The Good: Our dog likes them, Freshens breath and cleans teeth as the product promises to.
The Bad: Expensive by the single bone, Not wild about the environmental impact of the single bones.
The Basics: Apparently delicious to dogs, the Greenies Petite Smart Treat has become the treat of choice of my geriatric cocker spaniel!
When a product works, sometimes it is tough to write a whole lot about it. I have been having that problem in my review of pet products more than in any other category I write in. This probably has to do with me not having a whole "taste" section to write in describing how things taste. Some reviewers might taste their pet's products, but that is still a line I'll not cross! In the case of the Greenies Smart Treat bones, there's not a whole lot to write about: my dog Mitzie enjoys them, at least as much as the Senior Greenies (reviewed here!) they clean her teeth and leave her breath fresher than without using them, so they do exactly what they claim to on the package.
Greenies Smart Treat, a new-to-me and Mitzie treat, was delivered to our home by my wife, who works at a pet store. The Greenies Treats come in a wide variety of sizes for dogs and the petite treats are intended for dogs from 15 lbs. To 25 lbs. in weight, so our old cocker spaniel still applies. The Greenies Smart Treat trades on being a dental health tool for dogs. In addition to tasting delicious to dogs, they are supposed to clean the dog's mouth so the teeth are cleaned and the dog's breath smells better. Mitzie has had these treats for a week solid now and lately when she is given a choice, she continues to choose these treats. Whether she understands the dental benefits or not, she seems to exhibit a preference to these over all other bone-like treats my partner has brought home. This leads me to the conclusion that Greenies Smart Treats taste good to dogs.
The Greenies Smart Treat is a treat that does not trade on being flavored like anything dogs usually eat (i.e. this is not a meat-flavored treat). Each Greenies Petite Bone treat comes individually as a wrapped toothbrush-shaped treat two and three-quarters inches long by 7/8" wide (3/8" thick). This is the least quantity one might buy them in and there are multipacks. For my tastes and budgets, the single Greenies treat seems a bit expensive at about a dollar a treat. Even with my wife's discount, it seems like the individually-wrapped treat is environmentally and economically not much of a value. There are multipacks of these on the market which are less expensive and use less plastic.
The green (hence the name Greenies) "bone" (more accurately "brush") is designed to help fight plaque and tartar build-up by having a texture to it and being very hard. The brush-shaped treat is smooth until the dog bites into it and fractures it. Then it becomes very mealy and the texture helps remove matter from a dog's mouth. Because the bone is too big to simply be swallowed, the Greenies Smart Treat effectively brushes the dog's teeth and tongue using friction whenever the dog bites into it to split it and swallows it, dragging the bolus across their tongue. This has had great results with Mitzie. Mitzie's breath was not bad to begin with (the result of having a pretty steady parade of dog treats since my partner took her job at the pet store) but her breath has smelled like dog food in the time between eating and getting her daily treat. With the Greenies, Mitzie's breath is restored to a more neutral scent and that is exactly what the Greenies promises to do.
Unlike some treats I have reviewed of late, Greenies does not claim to have any environmental or dietary agenda it is pushing. So while Booda Bones prominently mention on their packaging that they contain no wheat, Greenies has wheat protein isolate as the second ingredient right below gelatin and right above glycerin! This is by no means an all-natural product, which is probably why they have no expiration date.
These treats are not bad for dogs and the package recommends that dog owners have clean drinking water available to their dog when they feed them these single bones. This treat is a dietary supplement, not a full meal. Greenies Smart Treats in the petite size has at least 52% crude protein and 5% crude fat and no more than 1.5% crude fiber and 15% moisture, so those looking out for their dog's specific dietary needs, that might help.
Mitzie loves these treats and she devours them whenever we give them to her or she is given a choice between any other dog treat she has been offered in the last six months. But buyers who find one of these is as preferred by their dog(s) will want to buy them in the multipack if for no other reasons than to save money and have more on hand as a reward for good dogs.
For other dog treat reviews, please check out my takes on:
Bark Bars Peanut Butter And Carob Chip
Mixables Grandma's Country Stew
Spearmint Booda Bones
8/10
For other pet product reviews, please click here to visit my index page on the subject!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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