[Suburban Gal]

I feel the need to point out that, for a vaccine, the vet charges a far lower price than he or she does for a titer test. The profit margin is also higher, yes as vets pass on the cost of shipping and proper storage of vaccines administered to your pet, as well as the needle, syringe, and professional time to give the vaccine. However, the overall profit is still higher for a titer test as the vet increases the price to cover materials and professional time to draw blood, as well as to properly store and then ship the blood to the lab, and then again to cover a professional evaluation of blood results. So vets motivated purely by greed will happily perform titer testing, early and often.

[Suburban Gal]

The evidence is strong that immunity persists for years or for life from vaccines early in life, and the risk of chronic illness is significantly increased with vaccine repetition. So, if someone runs a titer test in place of vaccinating Spot, and Spot’s titer is low, perhaps 6-8 years after his last vaccine, the recommendation is likely to be “Spot needs another round of vaccines to keep him safe.” I’d like to show that this is a wrong line of thinking that will get a lot of animals unnecessarily vaccinated, and therefore, at greater risk for developing chronic disease.

Titer testing only measures one fraction of the entire immune response, the antibodies produced against a particular organism. While their presence indicates protection, there’s no reason for the immune system to keep producing antibodies against an invader forever, so, over time, these levels of antibody will wane. The fight is finished, there’s no more invader showing up, so there’s no need to keep a titer high.

What isn’t measured by the titer test is any part of the cell-mediated immunity, especially the memory cells. So, while antibody levels will wane over time, these long-lived memory cells lie quietly in the recesses of the immune system, awaiting further signals that the invader is back. It’s these cells that are responsible for the duration of immunity that can’t be measured by a titer test.

That said, I think titering is a mistake.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Suburban Gal.

[Suburban Gal]

One of the treats my papillon Gizmo likes is called WHIMZEES, dental and chew treats made in Holland. I trust them and highly recommend them. You can usually find them at PetCo and Pet Supplies Plus stores.

[Suburban Gal]

“Thanks Suburban Gal! Because so many people said they look for treats made in the USA I was actually planning on asking if there were any other countries that posters felt produced treats that were safe. 🙂 ” -Hound Dog Mom

No problem!

I’d probably trust treats from other countries like Ireland and Germany as well.

[Suburban Gal]

A lot of the others here have hit the nail on the head. I think good treats should contain the same ingredients that a good food would. That’s why I buy treats also made by many of the good food manufacturers like Blue Buffalo or Solid Gold.

I also look for treats that are made in the United States.

If they’re not made here, then I can live with treats that are made in Canada, Britain, Holland, Australia and New Zealand. I want a treat from some other country that has the same or similar standards that we have.

[Suburban Gal]

Royal Canin is a good food. Just because it comes in the form of an Rx doesn’t mean it’s a bad food.

That said, I’ve had to deal with UTI in both dogs and cats. Given my experiences with it as a pet owner, I suggest something like Addiction’s raw dehydrated homestyle venison amd cranberry food, Pronature’s turkey and cranberries formula or Canyon Creek Ranch’s superfood blend of salmon, egg and cranberries.

[Suburban Gal]

Here’s a good site to keep in mind:

https://www.coupaw.com/

[Suburban Gal]

“…absolutely worthless when wanting a dog to heel.” -Shasta220

I don’t care if my dogs are heeling on their walk.

A walk is a walk for God’s sake. It’s the one time a dog can be a dog.

[Suburban Gal]

“for some reason i figured suburban gal would pop into this thread, and i also figured she’d disagree with everything anyone else said.” -aquariangt

I’m a very opinionated person. When I have something to say, I say it even if I disagree, which is my prerogative to do so.

“Some of the experiences I’ve had with retractables occurred when I worked at a pet specialty store. We would have customers come in with all kinds/sizes of dogs using a retractable leash. More often than not, they would not be paying the least bit of attention to their dogs and they’d let their dogs go too far on the leash. We had dogs knock stuff off shelves, go around the corner from their owners and “do their business” (which of course the owner denied it was their dog because they didn’t see them do it lol), go around into another aisle and harass other customers and/or dogs.” -Mom2Cavs

I generally use his nylon or leather leash when we go into a pet store versus the retractable one because it just works out better all around. I think pet stores should only allow dogs in on a regular nylon or leather leash.

