead, offer carrot sticks, kale, zucchini slices cucumbers or green beans washed and cut into bite-size pieces as healthier choices.
5. Wheat Gluten
Home-cooked holiday foods can be harmful for dogs, such as savory dishes such as mashed potatoes and gravy which may lead to digestive upset. Desserts and sweet treats may also contain artificial sweeteners that are toxic in large doses – for instance xylitol found in sugar-free gum or mints may trigger insulin reactions that lead to seizures or even death in some dogs.
Raisins can be an attractive component to add to baked goods, yet they are toxic for dogs and can even kill them when consumed in large enough amounts. Macadamia nuts have also been known to cause severe stomach ache in our pets as well as cause them to bloat.
Table scraps do not offer adequate nutrition to most dogs, so only provide lean cuts of meat that have had all visible fat removed and cooked bones discarded as their food source. As an alternative, offer healthy vegetable snacks like carrot sticks, green beans or cucumber slices as snacks for their nourishment.
