Dog Treats Health Problems

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Monday, December 3rd, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Many people use dog treats to reward their dog in training or because there is a perceived benefit in the dog treat, like extra minerals or vitamins that the dog may be lacking. The dog treat known as Greenies is used to freshen the breath and clean the teeth of the dog. It is a popular item that can be found at most pet stores. It is green in color hence the name Greenies.

However Greenies have received some negative press over the past few years. It seems that some dog owners have noticed that their dog becomes unwell after eating a Greenies dog treat. The dog either stopped eating or became lethargic and clearly ill. Some people have lost their dogs and some have been lucky to get the dog to the vet for diagnosis and treatment. However the vet has had little to go on. In one case the vet has had to operate on the dog to find out if anything was obstructing the bowel or part of the digestive system. In this case a large greenish lump was found in the stomach suggesting that the Greenie may have been the cause of the dogs problems.

It is claimed that the Greenie is digestible but this would seem to contradict that claim.

This problem seems to be an issue with many dog treats that are made of rawhide. These types of treats are dried using chemicals that make the treat indigestible. Often a dog will not chew the dog treat and simply swallow it. This can often cause problems in the digestive tract and is the reason why some animals have died.

According to the manufacturers advice it is important to give the dog the right size of treat. If your dog is small then a large treat may cause it problems as it is likely to swallow most of it rather than chewing it. It is also suggested that you watch your dog after it has been given the treat to ensure that it chews the treat. This would seem quite hard to enforce so ensure that you give your dog small treats so that there is little chance that they will obstruct the digestive tract and that the dog will chew them.

However there are lots of other treats on the market that do not involve rawhide and can be digested normally. Check the labels before purchase or look on the internet for healthy dog treats. There are also many recipes and dog treat books available so that you can make your own dog food and treats. This is probably the safest and healthiest option to go for.

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