Greenies pill pockets dog treats

I know it’s a cliche, but it must be said regardless: giving my dog pills have never been that easy! Why? Let’s go through this Greenies pill pockets dog treats review step-by-step, and see if we can find a reason for my dog’s craving for pills.

Many ill or senior dogs have to take medications every day for extended periods of time. This makes hiding their medicine in foods very difficult, because eventually they figure it out and either stop taking their dog food from you or learn to spit out the pill. These treats-as-pockets make the process so much simpler.

Greenies® is an American company that specializes in dog health treats. They don’t have too many items, but all of their stuff have received boatloads of praise from many dog owners – just take a look at the reviews. Pill pockets for dogs are natural pet treats that contain a built-in pouch or pill pocket where you hide the capsule. It is currently one of their most popular items, so I’ve decided to try it as well, and it seems I’ll have to continue because my furry friends love them.

Key benefits of Greenies pill pockets dog treats

• Almost 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon!
• #1 veterinarian recommended product for giving pills: I went ahead and actually researched this and it turns out veterinarians actually do favor Greenies products over any others. Moreover, these pill pockets for capsules, as well as other products from this company, have been designed with vet supervision.
• Two sizes that fit 99% of dog medicine: bigger size is used for capsules and the smaller one is for tablets.
• Comes in four delicious-sounding flavors: Chicken (which is the one we’re reviewing), Beef, Real Peanut Butter, and Hickory Smoke. Even the most extremely picky dogs will enjoy this. It’s guaranteed that the dog will love the treat.
• 100% all-natural: crude protein, fat and fiber – a healthier alternative compared to common human food.
• Two different sizes available: the larger size would fit most dog capsules, and the smaller one should handle majority of the dog tablets out there.
• Added vitamins C and E: vitamin C has similar effect on dogs as it does on humans – strengthens immune system, is an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, and stimulates collage growth. Vitamin E will boost your dog’s immune system, improve his/her cardiovascular system and delay the aging process.
• Low in calories: at 29 kcal per treat for capsules (or 9 kcal for tablets), this is a great deal compared to the amount of calories your dog would normally consume when given supplements with regular food.
• Hypoallergenic: Greenies Allergy Formula is designed for dogs who are sensitive to regular carbohydrates, proteins and some other common human foods.
• Money-back guarantee: if your furry friend isn’t 100% satisfied, you’ll get your money back up to 30 days.

For more specific information on these pocket treats, please refer to the Q&A section on the product’s Amazon page. Some of the questions have already been answered there by other customers who bought the item.

Nutrition

Calories: 29 kcal per treat
Crude Protein: 11.0% min
Crude Fat: 13.0% min
Crude Fiber: 2.0% max
Moisture: 26.0% max

Video: Greenies Pill Pockets Canine Roasted Duck & Pea Allergy Formula Dog Treats

For more information and nutrition details on other flavors, please refer to the image/table on the right.

Ingredients

Chicken flavor: Rehydrated chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, vegetable oil, wheat gluten, dried corn syrup, dried cultured skim milk, natural flavors, sodium bisulfate, natural chicken bouillon flavor, hickory smoke flavor, xanthan gum, preserved with mixed tocopherols.

Hickory Smoke flavor: Rehydrated chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, vegetable oil, wheat gluten, dried corn syrup, dried cultured skim milk, natural flavors, caramel color, natural hickory smoke flavor, sodium bisulfate, xanthan gum, preserved with mixed tocopherols.

Real Peanut Butter flavor: Rehydrated chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, wheat gluten, peanut butter, dried corn syrup, dried cultured skim milk, peanut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), vegetable oil, natural flavors, sodium bisulfate, xanthan gum, preserved with mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract.

Greenies Pill Pockets Dog Treats Review

Generally, giving your dog his/her medications is very difficult and stressful for both, you and your dog. I know we’ve all tried giving them pills with nothing on them (even the ones the vet says are meat flavored) and they end up salivating everywhere and spitting them out onto the floor. It’s also frustrating when you try to hide the medicine in food and your dog somehow finds a way to eat the food and spit out the pill.

Throughout the years, I’ve been to the vet’s office for more than a few times. Occasionally, health of all my dogs in the house will highly depend on western medicine, so I need to be certain they take whatever is necessary as per veterinarian’s recommendations.

I had an idea to try these pill pockets as they seemed to be a great way to take all the stress out of giving your pets the supplements they need, and what do you know – they do work! All you need to do is tuck the capsule into the built in pocket and give your dog the tasty treat. They won’t even know the difference. It’s very easy to mold the treat around the pill in case it doesn’t fit “just perfect.”

Not only do these pouches help to hide the pill so that the dog wouldn’t see it, but they also perfectly mask all the smell and taste of medicine to make sure that your canine takes it without giving you any trouble. All you have to do is stuff the pill or capsule into the so called “pocket” and pinch the end closed. It’s quicker than trying to mold human food around the medicine and also less messy.

At a certain point, the process of giving my dog capsules became an interesting experience. That could be due to a fact that every time I’m just standing there, looking my friend in the eyes, and I realize that I know slightly more than he does. But it’s okay, he doesn’t need to know. He doesn’t need to.

Made in the USA, Greenies dog treats were designed by veterinarians, and they are a healthier alternative to using human food that is full of fat, sodium, and preservatives. The treats can be bought in two different sizes: the larger size fits most capsules and the smaller size fits most pills.

