Our wonderful dog, a healthy, 4-year old rescued Miniature Dachshund named, Burt, died July 25, 2005. He died from a pet treat called a Greenie.
Burt was promptly admitted to an emergency hospital after vomiting blood, bile and collapsing on the local vet's examination table. The doctor suspected an intestinal blockage and recommended exploratory surgery. What the doctor found inside of Burt was 3 1/2 feet of necrotic (dead) small intestines, as well as the "foreign body obstruction" behind the problem. The obstruction was none other than a well-chewed, partially digested portion of a Greenie.Both the large mass of dead intestines and the Greenie were surgically removed from Burt. The Greenie was saved and later placed in my hands. It was rubber-like and spongy. It had absorbed liquids and had expanded in size about 25-35%. It was the "toothbrush" end. My wife recognized the ribbed contours of the toothbrush immediately. But, it took me a bit longer to recognize it because it was well chewed (like they say it has to be).
Burt tried as hard as he could but he just couldn't hang on. He turned septic, got pneumonia and died 48 hours after the surgery with my wife and I by his side - after his 3rd cardiac arrest. The trauma was indeed too much for him and unfortunately the damage caused by the Greenie had already been done. Burt died from a Greenie. His problems would not have happened if it weren't for the wretched "treat" obstructing his intestines in the first place.
Prompted by our outrage over the unnecessary death of my dog, we immediately contacted Greenies and they investigated. We shared medical records with them. They spoke with our vet and then with me. They can't find any fault in our actions, or the doctor̢۪s actions, or the timeline of events - at least that's what Dr. Brad Quest (Greenies on-staff veterinarian) told me over the phone. I voiced my strong concerns about the product and among other things, I told him that the product needed to be recalled and reformulated. To this day, they have not responded to this request.
And all this from a product that comes with veterinarian recommendations and "highly digestible" and "edible" claims on its packaging and website. We read the packaging. We followed the instructions. We unfairly lost our dog.
Burt died 3 years to-the-day that he came into our lives. He is dearly missed by his family. He is not replaceable. Burt will not die in vain. Neither will the other dogs and their owners that I am aware of that have suffered from this product.
Please think twice about this product. Make smart choices for your pets. Why take any risk at all. Our new motto for the company is this: Greenies: your dog can live without them.
