iirc you can make them “drink” Aloe Potions to heal as well 
Or at least you could several patches ago 
Greater Sabretooth is okay-ish itself, but what really saves the day is Well-Trained giving both HP & Armor, and full follower damage buffs!
Basically, without Authority a Thrall is much better than a Pet, but the gap closes quite a bit with Authority.
On the other hand, when guarding, Pets will really lack damage, and without Well-Trained’s armor they can melt in seconds no matter their HP, or at least that’s how I view it because I didn’t try to let pets defend a purge since AoW 
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