“We actually had a customer get tangled up in her own retractable with her dog and almost cut her finger badly!” -Mom2Cavs

Either the owner didn’t really know how to use the retractable the right way or the dog had no business being on a retractable to begin with because it couldn’t even be on a regular leash without being well-behaved. Maybe it was a combination of both.

Retractable leashes are only good in the right hands and with the right dog.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Suburban Gal.

[Suburban Gal]

“Any suggestions?” -Cara H

NutriSource makes a grain free kibble called Seafood Select. No white or sweet potato in it. It’s also salmon based.

A 30 LB bag of it runs anywhere from $45-$55 a bag.

I found a 60 LB bag online for around $95.

[Suburban Gal]

“They are prone to breaking, give you little control, and absolutely worthless when wanting a dog to heel.” -Shasta220

I’ve never really had to worry about them breaking because they never did. If anything, I used the hell out of them until I couldn’t really use them anymore and then had to replace them with a new retractable.

As for a lack of control, if you have a dog like White Paw that’s exceptionally trained via formal training or a dog like Lexi, my last German Shepherd, that acts well enough without all the formal training, then there should never be any concern over using a retractable leash.

It’s all about how well your dogs behave on a leash or how well you make your dogs behave on a leash.

IMHO, it shouldn’t matter what leash your dog is on. You should ALWAYS have control and make your dog behave or tow the line. Any decent or responsible owner would.

“They ENCOURAGE pulling as well since there is always a tiiiiiny bit of tension on them.” -Shasta220

In Gizmo’s case, any leash encouraged pulling since he had never really been on one before. The same goes for others like Gizmo, like sue66b’s Patch.

But that aside, retractables encourage pulling if you, the owner, allow them to encourage pulling.

[Suburban Gal]

“I dont understand why everyone has problems with a retractable lead, if a dog is taught how to walk properly on a lead they should not pull or chase cats..In Australia everyone seems to use them here on big or small dogs with no problems..” sue66b

As I said, if you have a dog like White Paw that’s exceptionally trained via formal training or a dog like Lexi, my last German Shepherd, that acts well enough without all the formal training, then there should never be any concern over using a retractable leash.

It’s all about how well your dogs behave on a leash or how well you make your dogs behave on a leash, as is currently the case with Gizmo who’s NEVER really been on a leash prior to his adoption.

“I use one on my real strong staffy.. When I first rescued him I could not use a retactable lead as no one must of walked him or taught him how to walk on any type of lead, 2 weeks of training & Patch walks perfect now..” sue66b

This sounds a lot like my Gizmo.

When we adopted his a little over 3 months ago and walked him on a 4 FT nylon leash we bought for him just prior to adoption, it’s like he had never been on a leash before. We experienced the same result when we used the retractable and a 6 FT leather leash bought for training purposes. It’s like he didn’t know what a leash was and how to properly make use of it. In the beginning, it was quite awkward walking him on any leash. It took some work, but in the end we got him walking properly on ALL of his leashes. He tends to behave more on the 4 FT nylon and 6 FT leather leash because he knows he can get quick pops (collar corrections) on those when he does something he’s not supposed to do, but overall, we generally don’t have a whole lot of problems, let alone serious ones, when he’s on the retractable.

I don’t understand why people think they can’t have control of their dog on a retractable because people like us are proof they can. It’s all about how you, the owner, approach and deal with a dog on a retractable leash.

IMHO, it shouldn’t matter what leash your dog is on. You should ALWAYS have control and make your dog behave or tow the line. Any decent or responsible owner would.

[Suburban Gal]

“…but I’m sorry I can’t in all good faith recommend a retractable leash, especially to a larger dog like yours. I feel they can be a danger to the owner and dog. One just does not have the control over the dog with these kinds of leashes. Better control is achieved with regular leather 6ft. leashes, imho.” – Mom2Cavs

I’m sorry you feel this way.

While a regular 6 FT leash always does offer the best control, there’s no reason why one can’t have really good control of their dog, regardless of size, on a retractable leash.

I’ve walked German Shepherds on retractables and have never had any problems using them on German Shepherds and, as you know, German Shepherds are 80+ LB dogs.

