Denta Stix - good or bad?

One of our dogs threw up each time she had a Dentastix. The first time, we thought she was throwing up blood. Took her to the vet and didn't find anything. A couple days later, gave her another Dentastix and she threw up "red" again. Figured out it was the coloring of the Dentastix and they just didn't agree with her.

We tried the Greenies and there's something in them that did not agree with either of our small dogs digestive systems. We now use a product called Authority Dental Dog Treats from Pet Smart. It's made in the US with no artificial flavoring or coloring. This product had kept our dogs teeth perfectly clean for the past year we've used it.

I brush the poodle's teeth every night, one side each night. Then she gets either a greenie or a dentastix. She has Addison's Disease, is on steroids, so a dental procedure would require anesthesia and be pretty risky. So far the vet is very happy with her teeth and so are we. I started training the puppy to get his brushed when he was four months old. No issues with either of them swallowing large pieces of greenies or dentastix. However they do occasionally get bully sticks and we have to take the last few inches away from the puppy or he will swallow it.

Our old dog got a large carrot every day and I brushed her teeth at night.

14 yrs old, teeth bright, clean and healthy gums

2 biscuits in AM, carrot at noon, dry dog food at super

Well, I sat down on the floor and watched the two of them eat one tonight. Jake takes nice, small bites and chews. Jesse eats a little fast but does break it down into smaller pieces. We stopped using rawhide because I kept having to fish it out of Jesse's throat. He'll chew just about anything-Jake is a problem, but he loves the Denta-Stix.

Small dogs are very prone to dental issues.. my vet recommended the use of denta stix or greenies... also gave me some dental mouth wash to put on a cotton square pad, and rub on her gums..

like others have said.. if you have a dog that "wolfs" things down whole or in big chunks..I wouldn't use them or at least watch closely.. I don't have that issue with mine.. she lays on the floor and just gnaws away for a good long time.. ( most of the time she gets bored with it before finishing) but that's ok to..

I can only report my 13-year old dog's experience. After about a year of chewing one dentastix per day, he has the healthiest-looking teeth he's had since adoption at two years old and his vet agrees. His other favorite treats are raw carrot chips.

My two Standard Poodles, 1.5 years and 6 years, have 3 each per week with good ol Milk Bones on the off days. The vet is amazed by the good condition of their teeth. While they gobble some things they hold the stix with their front paws and slowly chew them down. But that is MY situation... your mileage may vary. The Internet is sorta like Alice's Restaurant... you can find any scary thing about ANYTHING you want. Common sense must prevail and be situational to your circumstances.

As with any chew object, it depends on the dog. Denta Stix do help and I like them, but ALWAYS supervised and if your dog destroys chew things rapidly and tends to swallow them whole, don't.

Always supervised when eating something like that. I'll ensure they don't swallow big pieces.

xteacher wrote:
I've heard scary stories of dogs swallowing large pieces and either choking or getting a blockage. I'll pass...

As with any chew object, it depends on the dog. Denta Stix do help and I like them, but ALWAYS supervised and if your dog destroys chew things rapidly and tends to swallow them whole, don't.