One of the best ways to prevent dental issues with your canine friend is by giving it some dental chews. You have a lot of options available when it comes to the best dental chew for small dogs. In this review and buying guide, we cover 5 of the top picks.
Dental chews come in various shapes, sizes, and recipes. We’ll cover some of the common types and what you need to know about picking chews for dogs.
5 Best Dental Chew for Small Dogs Reviews
Are you looking for the best dental chews to add to the dental hygiene routine of your furry friend? We’ve explored some of the top options on the market and come up with a list of 5 excellent choices.
Read on for the full scoop including key features and benefits of each of the products, along with some tips on what we liked most and least about each of them.
You’ll also discover our top pick for the best dental chew for small dogs!
1. Pedigree Dentastix Fresh Treats
The first product we’re going to look at is the Pedigree Dentastix made especially for toys and small dogs that weigh anywhere between 5 and 20 lbs. Inside this value pack, you get 102 dog treats in stock form.
Dog treats from Pedigree are recommended for small breeds. The ingredients include wheat starch, rice flower, gelatin, glycerin, and natural chicken flavor. The X-shape of these dog treats is unique and helps to freshen up bad breath, clean teeth, and reduce plaque buildup. For best results, Pedigree recommends a treat a day.
Things We Like
- Special X-shape for thorough clean
- The fresh and refreshing mint taste
- Value pack containing 102 treats
- Triple action targeting cleaning, build-up, and breath
Things We Don't Like
- Not suitable for new born dogs and puppies under 5 lbs
These specially-formulated dog treats are effective at cleaning your dog’s teeth, and your furry friends will have a lot of fun chewing them daily.
2. Purina DentaLife Oral Care Dog Chew Treats
These dental chews are in stick form, have a porous texture, and include 8 ridges. All of these features help to clean teeth thoroughly all the way to the gum line. Giving these innovative treats to dogs reduces tartar buildup by about 57%, which also leads to fresh breath.
For those looking closely at product ingredients, you’ll be happy to note that the Purina dog chews are made locally and are free from artificial flavors and colors. These chews are also Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) approved.
Things We Like
- Locally produced
- Natural ingredients
- Innovative design for a thorough clean
- Scientifically proven to reduce tartar buildup
- VOHC approved
Things We Don't Like
- Chicken-flavored, rather than mint-flavored
These healthy and safe dog chews from Purina are ideal if you want to deal with your dog’s tartar buildup and prefer natural ingredients.
3. OraVet Dental Hygiene Dog Chews
If you’re looking for the best dental chew for small dogs, then you might also want to consider the OraVet Dental Hygiene dog chews. The ingredients of these chews are soy, wheat, and pork protein.
OraVet is ideal for extra small dogs that are at least 6 months old. These chews are unique because they contain delmopinol, which creates a protective barrier around the teeth. OraVet chews are tasty and dissolvable and are perfect for cleaning teeth and freshening breath.
Things We Like
- Veterinarian recommended
- Delmopinol technology
- Tasty and dissolvable treats
Things We Don't Like
- Not for pets under 6 months old
OraVet dog chews are specially formulated with delmopinol and are good for cleaning and protecting your dog’s teeth.
4. Dailydose Dog Dental Chews
Some of the benefits of the nutritional supplement portion of the product include calming and stress and anxiety relief to your pup. The ingredients responsible for this effect are Gaba and melatonin. These two components work without making your pet feel drowsy.
One the dental side, the key ingredient is Rojexelin, which has Honey Bee Royal Jelly in it and is patented. This chemical works against tartar and plaque buildup on the tooth and gums. The physical chew part of this product works like an edible toothbrush for your dog to enjoy.
Inside each product pack, you can find 30 treats. These are grain-free and are produced locally.
Things We Like
- Dental action includes chemical and physical cleaning components
- Special daily supplement ingredients to reduce stress and anxiety
- Locally made
Things We Don't Like
- Each pack only contains 30 units
The Dailydose chews for dogs are packed full of benefits. The dual dental effect and nutritional supplement make this a product worth buying. For these reasons, we picked this innovative product as one of the best dental chew for small dogs.
5. Fruitables Bioactive Dental Chews
The dental chews from Fruitables are both gluten-free and grain-free. The ingredient list is loaded with superfoods. A notable ingredient is the organic sea kelp from Iceland to help fight bacteria, while parsley and decaffeinated green tree extract are included to fight bacteria and freshen your dog’s breath.
