Dental Sticks For Teeth

[Johnjellis]

I have seen dental sticks in the supermarket and pet stores but never purchased them.

Does anyone actually use them and find them beneficial ???

The Greenies brand seems quite expensive.

Any recommendations??? Brands, prices, quality???

[dotdashdot]

I have seen dental sticks in the supermarket and pet stores but never purchased them.

Does anyone actually use them and find them beneficial ???

The Greenies brand seems quite expensive.

Any recommendations??? Brands, prices, quality???

I buy and use Greenies. Can't say I find them beneficial, but I forget to feed them everyday :D . I don't see them as a replacement for proper dental hygiene and checking the mouth anyway (my dog has a "mouth check" every few days before dinner just to 1. have her used to it and 2. make sure all is well)

Personally, I see more benefit in feeding my dog a frozen chicken carcass than Greenies, her teeth are always sparkling after the bone treatment, but she still gets Greenies as a treat.

[Staffyluv]

Each to their own but have you seen them? They look like plastic.

I prefer to feed raw meaty bones for dental health. It has worked for the last few dogs, so I am sticking with it.

My old 14 and a half year old stafford had awesome teeth. He never needed them cleaned or scaled at the vets and he ate bones.

The only issue I ever had was the old boy had to have a back tooth removed due to him cracking it on a marrow bone.

I no longer feed weight bearing bones of larger animals. We tend to stick to ribs, necks, wings, drumsticks, brisket bones.

[Rosetta]

Yes I give Dentastix and Greenies. They don't do a thing to clean teeth IMO but they do freshen the breath and provide a treat after grooming :)

[Mudlark]

We give meaty bones (not mammal leg bones) and dog rusks (oven dried ends of bread loaves) plus use a doggie toothbrush and toothpaste (now and then). Large bits of raw pumpkin or whole sweet potato are good too (if you have a dog that enjoys these).

I don't think that any kind of treats or kibble shapes would actually clean teeth. The dog needs to slice through something decently large.

[Zug Zug]

Use them as a treat if you wish (not too often), but they don't clean the teeth.

Raw bones will.

[minimax]

I have seen dental sticks in the supermarket and pet stores but never purchased them.

Does anyone actually use them and find them beneficial ???

The Greenies brand seems quite expensive.

Any recommendations??? Brands, prices, quality???

Bones, raw, fresh.

[OSoSwift]

Greenies if not chewed properly can cause obstructions I would not give them to a pet of mine at all. Raw bones is the way to go.

[moosepup]

I don't think there have been any obstruction cases since they changed the formula over 5 years ago.

I give bones regularly and the odd Greenie, but not often.

[halfthewords]

Mischa gets a greenie every now and again; she used to get dentastix regularly when she went through a period of refusing to eat much else. Just a treat nowadays, much easier for them to just have a bone.

[Guest Clover]

I feed raw meaty bones a couple of times a week and that works well. They will occasionally get a greenie like stick thing from work but only as a treat.

[cassie]

Greenies turn their poo green! And dentastix go like mush once they're chewed, have you ever seen clumps of it stuck to your dog's whiskers afterwards?

Raw meaty bones are great for teeth cleaning. I also like to use large chunks of raw meat without bone if I can get it cheaply, and find this does a great job.

[Nushie]

We use dentastix, cant say I have seen an improvement in his teeth but I dont feed them for that, I just use them as a treat or just feed it if we are leaving the house (if I have forgotten to freeze a kong).

Generally we feed raw chicken wings/necks and Jager loves to chew on his Nylabones so i think that is going to be better for his teeth than what dentastix or Greenies do. But thats just my opinion.

[Leela and PJ]

I used to give them to my dogs. They don't do anything. Raw meaty bones much healthier and prevent calculus build up on the teeth.

[BC Crazy]

1 medium size raw meaty bone here each daily. My guy's teeth are pearly white & their breath always odourless

Edited June 7, 2013 by BC Crazy

[korbin13]

I got some free samples of dentastix once, not a fan, I can't see how they would clean their teeth, my dogs demolished them in about two seconds.

They loved them though :laugh: Did absolute backflips for them!

[sheena]

Just daily raw meaty bones here, like turkey necks....my two dog have great teeth & gums according to my vet

[Tumbleweed]

I love beef soup bones for cleaning my dogs teeth - I find they are large enough that I'm not worried about them swallowing them, but small enough that they don't upset their tummies.

On top of that, the nooks and crannies really give the dogs and their teeth a work out. They are easy to source in the meat section of your supermarket (particularly easy to find in winter i.e. soup weather!)

I have also used Dentastix and Greenies, but they don't last long so I don't think they do a lot. Plus I worry about the quality and type of ingredients. Dentastix are now a very occasional treat and reserved for when my dogs come out of the obedience ring as a 'jackpot'. They do love them.

[JulesP]

I do use them as I can't give one of my dogs any bones or meat. Don't think they are doing much but as others have said the dogs enjoy them.

[dancinbcs]

Read the ingredients. Dentastix contain sugar, hardly something you would use for dental health and I fail to see how something that is chewed and swallowed in a couple of seconds is of any use to the teeth. I still wouldn't trust Greenies after the deaths from them. Raw bones are the best to keep teeth clean.