My New Year's eve began with an empty bag of Greenies, the remnants of what was Charm's feast scattered across the living room floor. At first, I gave her the all-too-familiar "uh-oh why'd ya DO that?" look... then, panic set in. Somewhere buried in my dog files in the back of my brain was a note on Greenies, and how, in excess, they could do some serious damage. They can.
Charm is all of 25 lbs, and she downed 5 or more Regular size Greenies. I quickly searched the internet, called her vet and the doggie daycare she had just stayed at. I decided to closely monitor her for any signs of discomfort, bloating, and pain - along with some serious lethargy.
"Did she chew them, or did she swallow whole chunks?" asked the vet. Good question. Guessing from her "I didn't do it" dance around the empty bag when she saw me, I am guessing chunks.
That's the dangerous part. Greenies can lodge in the intestines and cause bloating, indigestion, even impact air passage, and cause some major internal damage. When she strained to go to the bathroom, and passed crayola green mucous, I looked into her glazed over eyes and said "let's go kiddo-we're getting you some xrays." Better safe than sorry - everytime. From her xray, she did have some blockage and required a few meds, including anti-inflammatories, to help her digest the pieces.
All in all, Charm is ok, I have another gray hair or two, and we are all on a detox high fiber "all-bran" diet for the new year.
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