標題: Is Greenies good for dogs?? [打印本頁] 作者:
Chermaine 時間: 2005-10-24 01:14 AM 標題: Is Greenies good for dogs??
From Petpetplayland - Wins:
Can digestive enzymes solve the problems with Greenies?
"I stopped giving my dog Greenies after I read your article about dangerous chewies. But after reading about enzymes last month, I wonder if they could help digest the Greenies? I wouldn't mind giving one to Tinker every once in a while if I knew it was safe." Helen M., Hartford, CT
Thanks Helen, this is a great question. In the August 2004 issue of the Bakery News, we talked about the dangers of some popular chews. In this article, we shared some reports from people who have experienced problems with Greenies causing esophageal and bowel obstructions in their dogs. In some cases, with lethal consequences. We had run our own simple experiment, and discovered that after 24 hours in an acidic solution, there was absolutely no change in the appearance, consistency or texture of a Greenie.
Since we wrote that article, several people have sent in feedback that they too have had similar experiences with Greenies. Including one person who wrote in to tell us a tragic story about her German Shepherd who had continual digestive problems for eight months. Her vet could not solve the riddle, and her dog eventually passed on. The vet performed an autopsy and found a large green mass in the dog's upper GI. This dog had not recieved any Greenies the whole time he was having problems. That's eight months in an active digestive system.
The primary volume of a Greenie is cellulose, and cellulose is not directly digestible by most mammals. Cellulose can however be digested with the aid of a digestive enzyme called (surprisingly enough) cellulase. Prozyme is one of the leading canine digestive enzyme supplements on the market, and we checked the label... sure enough Prozyme contains cellulase.
With high hopes, we shredded (particle size very similar to shredded cheese) a Greenie and placed it in a solution of water and Prozyme (the recommended dosage for a complete meal). After four hours of intermittent agitation, nothing. The Greenie particles still retained their shape, size, and plastic-like consistency. But, we weren't about to give up. We acidified the solution, raised the temperature to 100°F, and increased the rate of agitation. Four more hours went by... still nothing. We put the experiment aside, and forgot about it until the next day. Twenty-four hours in an acidic solution loaded with digestive enzymes, and there was absolutely no change in the Greenie particles whatsoever.
Sorry Helen. Our advice to you is still avoid Greenies generally, and especially so if your dog is a gulper.
