Despite a $5 million lawsuit against the nation’s No. 1 dog treat, Bourn Feed & Supply owner Joel Haley said he still has trouble keeping Greenies in stock.

"We move quite a few of them," Haley said. "As many as they sell, you get enough animals or people together, and someone’s going to stub their toe."

A New York City couple is blaming Greenies, a product manufactured by S&M NuTec LLC in North Kansas City, for the July death of their 4-year-old miniature dachshund after remnants of the treat blocked the dog’s intestine.

The company, which is owned by former Columbia residents Joseph and Judy Roetheli, said the dog’s death resulted from not adequately chewing the green treat.

Greenies, designed to remove plaque and tartar while freshening breath, are shaped on one end like the head of a toothbrush and like a dog bone on the other. They are sold in five sizes, ranging from "Jumbo" for dogs larger than 100 pounds to "Teenie" for dogs 5 to 15 pounds.

The company also offers another variety of Greenies called "Lil’ Bits" for toy breed dogs and puppies. Lil’ Bits are small pieces of Greenies material.

"Greenies are not appropriate for all dogs," S&M NuTec said in a news release. "The feeding directions state that Greenies should not be fed to dogs less than six months old, dogs less than five pounds, and dogs who gulp food and treats."

It was a statement reiterated by Susan Sczepanski, a veterinarian at Horton Animal Hospital.

"If your dog is swallowing half of it whole, that’s not good," Sczepanski said. "One of the concerns I have with any edible treat is that we pick the appropriate-size treat for the appropriate-size animal."

Sczepanski, who has been with Horton for 13 years, said she has fielded questions about the treats from pet owners but hasn’t treated any animals that were made sick by them. "Is it a dangerous toy?" she asked. "For the wrong animal, it is."

Award Pet Supply has answered calls from about a dozen concerned customers but hasn’t seen a drop in sales, co-owner Chuck Everitt said. Everitt attributed the continuing sales to his staff guiding customers to the correct-size treat for their dog.

"What we explain to people is we kind of know what we’re doing," Everitt said. "If people buy the correct size of Greenies, they won’t have a problem."

Although S&M NuTec claims the New York City dog died from not chewing the treat, the lawsuit claims the blockage originated from pieces of the treat that the dog could not digest. The company announced last month that it would change the wording on the Greenies bag to reflect that the treat, like most human and dog food, is not 100 percent digestible.

Haley, Everitt and Sczepanski said they are confident in Greenies and still feed the treat to their dogs at home.

"It’s a very, very low occurrence," Sczepanski said. "Socks are far more lethal."