It seems, Greenies dog treats have my number…my phone number. And it seems my number has been flagged by the dog treat manufacturer (who knows, maybe all Mars Petcare products too). A recent call to Greenies regarding a confusing claim they make on their website ended up with the customer service representative refusing to answer my questions.
The Greenies website states:
“GREENIES® Dental Chews are formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult dog maintenance.”
This statement is confusing. Greenies are a treat, meant for supplemental feeding and thus are not required to meet any nutritional level established by AAFCO. Since I was confused at why a dog treat would make such a statement on their website (the treat manufacturer would know a treat is not required to meet “nutrient profiles for adult dog maintenance”), I made a phone call to Greenies.
The conversation went something like this…
Shannon (customer service representative from Greenies): Thank you for calling Greenies, what can I help you with.
Note – she did not ask my name.
Me: Yes, I have a question about something on your website. On the Greenies Original treat page it states that the treats are formulated to meet nutritional levels established by AAFCO. What does this mean?
Shannon: It means the treats are AAFCO certified to meet the nutritional requirements of an adult dog.
Me: uh..um…uh…I’m confused. Can you explain that to me again?
Shannon: Hold on one moment please.
About a minutes later…
Shannon: I can no longer help you.
Me: What do you mean you can no longer help me? What changed while you put me on hold? You answered my question before? Why not now?
Shannon: I see that you are Truth about Pet Food.
Note: My phone number is not under Truth about Pet Food – it is registered to Susan Thixton.
Me: So?
Shannon: I don’t want you to twist what I say on your blog. You’ll have to speak to our media relations department.
Me: Ok, can you have them call me?
Shannon: What is your number?
Me: Are you kidding? You have my number. You obviously have caller ID.
Shannon: Yes, um, ok. You wish for them to return the call to this number?
Me: Yes, thank you Shannon.
Back to my question that Greenies never answered…why would a small dog treat – a chew – meet the “nutrient profiles for adult dog maintenance”.
The same questions arise for cat treats as the Greenies website states “FELINE GREENIES® Dental Treats are formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance.”
This nutritional statement on a pet food would mean that when you follow the suggested serving of the cat food or dog food (example 1 cup per 30 lb dog per day or 3/4 cup per 15 lb cat per day) the consumer is providing all the nutrition that pet requires each day.
For Greenies Original Dental Dog Chews the Feeding Guidelines states “Feed one GREENIES® Dental Chew per day.” Does this mean that one Greenies Dental Chew provides all the nutrition that a adult dog needs for a day? Would no food be required? Just give your dog one Greenie a day and they are receiving all the nutrition they require?
For Greenies Original Dental Cat Treats the Feeding Guidelines states “Feed as a snack or treat in conjunction with your cat’s regular diet.” A 15 lb. cat can eat “24 treats per day”. Would 24 treats provide all the nutrition an adult cat needs for a day?
I remain confused. And by the way, no one from Greenies/Nutro/Mars Petcare ever returned my call. I guess from now on I’ll need to block my phone number when I call and ask questions in the future (Secret Shoppers take note).
Questions were sent to FDA regarding the regulations of a treat making claims of a pet food. This appears to be misleading to consumers and I asked for clarification. When/if FDA responds, it will be posted.
By the way, Shannon, Greenies, Nutro, Mars Petcare and everyone else…I don’t “twist what you say”. I’m just trying to provide pet food consumers the truth. They deserve the truth.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
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Ann *
May 30, 2014 at 10:33 am
This is very disturbing news to me. I have been daily feeding the “New” Greenie treat (to be distinguished from the “Original” Greenie which was blocking digestive tracts and harming dogs until they changed the formula) to my 2 “kids” for over a year now. Because of the past history of Greenies harming dogs, I was reluctant to feed them until my vet assured me that the replacement formula for the “New” Greenie is safe to feed.
If the manufacturer is going to make misleading claims and not clarify those to you, I have bought my last box of Greenies. Obviously their reluctance to answer indicates they have something to hide.
Thanks Susan for letting us know about this latest disturbing development in yet another pet treat product. Transparency and truth in advertising are only for those who operate in an honest manner. The others hide behind various excuses.
Casey
May 30, 2014 at 11:37 am
There’s a new dental chews that has been out for a year now. They’re called Whimzees and are from Holland. I would recommend those over Greenies for the time being and even permenantly.
Just my guess, I’m thinking greenies is trying to say that their dental chews won’t give your pets added calories. This is so they won’t hurt pets that are on a strict diet as it is. But that’s just my two cents. I don’t know why they couldn’t just say that.
Laura
May 30, 2014 at 11:03 am
When I worked at PETCO I asked a nutro rep if they were gonna change the ingredients in greenies (since they were talking about just acquiring them) she said they had already for the better. I wasn’t impressed with what was listed on the label, or her answer, so i stopped feeding them to my pets.
Diana Farrar
May 30, 2014 at 11:08 am
I wish they’d quit calling me! I need your magic touch to make them stop. I routinely get a call about every 6 months from some new sales rep telling me what a great addition they’d be to my store. I always ask them to source their ingredients. They “have to find out”, then never call me back…6 months later another new rep will call me. And so on it goes! Maybe I’ll change my caller ID to your name. Hmm….