The company offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all their products, which is always a good thing just in case it doesn’t work out for whatever reason. This also demonstrates the confidence they have in their product line.

Amazon rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

At the time of this writing, the product is 72nd most popular in all of Pet Products department on Amazon. See customer reviews below.

Video: Greenies Pill Pockets for Cats

Perpetual Student’s review (more reviews): “I’ve been using Pill Pockets for the last year or so. My dog has never spat one back out, and I find them much easier to use than e.g., peanut butter or bread. In the past, I’ve used the tablet size pill pockets, but decided to try the capsule version. For roughly the same price, the capsule version is far more economical. The pill pockets are huge! You can easily split them in half to make the bag last longer. I will never go back to the tablet version again.” 5 out of 5.

Robert’s review (more reviews): “I love these things. My dog has arthritis and needs to take medication 3 times a day. Before I found these we had to push the pill to the back of her throat to get a pill down her. We had tried all the usual things that involved putting her pills into various types of food but she always managed to spit out the pills and get the food. Now with Greenie Pill Pockets the pills go down 1st time every time and no one is traumatized- especially me. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.” 5 out of 5.

Video: Greenies Canine Pill Pockets

B. Pickett’s review (more reviews): “These are basically moldable bits of chicken putty, and my liver-spotted dalmatian Jack loves them. Every morning he takes a big fish oil capsule that he thinks is weird on its own and two pills. I tear one of these pill pockets in half, then mush one half of the half around the fish oil and mush the other pills into the other half of the half, and he gobbles it all up without complaint. I’d use as many of them as necessary to get Jack to take his meds, but so far the economy approach is working. Great product!” 5 out of 5.

How to use Greenies pill pockets

1. Filling the pouch. Take out one treat from the bag, hold it firm while inserting contents.
2. Closing the pouch. Use your fingers to easily squeeze the top half of it and close it up.
3. Checking. Double-check if the pocket is well closed so that the contents wouldn’t fall out.
4. Treat time! Give it to your friend and enjoy the sight.

Size: Capsules pill pockets are about 0.7″ x 0.7″ in size, and the tablet ones are around 0.5″ x 0.5″.

Storing: No need to refrigerate. Just re-seal the bag, and store at a room temperature in a dry place away from direct sunlight.

Cons and quick fixes

While the product doesn’t have any negatives, there are a couple things I’d like to point out so that you’re aware of them.

Not big enough pouches. As mentioned, certain types of capsules can be bigger than standard sizes. This can be remedied by using 1.5 or even two pouches and mushing them together to fit around larger pills. As reported, this seems to work just fine. But please note that you would rarely encounter such a big capsule that these pockets wouldn’t be able to handle.

Product is drying out. These pet treats tend to dry out if you don’t store them properly. Once the ends dry out you can no longer pinch them around the pills and your dog may be able to smell or taste the medicine and spit it out. To fix this, make sure to always close the bag properly and store as directed on the package. If done right, you will never have any problems with that.

Side effects of Greenies pill pockets

Doing my research on reported Greenies pill pockets side effects, I found that there are no proven side effects, and 99% of consumers haven’t experienced any. However, there was a few complaints about these dog treats causing diarrhea. It must be noted that in most instances, such outcome can only be caused by overfeeding, which – after digging deeper into some of those customers’ reviews – I found to be the case.

The obvious solution here is to limit the amount of pills, capsules and/or tablets that your dog is being given and not overfeed your canine. It’s hardly a surprise that anything in excess is bad- most foods have a potential to cause diarrhea or vomiting in dogs anyway when they eat too much of it. Moderation, as always, will fix this.

Additional notes on the product

a. If you don’t want to transfer any smells or tastes, make sure not to touch the pockets treats with the hand that held the pill.

b. Another huge benefit of this supplement-holder is that they are an over the counter pill pocket. You can buy them online and get them delivered right to your doorstep without any trouble.

Some vets sell similar items, but you need a prescription and you have to pick them up at your vet’s office. It’s also difficult to track down other customers’ reviews for the prescription stuff, which is why you never know what you’re actually getting.

c. The company also has a duck and pea formula variety of the same product, advertised as “Allergy Formula”, for pets with allergies or sensitive stomachs. Check it out on Amazon.

Important: Always remember that this is a dog treat, and does not replace real food for your pooch. Try to use these only when medicine or supplements have to be given. If your dog takes tablets and capsules without too much hassle anyway, even though it’s not harmful, there’s still no real requirement for this product. Make sure not to overindulge on meds just because now it’s easier for your dog to consume them with a treat.

Now see the magic happen in the video below. They work the same way with cats, too.

Conclusion: Should you buy it?

In a word, absolutely! So far, I’ve only tried the Chicken Flavor ones, but based on the reviews from other dog lovers, the other three flavors – beef, hickory smoked, and real peanut butter – are all amazing. I’m getting each one of those flavors later as there’s no way my dogs will ever take medicine without this treat.

They take all the fuss out of getting your pooch to take their medication. I would and do recommend them to other dog owners among my friends and family, whose dogs need to take the meds regularly. The product is very affordable, and can be split in half to stretch the bag even further. And as long as you store them properly in the original resalable bag, they will last a long time.

Greenies pill pockets dog treats is the only no mess, no hassle way to get your dog to stay healthy. It will provide both you and your dog with a stress-free drug taking process and present your furry friend with yet another opportunity to enjoy eating a tasty treat.

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