I’ve also used them on my Keeshonden, a medium-sized spitz breed from Holland that weighs between 30 and 60 LBS, and I’ve never had any problems using them on my Keeshonden, especially White Paw as he was a very well-trained dog that knew how to listen and always do what he was told when he was told to do it.

If you have a dog like White Paw that’s exceptionally trained via formal training or a dog like Lexi, my last German Shepherd, that acts well enough without all the formal training, then there should never be any concern over using a retractable leash.

It’s all about how well your dogs behave on a leash or how well you make your dogs behave on a leash, as is currently the case with Gizmo who’s NEVER really been on a leash prior to his adoption.

[Suburban Gal]

FYI…

My local Kriser’s gave me free samples (2 OZ bags) of Earthbound Holistic dry food (Lamb, Bison and Herring) and they came with $3 off coupons on the bag. The coupons are good on 5 LB or larger bags of dog food and have no expiration date.

Kriser’s are a chain of privately owned pet stores in CO, CA, TX and IL.

You can learn more about Kriser’s by going to http://www.krisers.com.

[Suburban Gal]

That said, I’ve also dealt with both puppies and picky eaters.

(I have a very long history with dogs. I just turned 37 and have never been without a dog in my life.)

In my experience, it’s best to just pick a food and stick with it. I’ve limited treat intake and have even withheld treats in an effort to get my dogs to eat their food.

Just put the food in the bowl, put the bowl down and leave it. Eventually, the dog will get hungry and eat. Don’t let the dog get the best of you either. You’re the master or pack leader. If you want the dog to eat XYZ, then this is what they’re going to eat.

The only time I’ve ever switched foods is if there was a problem and it didn’t sit well with my dogs after awhile.

I don’t know a lot about food rotation though I know some people do it.

IMHO, it’s really best to stick with one food. It’s something I’ve always been doing from the very beginning of dog ownership and it seems to work just fine. If anything, I’ll usually switch up the different kinds of hard and canned food I’m giving. In other words, I just don’t stick with Blue Buffalo Wilderness chicken. I also buy and feed turkey, duck, beef, venison, etc… . Once I’m done with the bag of duck, I buy a bag of the chicken. When I go get cans, I make sure I have a variety, at least 2 of each protein.

[Suburban Gal]

Given my experience with dogs with sensitive stomachs, I highly recommend Natural Balance’s LID (Limited Ingredient Diets) line. That all my dogs ever got and the food worked well for their sensitive stomachs.

[Suburban Gal]

Oh, and in case you’re wondering… Gizmo is a 7-year-old papillon.

[Suburban Gal]

Blue Buffalo is actually a really good food.

If you’re going to go with Blue Buffalo, then I highly recommend their Wilderness line. I’ve fed that for many years to my last dog, a white German Shepherd named Lexi, and never had any problems with their Wilderness line. We’ve tried several foods with her (Wellness, Natural Balance, Holistic Select to name a few) and found Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness to be a very top notch food. I wouldn’t suggest anything else in their line (Life Protection, Freedom, Basics, etc…) other than their Wilderness line. It’s the absolute best of what they carry.

[Suburban Gal]

It’s a lot less for a veterinary technician so I wouldn’t trust them either although they now have Veterinary Nutrition Technicians that are specially trained and certified to assist veterinarians with nutritional assessment and management. These technicians are certified by the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians (AVNT) and must complete at least 4,000 hours or 3 years of work experience in animal nutrition. In addition, the vet tech must have at least 40 hours of approved continuing education relating to animal nutrition and these courses must have been completed within 3 years of the candidate’s application.

I’d only trust a Veterinary Nutrition Technicians (VNT) when it comes to pet nutrition.

[Suburban Gal]

By the way, Gizmo’s good at holding it too (never had an accident even with his foster mom) and has free range of the house while we’re both away.

[Suburban Gal]

I work full-time and so does my mom. She’s gone 5 days a week and I’m gone 3 days a week (W, TH, F). She leaves the house at 7:15 AM. I leave 2 hours after she leaves. On the days we both work, Gizmo is left alone for 7 hours. I’ll typically walk him around 5, 5:30 in the morning. Mom walks him around 6:30, 7 in the morning. His last walk is at 9 in the morning. When mom comes home in the afternoon, the first thing she does is walk him. That’s around 4:15, 4:30 in the afternoon. 99.9% of the time he goes poop for my mom, both in the AM and in the PM which explains why he rarely poops when I walk him twice in the AM.