Susan Mercer
May 30, 2014 at 11:17 am
As Ann posted about her vet recommending Greenies, my vet also recommended them for my pets, particularly my cat who has a double heart murmur. She recommended I try the Greenies dentals for cats to help reduce inflammation of her gums to improve her oral health so she didn’t have to undergo a dental treatment requiring anesthesia. I was also feeding them to my dogs. After several months, I saw no change in their oral health and being uncomfortable with the ingredients, stopped purchasing them. I have perceived a certain arrogance just from the advertising of Greenies, and am appalled, but not surprised, that Susan Thixton was treated as she was. I make everything for my pets myself now. Whole food eating for me and my pet kids.
Diane
May 30, 2014 at 11:20 am
*67 will block your phone number! Try it next time, its great.
Robin
May 30, 2014 at 12:07 pm
I don’t think it is possible to block your number when you call a toll free number. (800 or 888 for example).
Theresa
May 30, 2014 at 8:19 pm
Yes, *67 can block your number even when calling a toll free number. I just did that today.
Julie
May 30, 2014 at 12:17 pm
First, I find it highly disturbing and down right creepy they have your number. Thank you for letting us all know this incident happened.
Second, the first time I ever saw Greenies, I said to myself, “What the h***?”
They have the most bizarre green color and shape…..total “frankenfood.”
Regina
May 30, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Susan, I think the person on the phone misspoke. You don’t twist what they say, you try to UN-twist what they say!!!!!!
Yeah, I’ll take your untwisted version, Susan, thank you!!!
Terri Janson
May 30, 2014 at 1:30 pm
I noticed on their “pill pockets” that they contain chicken by products. I took a free sample and my dogs did not like it. I wouldn’t feed it anyway with the by-products in them. 🙁
Greg
May 30, 2014 at 1:54 pm
If I remember correctly the Temptations cat treats (another Mars product) that I bought a few times also had that statement, that it met the AAFCO requirements for adult maintenance. The packaging even stated you could serve them as a “meal”. It was interesting and in a pinch with a cat not eating maybe I’d even try it. Temptations are an oft-cited suggestion for crumbling over food when a cat is not eating.
That said, once I found another treat seemingly less offensive that the new kitties would eat I didn’t buy Temptations anymore. I had to change gears since they basically turned up their noses at all the soft ones my earlier cat had liked so much. Now they eat a crunchy treat from Castor and Pollux. Best I’ve found so far that they actually like.
It’s a little odd to see that notation on a treat package, but then, you know, the entire process of AAFCO and such is a lot more odd! If the treat has all the nutrients of the AAFCO food profile (not just supplemental), I think that says more about the AAFCO profiles than it does about the treats. No particular reason a food couldn’t be used as treat or vice-versa. That’s just labeling if they are formulated well. After reading the various goings-on of the pet food industry and AAFCO, though, I’m not sure that the latter’s stamp of approval gives me any particular assurance that any pet food product is formulated well.
Teresa Stone
October 20, 2014 at 1:41 am
My vet told me 15 years ago to only give my cat 5 or 6 Temptations treats a day, they have a high fat calorie intake. So that is what I have done and they have been fine.
Thomas N Reedy
May 30, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Dental treats, regardless of manufac turer, are pretty much a joke & waste of money: they’re not nutritional supplements nor do they do all that much for dental hygiene. Dog Greenies are shaped incorrectly for maximum dental/gum contact and Cat Greenies are too small for any worthwhile tartar removal. They’re just treats.
orfan
May 30, 2014 at 11:46 pm
Hmm. I’ll have to ask my local Nutro rep Sunday.
In all my dealings with reps, only one company had a rep who was knowledgeable and admitted his company’s product wasn’t god’s gift to animals everywhere. And when I asked him about an ingredient, he called the nutrition head of the company for the answer. Haven’t seen him in a while. And it wasn’t Nutro.
Regina
May 31, 2014 at 9:24 am
I used to see this one particular Nutro rep, and he was always talking about how bad every other product was. He would actually make up lies about the other products in the stores that were better than Nutro. I guess he couldn’t defend his own products, so he had to tear down the others.
One time I saw him go up to a customer with a bag of Avoderm, and, because this particular store was no longer going to be selling it, all of the Avoderm was marked Clearance. He actually told the customer that Avoderm was in trouble with the FDA, and got her to put it back and pick up a bag of Nutro. Shortly after that, the customer approached me with an unrelated question, and mentioned what the Nutro rep said, and I told her that anytime any rep tells you anything like that, ask to speak to the Manager and verify what the rep says. I told her that that particular store just wasn’t going to carry that brand any more.
I actually reported the rep a number of times, and after so many complaints, I don’t see him any more.
Nutro, and Greenies, I will never trust. If that’s the kind of people they have selling their products, I want nothing to do with them. If their reps can lie to your face, then everything else they claim is suspect also.
So, the fact that Nutro refuses to talk to Susan . . . well, to me, that’s just further proof that they are liars. They just know that Susan will cut through the lies, so they don’t even want to waste their time talking to her!
catherine
May 31, 2014 at 7:53 am
if everyone emailed greenies customer service and told them they won’t buy their product unless…..they would succumb. really. it works. threaten them with not buying their product.
Thomas N Reedy
June 4, 2014 at 8:19 pm
Catherine, that ploy doesn’t always work and the company generally turns around sending you an envelope containing manufacturer coupons for more Greenies.
blowyourfunnyfuse
February 24, 2019 at 12:38 pm
just leaving this here https://thecatsite.com/threads/greenies-dental-treats-for-cats.253779/