I received a package a while ago from my friend over at americandiabeteswholesale.com. It contained Greenies Lites!!

Greenies Lite

The Greenie Lites are little toothbrush looking treats designed to clean your dog’s teeth. The Greenies come in two kinds, regular and lite and in four different sizes.

The Greenies Lite are geared more towards Overweight or less active dogs but also would fall into the category for diabetic dogs. Let’s do a quick comparison.

Every thing in Red is are the same ingredients.

Greenies Greenies Lite

Ingredients:
Gelatin,
Wheat Protein Isolate,
Glycerin,
Soy Protein Isolate,
Sodium Caseinate,
Natural Poultry Flavor,
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate,
Vegetable Oil (Preserved with Propyl Gallate),
Sodium Tripolyphosphate,
Lecithin,

Ground Flaxseed,
Calcium Carbonate,
Magnesium Monostearate,
Monoglycerides of Edible Fatty Acids,
Choline Chloride,
Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative),
Minerals

(Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Sulfate,
Ferrous Sulfate,
Copper Sulfate,
Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide),

Vitamins

(dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Folic Acid),

Chlorophyll.

Ingredients:
Rice flour,
gelatin,
glycerin,
wheat flour,
hydrogenated starch hydrolysate,
oat fiber,
apple pomace,
tomato pomace,
natural flavor,
soy protein isolate,
wheat protein isolate,
vegetable oil (preserved with propyl gallate),
sodium tripolyphosphate,
lecithin,
barley flour,
pea flour,

sodium caseinate,
glyceryl monostearate,
ground flaxseed,
magnesium stearate,
potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness),
choline chloride,
taurine,
ascorbic acid [source of vitamin C],
minerals

(calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate, potassium iodide),

vitamins

(dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate [source of vitamin E], vitamin B12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, niacin supplement, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], folic acid),

carotene,
chlorophyll.

 

 

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 52.0%
Crude Fat (min) 5.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 1.5%
Moisture (max) 15.0%

 

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (min) 21.0%
Crude Fat (min) 4.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 5.0%
Moisture (max) 18.0%

 

Total kilocalories per dental chew per treat:

Jumbo – 270
Large – 144
Regular – 90
Petite – 54
Teenie – 25

Total kilocalories per dental chew per treat:

No Jumbo
Large: 133
Regular: 83
Petite: 51
Teenie: 23

As you can see the Lites are better. But I’m not particularly thrilled with some of the ingredients.

Apple pomace &
tomato pomace

Pomace is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit.

Fruit seeds contain cyanide, a very little amount but enough that over time can hurt or kill a dog.

Oat fiber, wheat flour, barley flour

It can cause problems if your dog is allergic to Oats, wheat, or barley. The chances your dog is allergic to any of those are low but its some thing to be mindful of.

Rice flour

White Rice is bad for diabetic dogs. It is high on the glycemic index which means it is high in carbs and those carbs turn into sugar. Brown Rice is much better but rather high.

But how bad is any of this? I really don’t know because the amounts aren’t listed. I tested Bender before I gave him a Greenie Lite and then a hour later. His glucose level was at 100 each time. But the real issue here is factoring in a Greenie Lite with your dogs diabetic schedule. The manufacture recommends one Greenie Lite a day. If that is the case, factor in that extra amount of food when balancing your diabetic dog’s levels.

As for Bender, he loves them. I give him a half a one every 10-15 days or so. He eats it in about one minute. A whole one takes him about two minutes. Luna on the other hand, it takes her about five minutes to go through a half a Greenie Lite. She really chews them. Bender on the other hand really doesn’t chew.

Over all I think these Greenie Lites are pretty good treats. Concerned slightly about the choice of ingredients but over all I think a good treat for every now and then.

Head over to americandiabeteswholesale.com if you want to pick up some Greenies Lites or other Diabetic Pet Supplies.