# Dental treats



## princess83 (Jul 21, 2018)

I bought these to see how he would like them and the first one I gave him I turned my back for maybe a minute. Turn around and I couldn't find it. I was like ok; he must have hated it and hid it somewhere. I tried again the next day and again I turned my back talking to my son like 15 seconds and it was gone. I am looking everywhere for it and can't find it. My son said he ate it. I was like there is no way he consumed that in less than 15 seconds. He loves them! Do any of you use these and are they actually good for them like they say? I just want to make sure taht if I am going to spend money on something it is worth it.


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## princess83 (Jul 21, 2018)

Here is another treat I found that he goes bizirk over!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Purina DentaLife

_Rice, Glycerin, Wheat Flour, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Malted Barley Flour, Chicken By-Product Meal, Mono And Dicalcium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid (A Preservative), Calcium Propionate (A Preservative), Sodium Bicarbonate, BHA (A Preservative), BHT (A Preservative), Calcium Carbonate, Citric Acid. B554117_

PetBotanics Mini Training Rewards:

_Pork Liver, Pea Flour, Potatoes, Dried Whole Eggs, Glycerin, Flaxseed, Brown Rice, Sugar, Barley Flour, Tapioca Flour, Bacon, Sweet Potatoes, Natural Smoke Flavor, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Salt, Calcium Lacate, Lactic Acid, Coconut Oil, Phosphoric Acid, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Cultured Skim Milk, Cane Molasses, Caramel Color, Mustard, Iron Oxide (A Color), Natural Flavor, Cranberries, Blueberries, Carrots, Tomatoes, Rosemary (A Flavor), Chamomile (A Flavor), Dandelion (A Flavor), Yucca Schidiegera Extract (A Flavor), Green Tea Extract (A Flavor), Peppermint (A Flavor)._

I wouldn’t feed either of these to Peggy, as glycerin softens her stools just enough to trigger stinky anal gland leaks.  And glycerin dental chews gave my last girl Gracie horrid diarrhea.

Looking at the rest of the ingredients, I also think neither sounds very good for the teeth.

For training treats, Peggy does great with kernel-sized pieces of part-skim mozzarella string cheese or plain cooked chicken breast. Both are extremely high-value to her, so can be used in distracting environments.

She also loves Tylee’s chicken jerky, but I find it to be a choking hazard unless it’s broken into smaller pieces, probably because she tries to gulp it so fast.

For our frequent at-home training sessions, I use Honest Kitchen Whole Food Clusters. We go through so many, it was important they be nutritionally complete. That’s why I chose a kibble rather than a processed treat that’s meant to be fed only occasionally.


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## Meisha (Sep 21, 2020)

Dental treats gave one of my dogs horrible diarrhea as well, so I've never given them again to any other dog.


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## Misteline (Mar 10, 2019)

I give Evelyn the beef or bacon Pet Botanics training treats with no issues. But he is a standard and only gets one or two at a time a few times a day. They are not dental treats.

I have given him greenies as a treat, I don't think they make any difference dentally but he likes them a lot. He had no issues with his poop. Ranna has stolen and eaten 3 at once and had no issues beyond being confined to puppy jail for his puppy crimes.


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## Miki (Dec 25, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> PetBotanics Mini Training Rewards:
> 
> _Pork Liver, Pea Flour, Potatoes, Dried Whole Eggs, Glycerin, Flaxseed, Brown Rice, Sugar, Barley Flour, Tapioca Flour, Bacon, Sweet Potatoes, Natural Smoke Flavor, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Salt, Calcium Lacate, Lactic Acid, Coconut Oil, Phosphoric Acid, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Cultured Skim Milk, Cane Molasses, Caramel Color, Mustard, Iron Oxide (A Color), Natural Flavor, Cranberries, Blueberries, Carrots, Tomatoes, Rosemary (A Flavor), Chamomile (A Flavor), Dandelion (A Flavor), Yucca Schidiegera Extract (A Flavor), Green Tea Extract (A Flavor), Peppermint (A Flavor)._
> 
> I wouldn’t feed either of these to Peggy, as glycerin softens her stools just enough to trigger stinky anal gland leaks.


