Hi
Can anyone recommend a brand of healthy dental chews? We were using Pedigree Dentastix but cut them out as our 4 year old GSD’s stools were too soft. Since eliminating that from her diet her stools have drastically improved. She does like a chew but I haven’t got a healthy alternative. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
My dog likes to chew on a nylabone. Occasionally she will have an antler which she seems to like better if it is soaked in water. Her teeth are pretty good for her age. she is 9 and hasn’t had any work on them yet.
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My dog likes the Lily’s Kitchen Woofbrushes, they are a similar consistency to Dentastix but healthier ingredients. They are pricey though and I still think antler bars are probably better for the teeth. Fish skins can also be good for them to chew on.
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My dog likes Whimzees. They come in different shapes and sizes depending on the size of your dog, Their website is very informative about what size to give your dog
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I buy Lily’s Kitchen Woof Brushes. I have a chihuahua. Instead of buying a small single Woof Brush at £1.29 each, I buy the large size, and cut them into four pieces and give him one piece a day (after his tooth brushing). The large are twice the volume of the small.
Packs of 7 are currently ‘Buy One Get One Half-Price’ at Pets at Home. With this offer my dog’s daily Woof Brush works out at 22p per day and they last for four weeks.
It probably wouldn’t do much for a large dog though.
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Thanks for the suggestions. Turns out Doreen hates the Woof brushes. After trial and error the Waitrose dental sticks are her favourite. Went to the vet today and she does have a lot of plaque build up so we’ll be booking a dental appointment to get it all cleaned up.
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Hi Doreen,
Have you tried Fish Skin Chews? My dogs have been using them for years with great results and i know other people who go to dog shows who swear by them too.
We’ve always used https://www.skipperspetproducts.com because they’ve got a big range of different shapes and sizes, but there’s others too like Fish4Dogs.
They pong a bit but what dog doesn’t like that!
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Mine one like to use Milk-Bone Brushing Chews Daily Dental Dog Treats. This one is also within my budget.
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Thank you for letting us know about your choice of chews. The relevant website is here for anyone who is interested. Whilst chews can be helpful, I feel that for some dogs regular brushing is needed to maintain dental and gum health.
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My dog has air dried beef scalp. It softens very gradually as it’s being chewed and, unlike most dental chews, lasts for ages and, of course, much healthier than Dentastix and similar rubbish. I’ve just bought her some with the hair on, but haven’t tried it yet.
Hi Orangeversion
May I ask where you purchase these from I have tried on the website that Dottie kindly put link for and also looked on the net with no joy
Thanks in advance
I wouldn’t put the milk bone chews in the “healthy dental chews” category. The ingredients are Brewers Rice, Powdered Cellulose, Chicken By-product Meal, Propylene Glycol, Dried Skim Milk, Modified Food Starch, Dextrin, Water, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Bone Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Gelatin, Animal Digest, Potassium Sorbate (Used As A Preservative), Phosphoric Acid, Titanium Dioxide (Color). However effective they may be at tartar control, there are quite a few ingredients I wouldn’t want my dog to eat.
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Thank you for the appraisal Gemma - it is most useful. My view on chew products that have the word ‘dental’ attached them is scepticism
They are attractive to a pet owner because they are easily given and they think that the dog is cleaning it’s own teeth. In all the years that I have had dogs I have found that the best method of ensuring good dental hygiene is to simply brush their teeth with canine toothpaste at least twice a week. It takes a fair amount of effort at first because the dog needs to be trained to accept it but in the long run it does work when done properly. Also, if possible, feeding a low carb diet helps.
**Always supervise dogs when they are giving something to chew. **
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I totally agree with you, Dottie, that brushing is essential. I clean my dog’s teeth every day - mainly because I’m not very good at it, so hope the frequency will make up for my ineptitude!
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I can’t say that I’m good at cleaning their teeth either. Last year I invested in an ultrasonic toothbrush. Took a lot of thinking about because it was expensive. However, I think it has been a good investment because their teeth and gums are in good condition, despite the eldest being eleven years old. The fact that it was costly makes me persevere. I now clean their teeth three times a week and this, coupled with low carb food has helped enormously. There is staining as you would expect in older dogs but otherwise their mouths are satisfactory.
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I’m very glad you mentioned that, Dottie, because it’s something I have considered in the past, so I’d welcome your advice. Which one did you buy? I’ve just watched a YouTube video advocating Emmipet and it says it takes about 3 minutes each side, which seems a very long time for a dog to tolerate? I wonder if dogs can hear them even if no sound is detectable to humans, which would put her against it.
I bought the Emmi Pet because it was the only one that I knew of. I am aware of a groomer who has another make but can’t remember the name. I researched it first by joining the Facebook group and bought it from the person who runs it. She provides the back up and support which is essential. I would always recommend that people do this rather than buying direct because it is a lot of money to spend and you therefore want to get the best out of it.
The three minutes each side on the video is probably because when switched on it is timed for six minutes then you have to switch it back on again if you want to continue. The actual time needed depends on the state of your dog’s mouth and it’s level of tolerance. There is no brushing required, you just dip the head in water, apply the toothpaste and hold the brush against the teeth. When the tartar is loosened they recommend using the supplied rosewood sticks to flick it off. The unit is silent and some people think it isn’t doing anything but it needs to be silent so that it does not alarm the dog. If the dog has a lot if plaque and tartar it might take some time to shift so you have to be patient and persevere with it. It’s not a quick fix such as you get with a dental treatment at the vet surgery. In some cases, if they are really dirty, it might be best to have a dental treatment first.
I now use it for about six minutes (three minutes either side) on each dog but with dirtier teeth you can use it for longer. My dogs have learned to tolerate it and although they would probably prefer it if I didn’t bother, once they are having their treatment they are alright.
If you are unsure whether your dog will tolerate it you can easily just concentrate on one or two teeth each day, which should not take long - maybe a minute or two. Eventually they will be OK with it when they realise that it is not uncomfortable. It is easier than a traditional toothbrush because all you have to do it hold it against the teeth and gums, not actually brush them.
Thanks for taking the time to give all that valuable information, Dottie, and I’m now very tempted to buy one, My only reservation is about their toothpaste - do you use it? I am quite concerned about some of the ingredients. I’ve only had a very quick look, but have found “Sodium c-14-16 Olefin Sulfonate has links to organ system toxicity and Disodium Pyrophosphate can lead to kidney stones”.
Perhaps that is the only toothpaste that can be used in order to create a foam, but I’d be much happier using a more natural product, although I admit to being paranoid, as I investigate every single ingredient I don’t know about in everything she has.
Apart from that, I think it’s worth giving it a try, although it does annoy me that virtually everything for dogs is far more expensive than the human equivalent.
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AFAIK they only recommend that particular toothpaste but you could ask on the FB group. You don’t need to use very much and they emphasise the use of water (dipping the brush in it) as much as the toothpaste. They tend to lick the toothpaste but I looked at a YouTube video on a similar product and she recommended pushing the toothpaste down into the bristles. I thought it was a good idea because then they cannot lick it so much. Have a good look at the various FB pages before you buy so that you can be sure it is what you want.
Thanks, Dottie, I’ll do that.
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