Greenies Dental Treats are quickly becoming some of the most popular dog treats you can buy. While the brand has exploded in popularity in a relatively short amount of time, some pet owners wonder if their signature Greenies Canine Dental Chews are actually worth the hype.
To help you determine if you should give Greenies Dental Treats to your furry friend, we are going to take an in-depth look at the brand and its products. We will break down whether or not they are healthy for your beloved pup to eat, and how effectively they can actually clean your dog’s teeth and gums.
See our related article on the Best Bully Sticks for Dogs. Not made to clean your dogs’ teeth but a great healthy snack for your small or big dog.
What Are Greenies Dental Treats?
The brand behind the extremely popular Greenies Dental Treats was founded by a pet-owning couple that noticed that their dog, Ivan, was struggling with visibly stained, plaque-covered teeth and noticeably poor gum health, which had resulted in terrible breath.
Ivan’s owners worked with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and other canine experts to develop a healthy and effective toothbrush-shaped dental chew. Not only did these unique doggie treats help with Ivan’s bad breath and poor dental health, but the owners were also soon flooded with requests for these teeth-cleaning treats from other dog owners.
After realizing the popularity and potential of their unique and effective treats, the two pet parents decided to form a company and the GREENIES brand was born.
What Do Greenies Dental Treats Actually Do?
Aside from acting as an appetizing and delicious dog treat, Greenies Dental Treats are designed to scrape plaque and tartar off the surface of your dog’s teeth, which helps to improve overall oral health. By scraping plaque and tartar off of the teeth, the harmful bacteria that grows in your dog’s mouth is prevented from spreading beneath the gum line. As an added bonus, the teeth-cleaning effect of the treats can also reduce the severity of bad breath.
Not only do they help promote overall dental health, but the treats are also made with natural ingredients that were specifically chosen because they are highly digestible. The fact that they are nutritious, and the fact that dogs absolutely love the scent and taste means you can easily keep your dog’s teeth and gums healthy while simultaneously keeping your pooch happy.
How Often Do You Need to Give Your Dog a Greenies Dental Treat for Them to Work?
Veterinarians, as well as the Greenies brand itself, both recommend feeding your dog just one Greenies Dental Chew per day. While a daily Greenies Dental Chew can really help to control plaque and tartar, as well as the bacteria that causes your dog to have bad breath, it should be seen as a convenient and effective addition to your dog’s dental care routine, rather than a full replacement.
Even if you are providing your dog with Greenies Dental Chews, you should still practice dental brushing on a fairly regular basis and make sure that you are inspecting your dog’s teeth and gums for visual signs of plaque and bleeding.
On top of that, you should schedule an annual oral exam with your veterinarian at least once per year. During these exams, the vet will thoroughly examine your dog’s teeth for excessive tartar and calculus buildup, signs of gingivitis, as well as other abnormalities, like tooth fractures, pulp exposure, and serious signs of decay, such as abscesses and loose teeth. Many vets will also perform a thorough cleaning during these visits, just like a human dentist would during an annual checkup.
If your veterinarian was to discover any problems or abnormalities, they would recommend a more thorough professional dental cleaning or a surgical procedure to correct the issue.
Why is it Important For Dogs to Maintain Clean and Healthy Teeth?
Most of the disease that occurs in the mouth starts beneath the gum line, so the full extent of the damage cannot be seen with a simple visual inspection. As tartar and plaque builds on the surface of your dog’s teeth, it can start to act as a scaffold for bacteria to spread beneath the gum line, where it will replicate in the space where you find the roots of your dog’s teeth.
As the bacteria spreads and multiplies beneath the gum line, inflammation and decay can occur in the area surrounding the roots of the teeth, which can be extremely painful. This can eventually lead to tooth decay. Once the decay has got to the point where the tooth needs to be removed, your dog will almost certainly need surgical treatment.
Read our related article, How to Keep Dogs Teeth Healthy Naturally for more info on how to care for your dog.
Extreme Cases of Dental Disease
In extreme cases of tooth decay, infection and tooth rot can lead to abscesses, as well pockets of pus and bacteria underneath the gums, which can spread to sinuses and the dog’s bloodstream. When this occurs, the dog could become septic, which can become life-threatening in severe cases.
Preventing Dental Disease
By doing what you can to keep your dog’s teeth clean and free from tartar and plaque buildup, you can delay and even prevent serious forms of dental disease. Not only is dental disease extremely painful for your pooch, it often requires surgical treatment, which can be extremely expensive.
When given on a daily basis for a full year, Greenies Dental Treats have been shown to reduce tartar accumulation by 60%, as well as a total reduction of plaque buildup by 32%. These numbers are similar to the results you could expect from brushing your dog’s teeth on a daily basis with a dog-safe toothbrush!
So, when you consider the fact that a simple dental chew that dogs actually enjoy can help to clean the teeth, offering your dog Greenies Dental Treats almost becomes a bit of a no-brainer!
While there are other types of dental treats you can buy, the GREENIES brand is often recommended by veterinarians because their products have a proven ability to clean teeth. Not only that, but this particular pet product contains natural ingredients, so when they are offered in moderation, they will not lead to unhealthy weight gain.
Read our related article, How Does Dog Dental Cleaning Work? Discover more about the importance of canine dental care (plus brushing tips!)
Are Greenies Dental Treats Healthy?
As mentioned above, the Greenies brand prioritizes the health and well-being of dogs over just about anything else. This is why the company made sure that its Greenies Dental Treats are only made from healthy and natural ingredients that are easy for your dog to digest.
Every treat in the Greenies catalogue adheres to the guidelines set forth by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This means when the Greenies brand claims it only uses natural ingredients, it is not misleading you with false buzzwords.
To ensure these Greenies treats do more than just clean your dog’s teeth and gums, they contain added vitamins and minerals that many dogs do not get enough of from their food. This means they contain a Vitamin B12 supplement, ingredients that are rich in Vitamin E, as well as a Vitamin D3 supplement.
Just like high-quality dog food, Greenies Dental Treats are balanced to meet the nutritional requirements of dogs. In other words, they are safe, and they can even help to support your dog’s growth and overall health.
Our Overall Impression of Greenies Dental Treats
Overall, we highly recommend Greenies Dental Treats. Not only can they effectively clean your dog’s teeth, but dogs also find them irresistible, so they double as a useful reward when you are training your pooch.
The fact that they are also made using natural, healthy ingredients and contain added essential vitamins and minerals means Greenies Dental Treats are just about the perfect dog treat.
They are available in different sizes, so they are suitable for just about any breed. If you own a small or toy-sized breed, the Greenies Teenie Dental Dog Treats are an excellent choice.
Medium-sized breeds will do better with the Greenies Original/Regular Dental Dog Treats, while the larger breeds will prefer the Greenies Large Dental Chews.
