This is a voluntary move on the part of the manufacturer. The company has pulled their product from the shelves of supermarket and mass merchandise-type stores, but will continue to supply pet stores and veterinary offices.

“We believe that pet medical professionals at veterinary hospitals and well-trained, knowledgeable staff at pet specialty stores are best equipped to answer pet owners’ questions about our products and to make the right recommendation,” said Carolyn Hanigan, vice president of marketing for Nashville, Tenn.-based NUTRO.

It seems NUTRO is saying their green dental chews should only be sold to pet owners who have received training in how to use them.

A dental bone that comes with expert instruction? Why?                    

Investigation Exposes Pet Injuries and Deaths from Green Dental Chews

In 2006, the Cable News Network (CNN) investigated consumer complaints about the product and uncovered 40 cases over a three year period in which veterinarians extracted Greenies from dogs.

In all 40 cases, the chews had become lodged in either the esophagus or the intestine. Tragically, 13 of those dogs could not be saved.   

The fact is, NUTRO has been trying to fix problems with their product for years -- first in 2006 by clarifying package instructions, followed in 2007 by a reformulation which was supposed to make the chews easier to digest, particularly for dogs.

And now in 2009, they have decided to sell Greenies only through veterinary clinics and specialty retail outlets where instructions will (hopefully) be handed out to pet owners.

As a veterinarian, I have not and will not recommend these dental chews for your pet.

Picking the Right Dental Bone for Your Dog Isn’t as Easy as You Might Think

The design of many popular chew bones makes them very difficult for your pet to break down. Your dog is apt to swallow the entire chew -- or a big chunk of it -- whole.

This undigested mass can lodge in your pet’s digestive tract, blocking it, and require expensive, risky surgery to remove. The other problem with traditional dog chew bones is they are just not healthy for your pet. Many come from China and contain unknown ingredients. They can also contain:

• Gelatin, which can be toxic

• Hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, an artificial sweetener

• Soy protein isolate, a known allergen and potentially cancer-causing

• Propyl gallate, a preservative which is also potentially carcinogenic

Are Dog Dental Bones Really Necessary?

Yes, absolutely! Pets are designed to chew!

Feral cats and dogs, while often faced with other health issues, naturally have beautiful teeth and healthy gums. This is because the food they eat in the wild (think mice and other rodents) requires a lot of chewing, and the sinewy composition of the prey helps to clean each entire tooth.

This natural way of maintaining good dental hygiene is what you want to reproduce for your companion animals.

A fully digestible, high quality dental dog chew provides mechanical abrasion to help control plaque and tartar, and is similar to the effect of eating whole, raw food in the wild.

Plaque is the sticky stuff that collects on teeth (yours and your pet’s). It’s a combination of bits of food, minerals from saliva, and bacteria.

Left on teeth, plaque hardens, turns brown, and becomes tartar. If enough tartar collects in your dog’s mouth, it will end up under the gums as a breeding ground for infection. Over time, your pet’s teeth will become painful, loosen, and eventually fall out.

The time to arrest the whole process is at the plaque stage. When you prevent plaque from turning into tartar, you prevent most dental problems in your pet.

How to Choose a Good Dental Bone for Your Dog

Make sure to read the ingredient panel on any product before you make a purchase.

A high-quality dental dog bone will NOT contain:

• Wheat, gluten, soy or corn

• Saturated fat or trans fat

• Added sugar or salt

• Animal by-products (gelatin, animal glycerin)

• Chemical preservatives

• Artificial flavors or colors

Even the “green” brand of dental chew contains unhealthy fillers and additives. When you factor in their potential to lodge in your dog’s digestive tract and cause an obstruction, I would strongly advise against them.

What you want is a tasty, all natural and completely digestible dental chew for your four-legged companion.

A healthy alternative is Healthy Pet Net PorkHide Bones, formulated by Dr. Jane Bicks. They are completely digestable, natural, and have NO additives, and contain absolutely NO:

Artificial Colors	Soy
Extra Fat or Sugar	Corn
Animal by-products	Wheat
Chemical Preservatives	Gluten