Tyler liked the PetBotanics but his stools became very soft and I found the smoke smell too strong. I then tried the BIL JAC mini treats and same problem with the soft stools. Yep - glycerin. I know better now so string cheese is the go-to. Old Mother Hubbard baked mini treats are also good but not especially motivating for Tyler. 

I really don't want to resort to hotdogs, even "healthy" ones, because they're such a mess but they worked well with my Sully for training that benefited from highly motivating treats, so I'm not counting them out for Tyler.


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## Footprints&pawmarks (Mar 8, 2021)

If you are going to use dental treats, you have to make sure that the dog actually chews them! Like you, princess, I was horrified to see my 4 1/2 lb Chihuahua swallow whole her dental treat. I have to hold them or she just gulps them down. I recommend this for any dental chew while the dog is working on it to prevent swallowing. They can gulp them down in seconds even if you're closely watching them.

I do wish somebody invent something that would hold chewies that was (a) reasonably priced, (b) safe and non-toxic, and (c) actually held onto the chewy despite the dog's tugging.

Anybody can advertise something as being good for dental health. I've included the seal of the Veterinary Oral Health Council. Their website is vohc.org. They have charts listing the benefits of the various chews that they have approved. As others have reported, I've seen roaring diarrhea from using some, so you may have to try a few to make sure they don't cause "chocolate pudding" stools (why do poop analogies always refer to foods?).

I'm sure that every vet would say that brushing is best for all dogs. But, if you want to use a chewy for cleaning teeth, at least select one from the list that has been shown to actually benefit dental health.

Chomp!


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Our dental vet recommended Virbac Chews. They're large and flat and require chewing. She also said that they are of 'limited' value but fun for the dog.

When I told the vet that one of our dogs choked on a Greenie, he said they are a choking hazard.
duh


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## Misteline (Mar 10, 2019)

Dianaleez said:


> Our dental vet recommended Virbac Chews. They're large and flat and require chewing. She also said that they are of 'limited' value but fun for the dog.
> 
> When I told the vet that one of our dogs choked on a Greenie, he said they are a choking hazard.
> duh


I could definitely see that being an issue. I have to supervise to keep Ev from trying to inhale them. They're too soft to be any actual value for dental purposes. I keep the ones I have as a special treat, but have no plans to buy more.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

We tried a dental chew once, and Basil didn't really like it. 🤷‍♂️.


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## Footprints&pawmarks (Mar 8, 2021)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> We tried a dental chew once, and Basil didn't really like it. 🤷‍♂️.


That's as helpful as when they swallow them whole! But safer and less worrisome.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Oliver does well with this specific Purina chewie. It does have a specific smell that neither of us loves, but he still enjoys chewing it up, especially if I first squeeze on a bit of Virbac poultry or seafood toothpaste.

I also buy the unfilled tubes in the same range, and do my best to squeeze in toothpaste. Ol likes those even better. Virbac and Vet's Best are my toothpastes of choice, fwiw.

For years, he enjoyed Whimzees, but then ennui took over and nope, no more. Teenie Greenies still excite, and I offer them once a week, sometimes twice.

I know not to count on all this for dental health in a Toy. His huge dental last May left many fewer teeth, despite all the chews and toothpaste. Part is unwillingness to accept brushing; part is a tendency in Toy breeds 🙁.

He also likes dried fish skins, just with so many fewer teeth and the fat content, I have avoided the the last year or so.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

I bought Winnine the bacon Pet Botanics training treats which she loved but they were really expensive as they don't sell them here and had to be imported from the US so I gave up on them after the first bag. The sticks are sold here and they are quite cheap but Winnie doesn't like them so ended up giving them away to the neighbours dog. I do think it would take a few minutes to eat though.


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## princess83 (Jul 21, 2018)

Thank you everyone for your input. I agree, I didn't see how it could benefit him bumy gulping it down. I usually always check ingredients even on our items do to allergies and I never even thought to look at the dentalife ones. Guess advertising got me. It said twice a day for his size and I've only done one a day to see how he did with them. I was going to move him to two per day if he did good. But now I may just trash them. The mini treats we don't give many during an entire day. 2 or 3 at most. Ill use them up. As of now I haven't noticed any change in his poop, maybe because it's only been a few days an only one per day. I will check out the site and find something that will please our home.


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