# Dental Chews



## Shane'sDad (Jul 22, 2010)

I recently saw an ad for these so I'm guessing they're new-ish......Frontline Dental Defense....has anyone here used them ?....if yes...what do you think of them ?....do your dogs like them ?....do they have a real interest in them ?...thanks in advance...


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Haven't used them, but I stay away from any of those chews. Best is whole raw knuckle bones. Dogs love them. You just have to ensure they don't chew too much at a time as they can get constipated with too much bone.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I tend to stick to beef trachea , crunchy celery sticks and big fat carrots. I try to brush their back teeth at least 3 or 4 times a week. Don't know if dental chews would do more. 
if in doubt, check here 
https://avdc.org/carefordogs.html

and here
http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf


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## LRP (May 8, 2019)

My puppies love Cow Ears, they really have to chew good to get through them. You can actually hear it squeaking as they chew, like little scrappers on there teeth and gums. 
It has kept there teeth nice, white and clean. We have given them the greenies dental chews, they could take or leave them.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

LRP said:


> My puppies love Cow Ears


 @*LRP*, be sure to look for the unbleached, brown cow ears, not the white ones. (Best Bully Sticks is a good source to find the brown ones.) The "pretty looking" white ones are often bleached with nasty chemicals that you probably don't want your pup eating on a regular basis.

For older dogs, I prefer giving dried trachea tubes. It's not just empty calories for the pleasure of the chew--there's some good nutrition in there too (naturally occurring glucosamine and chondroitin in a form the dog's body can recognize as "food"). 

@*Shane'sDad*, those new FL chews to me it looks like a Greenies competitor. 

One of my dogs was addicted to Greenies when I adopted her -- they're gross and insanely expensive IMHO (seriously, calculate how much they cost per pound...it's over $20/lb!). It took the Greenie-addict a while to develop a taste for natural chews after we got her--I suspect the flavoring in ultra-processed treats may affect dogs' taste receptors and pleasure centers of the brain similarly to the way ultra-processed food does humans (like kids who grow up with lots of candy and sugary cereal turning their noses up at fruit and veg). 

Greenies also had some reports of them not digesting properly -- just sitting as a big blob in the tummy for days, causing an obstruction:
CNN.com - Owners: Dog treats killed our pets - Feb 15, 2006

Here's why I think they're similar: they're both made from a base of flour/starch, gluten, glycerin, gelatin, lecithin, and cellulous. 

FL dental chews' ingredients, per Chewy: *Tapioca Starch, Pea Starch, Wheat Gluten*, *Glycerin, Gelatin*, *Chick Pea Flour,* Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), *Soy Lecithin,* *Powdered Cellulose*, Titanium Dioxide, Rice Flour, Vanillin, Saccharin Sodium, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Oil, Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (A Source Of Vitamin E).

Here's the Greenie ingredients, per Chewy: *Wheat Flour, Glycerin, Wheat Gluten, Gelatin, Water, Powdered Cellulose, Lecithin*, Minerals (Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Selenium, Potassium Iodide), Natural Poultry Flavor, Choline Chloride, Fruit Juice Color, Vitamins ( Dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source Of Vitamin E], Vitamin B12 Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate [Vitamin B5], Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Folic Acid), Turmeric Color.


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## LRP (May 8, 2019)

Magwart said:


> @*LRP*, be sure to look for the unbleached, brown cow ears, not the white ones. (Best Bully Sticks is a good source to find the brown ones.) The "pretty looking" white ones are often bleached with nasty chemicals that you probably don't want your pup eating on a regular basis.
> 
> For older dogs, I prefer giving dried trachea tubes. It's not just empty calories for the pleasure of the chew--there's some good nutrition in there too (naturally occurring glucosamine and chondroitin in a form the dog's body can recognize as "food").
> 
> ...


These are the ones we are currently feeding them:
https://www.chewy.com/nature-gnaws-large-whole-cow-ears-dog/dp/181582

They are brown, unbleached and look to be straight from the cows head :wink2:

We only gave them greenies once because they were not excited about it so we stick to the cow ears


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Don't know of the ones you mentioned but I use both the Pedigree denta stix and the Purina equivalent. Shadow is nearing 9, has never had her teeth cleaned, I don't brush them and she has zero plaque build up. 
Sabi died at nearly 13 never having had a dental, never having had her teeth brushed and it was just in the last few months I noticed yellowing. Her vet said she had the best teeth he had seen in years.
We discussed the crappy ingredients and the decision was that the great teeth were worth it. 
I do use knuckles when I can but they aren't always an option.


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## atomic (Mar 28, 2016)

I get the hard shin bones that are white for my boys, but my elderly pit won’t chew on them. But she will chew on greenies. After reading this I will abstain from those and offer her a nice bully stick, they are tempting and not so hard as the shin bones.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Another thing to consider is looking for reward treats that don't have a lot of sugar in them. Many of them do.


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## Shane'sDad (Jul 22, 2010)

Thanks to all again.... now that i know the ingredients are similar in these dental chews to "greenies" I won't try the chews-I'd read years ago that greenies didn't digest very well AND a friends Lab darn near died ...she choked on a large piece of a greenie..they may have improved now I don't know but I won't take a chance with them or these "new" chews.....


We have a new close to nine year old who seems to enjoy chewing on toys-nylabones etc.-her teeth are very clean and most folks guess her to be 5-6 years based on her teeth....I'll be trying some sort of bone---knuckle or cows ear whatever I can find local or online..over the years dogs who lived with us that were big time chewers also had the least dental issues...the dogs that didn't have much interest in chews of any kind also had the most dental issues.....the dogs that went off their normal eating routine usually needed a cleaning or had a bad tooth that needed pulling.....the dogs that kept their teeth cleaner by constantly chewing just don't have the dental issues .... as every one here is...I don't like anesthesia when I can avoid it-especially in older dogs...


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

We use OraVet chews and Nikki loves them. https://oravet.com/


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