When I adopted him, he ate twice a day. Once in the morning between 5 and 7 and once in the evening between 5 and 7. I didn’t want to disrupt his daily routine so we kept on feeding him twice a day. He was the first dog we had that ate twice a day. We always fed our dogs once a day.

Now, Gizmo eats once a day. We used to feed him in the morning, after his first walk but Gizmo’s now eating in the evenings after 6 and that seems to work out better for him though regardless of when he chooses to eat I feel once a day is good enough for my dog.

[Suburban Gal]

“…I really believe that it comes down to individual dogs and their guts for the most part. It is important that everyone closely monitors their dog and watch for reactions, then act accordingly.” -Naturella

That’s a good point.

One particular food may work for one person and their dog(s), but not so well for someone else and their dog(s).

Many people like Wellness dog food and say their dogs do well on it. Yet when I tried it with Lexi, it was just the opposite for us.

I can say the same with Royal Canin and California Natural. Some pets are just fine on those foods. Some pets aren’t. For those pets, it’s too rich a food and their system can’t handle it.

[Suburban Gal]

I don’t know Canada well enough to know what can and can’t be gotten there.

That said, I’d try finding Earthbound Holistic. They have six grain-free dry and five grain-free moist dog food formulas and are a reasonably priced food.

[Suburban Gal]

That said, I’d never trust a veterinarian when it comes to nutrition and recommending a good food for your pet, as they typically don’t spend a whole lot of time on the subject. Veterinary Schools usually don’t offer more than one or two nutrition courses. During a 4-year course on Veterinary Science the veterinary student spends about one week (40 to 50 hours) studying nutrition. They even have a real nutritionist who comes in to tell the students that any food approved by AAFCO was fine for pet consumption.

[Suburban Gal]

Unfortunately, dog food companies like Science Diet, IAMS, and Purina are a driving force behind what veterinarian’s learn about pet nutrition in veterinary school. The books they’re given on pet nutrition may contain a lot of great basic nutrition information that’s factual, correct and unbiased, but the authors of those books are researchers from Science Diet, IAMS, Purina and other companies that make sub-par foods so they were quick to promote their own line of pet food.

In addition to providing course materials for veterinary students, Science Diet, IAMS, Purina and other well-known companies that make sub-par foods tend to offer additional perks for veterinary students. Purina, for example, provides several wonderful monographs on a variety of topics, including radiology, cytology, bone marrow disorders, and urinary problems. Science Diet has a program that allows struggling veterinary students to pay just $3 a bag for Rx food which would normally cost $25. All of these companies also offer small stipends to veterinary students to study something specific and provide the diets used in veterinary hospitals to feed patients, which are then offered free or at a greatly reduced price to students and staff.

Science Diet, IAMS, and Purina have also managed to partner up with shelters and rescues groups. Not only do they supply them with large quantities of food several times a year in the form of a generous donation, but they also give them adoption kits to give out whenever someone adopts from them. The kits contain their food and literature published by these companies in addition to coupons for their food and treats.

I hate to say it, but money talks.

[Suburban Gal]

Blue Buffalo is actually a really good food.

If you’re going to go with Blue Buffalo, then I highly recommend their Wilderness line. I’ve fed that for many years to my last dog, a white German Shepherd named Lexi, and never had any problems with their Wilderness line. We’ve tried several foods with her (Wellness, Natural Balance, Holistic Select to name a few) and found Blue Buffalo’s Wilderness to be a very top notch food. I wouldn’t suggest anything else in their line (Life Protection, Freedom, Basics, etc…) other than their Wilderness line. It’s the absolute best of what they carry.

[Suburban Gal]

I’ve always used a myriad of different treats for training. I’ve found that my dogs like a variety and are always excited to see what I pull out of my treat pouch next.

