[Hav mom]

what dental chews do you feed your dog? I have been giving my dog the ones from Dr. Becker at Mercola.com ..Although they are very good and healthy, they are expensive. I tried Greenies and he loved them but ate it too fast and I don’t find the ingredients I like in them and think they could be hard to digest. Any one out there have ideas??? I always give him one after dinner and he so looks forward to it, but I need a new brand that is healthy and safe. What say you guys, any ideas?

[anonymously]

I don’t use dental chews for my pets. I brush their teeth once a day with chicken flavored toothpaste, they consider it a treat. (YouTube has excellent how to videos). I have had very good results.
I consider dental chews to be breath fresheners, at best. They do nothing to remove tarter from the back and sides.
I don’t use bones anymore either, due to the risk of broken teeth and GI disturbances I encountered.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Hav mom:
I have been trying out dental bones over the past few months. I wanted to find some brands to recommend to friends who don’t brush their dog’s teeth. My dog happily volunteered as a taste tester and so far he likes Merrick ‘Lil Brush & Texas Toothpick dental bones, and Whimzeez. I feel Whimzeez probably has the best ingredients of the two brands. Several regular posters also use Natural Balance dental bones. I feed one per week and found they do an okay job. However, IMO brushing is the best for dental health.

I recently purchased Indigenous dental bones at a B1G1 sale. I only liked two recipes ingredient wise, the original and lamb. They are all one size and perforated to break apart easily with directions on each bag as to the amount to feed different sizes of dogs. I haven’t opened them yet because I still have some Merricks to finish up.

Here’s a list from the VOHC that might help you with your search:
http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm

[Hav mom]

Thanks Bobby Dog! The list is good appreciate the information. I was thinking about the whimzeez an as you mentioned trying them, I think I will give them a try for him.

[Bobby dog]

You’re welcome Hav mom. Hopefully your pup will like them. Whimzeez are convenient to try since they’re sold individually and in bags. One of the regular posters AGT recommended them so I gave them a try.

I’ll have to come back for an update when I open the bags of Indigenous. It takes us forever to go through a bag since he only gets one a week.

The list is handy, but other than the GF Greenies, I don’t think any of the dental bones recommended by the VOHC fit my criteria. The info was a good read for me along with the other info on the site. C4D posted the site to me on the review side so we can thank her for it! 😉

[C4D]

Hi Hav Mom,

I do a variety of chews from dental chews (including Merrick, Whimzees and Natural Balance) to body parts (ears, noses, etc). I find the dental chews to last for almost too short a time to really be effective. I do brush also, but with multiple dogs and being a bit lazy, I rely on the chews fairly often (several times a week).

[Burton G]

I seem to remember a problem with Greenies. They were choking the dogs ore something.
Am I immaginning this or has it been fixed ?

[anonymously]

You are right, dental chews are dangerous.

Just take 5 minutes and brush the dog’s teeth once a day!

[Bobby dog]

Yes, they supposedly reformulated them. I’ve never fed them, but will probably try the GF at some point.

[LadyJane]

We switched to the ‘soft’ Greenies for hips and joints. One a day and it is just like the commercial. Jumping and happy! They may not be for every dog, so find what works for you and your dog.

[Suzanne J]

The vet always said how great our dog’s teeth looked. We used Denta-sticks.

[David H]

Yes milk bone biscuits also cause problems.

[Jenn H]

A while back Greenies changed and a lot of dogs started having stomach upset. I haven’t used them in yrs. They can also be fattening.
I’m lucky though that my dogs have naturally good teeth. A lot has to do with genetics.
My dogs also like the Nylabones that are chew toys. I haven’t given them the edible kind.
Wysong has a powder that you add to the water. A friend of mine just started her dog on it. No verdict yet on how well it works.

[Kathleen C]

I give my 19 pound Boston Terrier Himalayan Dog Chews from a local pet store that seems to be very hands on when it comes to the dog foods and treats she carries. It’s made from Yak and cow milk, salt and lime juice. He loves them and they are expensive ($10 for the under 35 pound size), but if they are natural and safe I will pay the price. I was giving him Zukes, but just found out they also sold to Purina and that scares me.

[Kathleen C]

From what I hear, Nylabones are made out of nylon? I used to give them to my dogs and did know this, but now I stay away from them. No problems but have had two dogs die young with very unusual diseases for dogs. I have no idea why one got Cushings and another a blood cancer, but food can be the reasons for many diseases dogs get.

[Author]

Posts