There are new developments in a story our Consumer Investigators have been following for months.

We were the first to break the story of the potentially deadly pet treat called "Greenies," and the results of our investigation have now been widely reported across the county.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Consumer Investigator Wayne Havrelly has the latest on what he's uncovered.

Greenies is one of the best-selling pet products in the country, but as we've reported, this treat can kill dogs by getting stuck in their esophagus or intestines.

Local families whose dogs have died are now banding together, calling on the federal government to take action.

It was a cool November day last fall when we met Roberta Wyde of Mercer Island, and Odin, the family's purebred Old English Sheepdog.

Odin had just returned from another visit to the vet, still suffering after an undigested piece of Greenie had completely blocked his intestine.

"They couldn't tell what it was," Wyde said. "They were able to push it through the entire intestine, and when it came out, they still didn't know what it was. When they rinsed it off, they saw it was bright green, clay-like material. And I said, 'Greenie.'"

As a result of what happened to their dog, the Wydes have now filed a citizen petition to the federal government to have Greenies thoroughly investigated.

That's because despite several operations and thousands of dollars in treatment, Odin never recovered.

The Wydes decided to end his -- and their -- misery.

The Wydes aren't the only ones suffering the loss of a beloved family member. We have confirmed that across the country, more than a dozen dogs have died as a direct result of eating Greenies.

"It's sad," said Molly Johnson of Mill Creek. "He has been a huge part of our family."

Johnson says she lost "Norman," her treasured Yorkshire Terrier, after a chunk of Greenie blocked his esophagus and the vet couldn't extract it in time.

"The worst part is that he suffered for three or four days before he died," Johnson said. "And he didn't have to."

In a written statement to us, the company says that "though injurious incidents are rare, more often than not the pet was not fed according to our feeding directions."

But according to both the Wydes and Molly Johnson, they followed package directions to the letter.

The company claims the product is "100 percent edible" and "85 percent digestible," a claim Issaquah veterinarian Jayne Jensen disputes.

"That was not 85 percent digestible," Jensen said. "That was not digestible."

The Wydes' citizen petition requests a full investigation into Greenies by the FDA and calls on the agency to pull the product off the shelves across the country if the company refuses to do so.

Molly Johnson included a statement of support with the Wyde's petition.

"I don't want other families to go through what I had to go through," Johnson said.

Earlier this year, the FDA promised it would look into the many allegations against Greenies, but so far it has not committed to a formal investigation.

We'll let you know if this local citizen's petition will spur the government to act.