These chews have a firm texture that helps to scrub your dog’s teeth clean from the tip all the way to the gum line.
Things We Like
Things We Don't Like
If you’re looking for a gluten-free option that is highly nutritious, then we recommend the Fruitables Bioactive dental chews. They are packed full of great ingredients, and your pet will definitely enjoy this quality product.
Top-Rated Dental Chew For Small Dogs Buying Guide
In this buying guide, you’ll learn more about some of the considerations you should make when picking dental chews for your small dog. We have also included some general helpful information about dental chews, which will be especially helpful if you have never tried them out before.
What Are Dental Dog Chews Used For?
Dog dental chews are treats made to help remove tartar and plaque from a dog’s teeth. All dogs have a natural urge to chew, so these products also help to meet this need.
If you regularly provide your dog with dental chews, you can protect their teeth from decay and keep them clean as well as keep the dog’s breath fresh.
How Effective Are Dog Dental Chews?
There is a bit of debate about how effective dental chews can be for your dogs. As with human teeth, when a dog’s teeth are not properly cared for and have plaque accumulating, it is easy for issues such as gum or periodontal disease to arise.
Dental chews are very useful for preventative oral care. Inside the plaque that may build up on your dog, there are lots of bacteria that can create cavities in the teeth, harm the gums, and also cause bad breath.
Prevention is always much better than finding a cure, and the ultimate consequences of poor dental hygiene for your dog can be very painful. Dental chews kill two birds with one stone since they provide tooth care and they’re lots of fun for your pooch to chew on.
Dental chews work when the dog chews and gnaws at them for a period of time. When this happens, the dog’s salivary glands are stimulated to produce more saliva. As you might know, saliva washes away residue and also has antibacterial properties.
It only takes about 30 minutes of gnawing on a dental chew each day by your dog for notable dental benefits. Good gum health and fresh breath in dogs are easy to achieve thanks to dental chews and the cleaning chewing action that they encourage.
What Types of Dog Dental Chews Are There?
There are various types of dental chew options for your dog. Some work better than others in improving dental health, so it’s always a good idea to know what each product has to offer.
Dog chews may be edible or inedible. Examples of edible chews are rawhide chews, made from cow and horse hides.
How to Pick the Best Dental Chew For Small Dogs
If you’re thinking about getting your small dog some dental chews, you should be familiar with all of the options available to you.
Here are some questions you might ask yourself to find the best product for your pup:
- Does my dog have any specific dietary restrictions and allergies?
- Would a meat or mint flavor be better?
- Is my pet in need of an added nutritional supplement that could be included in the chews?
- What pack size would make the most sense?
- Is the size of this dental chew appropriate for a small dog?
- Is my dog a fast eater and chewer?
FAQ
In this section, we’ll answer some of the commonly asked questions about dental chews.
Q: Are dental chews safe?
A: Chews are safe as long as you stick to a good size and type for your dog’s small size and specific eating habits.
Q: Are edible chews better than the alternative?
A: For small dogs, edible chews should be limited because the dog may swallow these too quickly or add unnecessary calories.
Q: Are there any bodies that regulate dental chews and their quality?
A: The Veterinary Oral Health Council or VOHC has a seal of approval that can be used on qualifying products for preventing plaque and tartar buildup on your pet’s teeth.
Best Dog Chew Brands
It’s never too late to start taking better care of your dog’s dental health. Dental chews are perfect for cleaning your dog’s teeth, and they’re also fun for your pet.
There are so many interesting and effective dental chews on the market. Many of these fit into the general category, but we’re also seeing more niche products that satisfy specific nutritional and functional requirements.
We looked at several great brands that have excellent dental chews available, namely Purina, Pedigree, OraVet, Daily dose, and Fruitables. You might also want to check out products from other leading brands like Greenies and Vetradent.
Wrap Up
There are so many great dental chews to pick from, and we hope this review and buying guide of 5 excellent options gives you some much-needed guidance. There’s a great product out there for every dog type and specific requirements you may have.
When it comes to the overall best dental chew for small dogs, the product from Daily Dose is a great choice. These dental chews improve dental health chemically and physically. They also have a nutritional component to them, which reduces anxiety and stress in dogs.
If you’re interested in this innovative and effective dental chew product, you buy it from Daily dose, here.
