Dental Chew Review

Are you trying to add to your pet's dental care routine during Pet Dental Health Month, but unsure where to start? Last week's blog focused on how pain associated with poor dental health can affect your dog's behavior. This week, our dogs review a few commercially available, VOHC-approved edible dental chews.  Check out their verdicts below:

What Is A "Dental Chew"? 

 There are a lot of chews available for dogs. The dental chews we reviewed met the following criteria:

• They are edible treats marketed to improve dental health;
• Shown to reduce or control plaque and/or tartar buildup;
• Approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC).

What Products Did Our Dogs Review?

Our team dogs tried out the following products and rated them (with some help from us of course):

• Whimzees Brushzees
• Milk Bone Brushing Chew
• VetIQ Minties
• Dentastix 

Here's what our dogs thought of these chews:

Whimzees Brushzees

• Acceptable to both dogs:  Both Billie and Coco enjoyed the flavor and smell. 
• Longest-lasting chew: Of the four, this seems to be the hardest chew and lasted longer than the others.
• Coco's favorite! Despite interest in the others, Coco selected this chew first out of a lineup, and spent the most time with it. 

Milk Bone Brushing Chew

• Acceptable to both dogs: Both Billie and Coco also liked the Milk Bone Brushing Chew.
• Shortest-lasting chew: While not the softest, this chew lasted the least amount of time under sustained chewing.

VetIQ Minties

• Acceptable to both dogs: Both testers enjoyed the VetIQ Minties.
• Middle-of-the-road chew: Neither the softest nor the hardest, this chew was much harder than the Dentastix or the Milk Bone Brushing Chew, but not as long-lasting as the Whimzees Brushzees.

Pedigree Dentastix

• Acceptable to both dogs: Billie and Coco also chose to eat the Pedigree Dentastix.
• Softest chew: These chews are very soft and don't last long but might be a better fit for dogs who are missing a lot of teeth or have a sensitive mouth.
• Billie's favorite! Of the four chews, this is the one Billie chose to eat first out of the lineup.

Note: If you have any concerns about tooth or mouth sensitivity, ingredients, or other aspects of dental chews, check in with your veterinarian to make sure that the product is appropriate for your dog. 

If you would like to see a list of these chews and other favorite items that we and our dogs have used, check out our list of recommended products.

If you're looking for more one-on-one guidance with your fearful dog, check out our online training membership, the Reactive Dog Academy. For a more personalized plan, sign up for private training. If you'd like more help with tooth brushing specifically, we'd love to see you in our toothbrushing class.

If you are getting started with dental care, we want to hear about your successes or struggles. Join our Facebook group and post your questions or comments there, or email us at [email protected].