6/10/05: Update on Nickey... he passed away about 1:30 this morning. Many of you have asked more information and have said you would contact your vet -- please do -- please do not let Nickey's death be for nothing.

Word needs to get out that this 'greenie' product is not safe!! It may be good for the teeth & gums but it can be fatal as we all know now. Someone stated something about the warnings -- I did not see that -- I bought individual ones from a jar at the pet store. I also let him have them under supervision but when they are very slippery and it slips down their throat, I don't know what else I could have done. I like the thought of holding onto them but how could I have known?

As you might imagine, I am going through a tremendous amount of guilt about ever giving these to my dog. He has only had 2 whole ones. I wish I could take back one week!!

If your vet would like more information, my vet is a specialist at the Animal Diagnostic Clinic Hospital (Brad Hines, DMV Dipolmat) here in Dallas. The address is 4444 Trinity Mills Ste 202,Dallas TX 75287. The phone number is 972-267-8300.

He has removed several 'greenie' parts from dogs but from the intestines; this is the first he has seen in the esophagus -- which could become common for very small dogs. This is also the first death he has encountered as a result. I think large dogs are at risk also because they make very large sizes for them. They get very slippery while they are chewing on them and any movement can make them lose control and swallow it. According to the vets, they DO NOT dissolve in the body.

I will be contacting the Greenie company to tell them of what happened. My surgeon and vets are writing papers to submit to the Vet associations.

6/9/05: My little dog, Nickey, a 6 month old Maltese, has survived two surgeries this week and is now stable and recovering at the Vet hospital. After exploration, they found part of a "greenie" bone stuck in his esophagus.

The vets I spoke to this week are furious about this product. The product DOES NOT DISSOLVE if swallowed in chunks that cannot pass through their system. They have done numerous surgeries to remove them, especially from the intestines. This is the first that the Dallas surgeons have seen in the esophagus.

I wanted to share this with you and ask you to pass along this warning to any pet owner that you know and to keep it passing on. BAN THE GREENIES!! I know my little one will never see another greenie again.

After almost $5000 in vet bills since last Friday, this has been a very expensive lesson to learn. The worst part of course is that my little Nickey (only 6 months old) has suffered tremendously and will most likely develop other esophagus problems because of this.

He is not 'out-of-the-woods' yet so I ask that you say a prayer for him. This has been an extremely emotional week for him and for his Mommy.

I'm hoping to get this word out -- not to damage any one in particular -- but to prevent other pets and families from having to go thru this trauma.