That said, some of the treats I use and have used for training in the past include but aren’t limited to the following:

-Bil-Jac Little-Jacs
-Bil-Jac Original Recipe Dog Treats
-NATURE’S RECIPE Dog Training Treats
-Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance Soft & Chewy Training Treats
-Crazy Dog Train-Me! Mini Training Reward
-Pet Botanics Mini Training Reward
-Butcher’s Selects Premium Treats
-My Little Wolf Dog Treats
-Omega Paw’s Thins
-Lassie Natural Way Flavor Bites

I try to buy treats with good ingredients that are made in the United States. However, I also try to buy treats I’ll know my dog will eat. If I use something for training purposes and my dog won’t eat it, we have a problem.

Whatever you’re using for training purposes be sure your dog likes it. It’s more important your dog likes it than who makes it, where it’s made and what ingredients are in it.

If I have mostly good treats for training and one or two sub-par treats like Pup-Peroni who cares. My dog is mostly getting good treats and it’s not like they’re really getting them outside of training, which is usually an hour once a week for about 5 to 8 weeks.

[Suburban Gal]

“Greenies have been known to break apart and cause blockages.” -pugmomsandy

This is a risk you take with ANY dog chew.

[Suburban Gal]

Gizmo, my 7-year-old papillon, gets rawhide and bully sticks. He likes both, but prefers bully sticks.

If you’re going to give rawhide, just stay away from anything made in China or any other country with subpar or inferior standards.

Personally, I go out of my way to ensure whatever I buy Gizmo is made in the United States. If not here, the a country that has similar standards like Canada, the U.K., Holland, Australia, New Zealand, etc… .

[Suburban Gal]

I used to have cats. Now that I’m a bird owner cats are no longer in the pet equation.

That said, my cat food recommendations are as follows:

-Solid Gold
-ByNature
-Holistic Select

These are the foods I’ve mainly fed my cats and have had pretty good success with.

[Suburban Gal]

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Kirkland. Then again, I’ve heard a lot of good things about Costco.

[Suburban Gal]

Out of all the foods I recommended, I’ve had the best luck with Blue Buffalo’s wilderness line, Holistic Select, and ByNature.

Blue Buffalo is probably the most readily available. Heck, PetSmart has a whole isle devoted to Blue Buffalo.

[Suburban Gal]

I’m NOT against 4, 4½ and 5 star foods, but I’m going to have to agree here with the OP. Many of these foods are very expensive. Then again, they’re expensive because they’re really good foods.

That said, I agree with Naturella. I’d look into Earthborn Holistic. I’m in the process of switching Gizmo, my 7-year-old papillon, from Blue Buffalo to Earthborn Holistic and I just paid less than $40 for a 28 LB bag of food at Pet Supplies Plus. It’s normally $34.98, but I ended up paying $32.98 with my PSP Preferred Pet Club card. Their canned/moist food runs a little over $2 a can/tub.

NutriSource and Taste of the Wild, which crazy4cats recommended, are also worth looking into.

You may also want to look into Chicken Soup, Holistic Select, ByNature, and Blue Buffalo’s wilderness line.

[Suburban Gal]

I think Dr. Mike is in the process of creating a similar site for cat food.

[Suburban Gal]

I think Dr. Mike is in the process of creating a similar site for cat food.

[Suburban Gal]

Well, at least someone is agreeing with me to a certain point(s).

[Suburban Gal]

I’m actually curious to know WHY my reasoning is flawed. If someone is going to say XYX, then they should back it up and not just stop at XYZ.

As for the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC), it’s like the American Dental Association (ADA) only for pets. Just as a seal citing that a mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrush or dental floss is ADA Accepted, the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance means that the dental chew, treat, food, toothpaste, toothbrush or sealant is VOHC Accepted. It means the products do what they say they’re going to do and that regular use of products carrying the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance will reduce the severity of periodontal disease in pets. The whole point VOHC exists is so that they can help to recognize products that meet pre-set standards of plaque and calculus (tartar) retardation in pets and why it’s important for pet owners to take oral pet health seriously so why the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance wouldn’t really mean much to pet owners kind of baffles me. I’d like to think pet oral health really means something to most pet owners.

While the ingredients of Greenies and other oral dental chews and treats may not be the greatest of ingredients, these things are good and fairly safe to give a pet. After all, these things should always be given in moderation anyhow. They’re not like regular chews and treats that are given on a typically regular basis.

