Invasion of the Greenies!
Sneaky, those marketers. Look what crept into our mailbox a couple weeks ago...
Hmm, Greenies. Sound familiar? In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Greenie’s popular canine line after consumers complained the toothbrush-shaped green nuggets were fatally clogging their dogs’ intestines and digestive tracks. Manufacturer S&M NuTec settled a class action lawsuit against Greenies last year. The formula and the packaging now have changed.
But my bigger concern is: Do my two cats really need treats? A friend calls them "crack for cats." A lot of them contain sugar. That's not the case with Feline Greenies, but they are 30 percent carbohydrates. I did test out two Greenies on picky Frances Jeanne, before I tossed the freebie in the garbage pail. Yep, she scarfed ‘em down.
So did you get a Greenies sample and what did you do with it? And are you feeding treats in general?
ANGIE BRENNAN, a Sun-Sentinel page designer,
lives with four dogs and one boyfriend. And has a lifetime of animal stories to share.
DIANE LADE, a reporter on the Sun-Sentinel's Help Team, has lived with cats, dogs, reptiles, fish, an iguana, and an armadillo.
CYNDI METZGER, editor of the Sun-Sentinel's Outlook section, is smitten with Bella, her poodle who regularly ignores requests to sit, stay and get off the ivory-colored sofa. 
JOHN TANASYCHUK, a Sun-Sentinel lifestyle writer, has lived with cats as long as he can remember. He and his partner currently share their home with three.
Comments
I don't give either my cat or my dog any Greenies or those pig-ears or rawhide strips, either...I have heard too many bad things about them, intestinal blockages, etc. Actually, I don't give my cat treats except occasionally a piece of boiled chicken and the dog gets Iams low-calorie milkbone type-thing, which is fine for him...I don't want to take a chance, because if they get a problem with these snacks, you are looking at surgery or worse. Not worth it!
Posted by: TJ | April 14, 2008 12:09 PM
Yeah, TJ, I agree. Treats don't just make your pets fat -- they can cause serious problems. And a lot of people don't realize that FDA regulations (which are lenient enough on pet food) are almost non-existent for treats. Manufacturers dont even have to do feeding trials. Unfortunately, I think some pet parents with picky eaters overfeed treats because their animals LIKE them. Treats at our house is a piece of tuna or salmon out of a can we have opened for ourselves.
Posted by: Diane Lade | April 15, 2008 11:48 AM
I'm definitely guilty of too many goodies for my cats. The packages though always say "100% nutritionally complete", so I don't view them as any worse or better than the cat food they get.
Publix stocked the Greenies for awhile and my cats when nutsoid for them a little bit and then got tired of them. I just bought a couple of cat items on eBay and threw in a bag of the new dental Greenies to see if the cats like them.
My cats in addition to cat treats, get chicken, roast beef and tuna. Not everyday, but somewhat regularly.
I think cats are kinda like humans in that some just seem to be more prone to weight problem than others. I only have 2 cats that are definitely overweight and the one cat ballooned when he was around 6 months old. I actually thought he had developed FIP, but no one could find anything wrong with him and he's over 12 years old now.
The 2 overweight cats, I do try and limit the extras they get, but weight isn't a problem with the rest of my cats even with all the treats.
Unless you're going to try and replicate the animal's real diet(bones, raw meat etc), I think anything from the cheapest to the most expensive food is about equal.
The more expensive, I think is just to make humans haha feel better about what they feed, but let's face it - corn, fish etc. are not a cat's natural diet regardless.
If you really think Iams and Science Diet are worth 4 times the money for the same ingredients as a store brand......
Posted by: KCK | April 15, 2008 12:45 PM