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NUTRO Pulls Greenies Dental Chews from Supermarkets

Snacks will be distributed only through veterinarians, specialty retailers

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

May 4, 2009

“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.

The company said that staff education was a primary concern for the Greenies dental chew line, as each of five sizes is formulated for a corresponding weight range

It's the latest attempt to resolve highly-publicized incidents of pet deaths attributed to the popular treats. Pet owners said the treats failed to be properly digested and led to fatal intestinal obstructions.

In February 2006, the company said it would clarify the instructions on the packaging. The green-tinted treats are in the shape of a toothbrush and are promoted as an effective way to prevent gum disease in animals and promote oral health.

Reformulated

The dental chews were reformulated to be "more highly soluble and thus safer, yet effective as a daily preventive of oral disease," the company said in a November 2007 statement. Independent studies conducted by the University of Illinois confirmed the high solubility of Greenies, according to the statement, which said that the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) had awarded its Seal of Acceptance to Greenies for plaque and tartar control.

In 2005, a New York couple filed a $5 million lawsuit against Greenies' then-manufacturer, S&M NuTec, charging the treats are unsafe and inadequately labeled. The couple charged an undigested Greenie caused the death of their four-year-old Dachshund. The company was later acquired by NUTRO.

Jennifer Reiff and Michael Eastwood say their minature dachshund died two days after they fed him a petit-sized Greenie.

KIRO-TV in Seattle reported in 2005 that the Food and Drug Administration had begun an investigation of the complaints but nothing more was ever heard of the supposed probe.

Pet owners complain

ConsumerAffairs.com has received complaints from several pet owners whose pets died or became ill after chewing the popular treats.

"We gave such a treat to our Japanese Chin on Friday and she is dead," said Mary of Sayville, N.Y. in September 2007. "The vet did an autopsy and she choked on a piece of this allegedly digestive greenie. My vet told me that a number of dogs have either choked to death or died as a result of intestinal blockages caused by Greenies."

Rose of Phenix City, Ala., said in September 2006 that her Maltese became ill after eating a Greenie: "She couldn't eat or drink. She almost died. ... My dog was sick for 2 weeks and was in the intensive care and given IVs."

Lisa of Simi Valley, Calif. was luckier.

"My Standard Poodle, Hummer, got into a bag of Greenies which had not even been opened — they were still sealed in the bag in the shipping box. He weighs around 54 pounds and ate appoximately 8oz. Later he was rushed to the pet Emergency Clinic had to spend the night and we were told to watch him carefully the next several days," she said in a 2006 complaint.

Lisa said Hummer was rushed back to the hopsital in Noctober for emergency surgery.

Developed by dog owners

Greenies were developed in the late 1990s when two dog owners, Joe and Judy Roetheli, teamed with a well-known board-certified veterinary nutritionist to develop a dog chew treat formulated to control dental tartar, plaque and gingivitis, and formulated to taste great while reducing bad breath.

NUTRO is owned by Mars, Inc., one of the world's largest producers of pet food, confectionary, beverage, food and health food. The privately-held company is headquartered in McLean, Va.

A division of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied that it is investigating NUTRO Products Inc., whose pet foods are the subject of more than 700 complaints from consumers who say their dogs and cats became ill and, in some cases, died after eating NUTRO products.

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