[Suburban Gal]

I’m in the United Stated, NE IL. Northern suburbs of Chicago to be exact.

I have one dog, a 7-year-old classic tri-color papillon named Gizmo.

My other pets include a couple of cockatiels and a male betta.

[Suburban Gal]

And yes, I do believe in moderation. Greenies all the time, no. Greenies some time, yes.

[Suburban Gal]

I’ll share a little story with everyone:

One of my college instructors was drinking coffee one night when a fellow classmate asked him why he was drinking it when it was bad for him. The instructor told the class that if he stopped to think about everything that was bad for him before he consumed it then he probably wouldn’t be consuming a whole lot during his lifetime because most things are bad for us. Even if it’s something healthy, like fruits or vegetables, they could still be, under certain circumstances and conditions, bad for us.

It’s logic I’ve come to apply as a long-time pet owner. No matter how healthy I try to feed my pets, both in regular food and treats, the vast majority probably isn’t very good for them so I try not to let the ingredients on a package, bag, box or container scare me to the point I don’t buy it and give it to my pets. A lot of the times it comes down to what they will eat and what I can realistically afford without breaking the bank while STILL trying to do right nutritionally.

[Suburban Gal]

Gizmo is my only dog. He’s a 7-year-old classic tri-color papillon. I adopted him from PapAdopters and Placement Services on February 16th of this year. He was relinquished to a local shelter because his owner just didn’t have the time for him (she was a business executive that did a lot of travelling and boarded him every time she travelled). He was at the shelter for an entire year before breed rescue got him. He spent a month in a foster home until his adoption.

I have 2 cockatiels, Riley, a 5-year-old pied tiel, and Bailey, a 3-year-old pearl tiel. These are my first birds. Riley was acquired from the now defunct Petfinder Classifieds from a couple who ran a photography studio out of their own home. They claimed he was too noisy and distracting so they had no choice in re-homing him. Bailey was purchased from a local breeder. Gizmo has been learning to co-exist with the birds since his adoption.

In addition, I have a turquoise male Crown Tail betta named Victor who calls a 5-gallon tank home. (I’ve been keeping betta since high school.)

[Suburban Gal]

As for the ingredients of Greenies being bad for dogs, just took at the ingredients for their competitors:

Nutri Dent dental chews:
Wheat Starch, Glycerin, Powdered Cellulose, Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Chlorophyll, Parsley & Soy Flour. Vitamins: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B-6, Folic Acid, Vitamin A. Vitamin E, Biotin, Choline, Inositol & PABA. Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Ferrous Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Copper Oxide, Manganese Oxide & Sodium Molybdate. Omega Fatty Acids: Omega-3 Fatty Acid & Omega-6 Fatty Acid.

Milk Bone brushing chews:
Rice, Modified Food Starch, Chicken By-Product Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Water, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Bone Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Gelatin, Animal Digest, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (Used As A Preservative), Smoke Flavor, Titanium Dioxide (Color), Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Yellow 6, Yellow 5, BHA (Used As A Preservative).

If you look closely enough, some of the same ingredients in Greenies are ALSO used in that of their competitor’s dental chews.

I took the liberty of checking the ingredients of Zuke’s Z-Bones. While the ingredients looked a lot better than the ingredients in Greenies, Nutri Dent and the like, I still think something like Zinc Propionate can’t be very good. Heck, I don’t even know what that is! (Would someone care to enlighten me?)

To be quite honest, it’s better to give your dog something than nothing at all and, as expensive as dental chews are, at least someone is making a good effort even if it’s not as good as Zuke’s Z-Bones.

I can’t wait for Zuke’s Z-Bones to receive the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance. IMHO, that means a little more to me as a pet owner.

[Suburban Gal]

I give Gizmo, my 7-year-old papillon, Greenies and he really enjoys them.

I’ve never had a problem with giving a dog Greenies. Greenies were awarded the VOHC® Seal of Acceptance in 2007 and good for a dog’s overall oral health.

I think Greenies are just as safe as any other chew. There’s always going to be a risk of choking or intestinal blockage, but that’s with any chew-type treat. If an owner is really THAT concerned, then I think Greenies and other chew-type treats should be given under direct owner supervision and be taken away from the dog if there appears to be a problem.

[Author]

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