Chew on This: The Best and Worst Treats for Your Pet’s Dental Health
It is a natural instinct for dogs to chew. Chewing relieves anxiety, burns off excess energy, and provides mental stimulation. Most pet parents also rely on dental chews, bones, and hard toys, believing they are actively cleaning their pet’s teeth.
But are all chews created equal? Unfortunately, no. In fact, some of the most popular treats on the market cause more harm than good, leading to fractured teeth, damaged gums, and severe choking hazards.
Before you hand your dog their next treat, here is what you need to know about safe and unsafe chewing options.
The Worst Chews for Your Dog’s Teeth
1. Real Animal Bones (Cooked or Raw) This is one of the biggest misconceptions in pet care. Cooked bones become brittle and splinter easily, piercing the gums or digestive tract. While raw bones are softer, they are still dense enough to cause “slab fractures”—a painful condition where a large chunk of the tooth’s surface completely shears off, exposing the sensitive nerve.
2. Antlers and Hard Hooves Deer antlers and cow hooves have become incredibly popular because they last forever. But the rule of thumb in veterinary dentistry is: If you can’t indent the toy with your fingernail, or if it hurts to hit yourself in the knee with it, it is too hard for your dog’s teeth. Antlers are notorious for breaking the large premolars in the back of a dog’s mouth.
3. Tennis Balls While great for fetch, tennis balls should never be used as a constant chew toy. The bright yellow fuzz is highly abrasive. When mixed with dirt and saliva, it acts like sandpaper, slowly filing down your dog’s tooth enamel until the nerves are dangerously close to being exposed.
The Best Options for Dental Health
To achieve true glucose control in a diabetic pet, treating their oral health is not optional—it is a mandatory part of their medical care. Eliminating the infection in their mouth drastically reduces inflammation levels, allowing the insulin to work properly again.
Many veterinarians report that after a thorough dental cleaning to remove tartar and infection, a pet’s daily insulin dose can be significantly reduced, bringing much more stability and safety to their life.
Safe Treatment for Pets with Chronic Conditions
1. VOHC-Approved Dental Chews Look for the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of approval on the packaging. These specific chews are clinically proven to reduce plaque and tartar buildup. They are designed to bend and yield to the tooth, gently scraping away soft plaque before it hardens.
2. Dense Rubber Toys (Like KONGs) High-quality rubber toys are firm enough to provide a satisfying chew, but soft enough to give way under jaw pressure without fracturing the teeth. Stuffing them with pet-safe peanut butter or plain yogurt and freezing them provides hours of safe, soothing chewing.
3. Enzymatic Toothpaste on a Lick Mat While not a traditional chew, spreading pet-safe enzymatic toothpaste onto a textured lick mat encourages your pet to lick vigorously. This stimulates saliva production (which naturally washes away bacteria) while applying the plaque-fighting enzymes directly to their gums.
Chews Are Not a Replacement for Cleanings
Even the best dental chew in the world cannot remove calcified tartar. Once plaque turns to stone, professional scaling is required.
At Royal Touch Pet Dental, we safely remove the hard tartar that chews leave behind. Our 100% anesthesia-free mobile service is designed to give your pet a clean slate so their safe chew toys can do their job effectively!
Now you know exactly what to expect. No surprises, no stress, no anesthesia. Just clean teeth and a happier, healthier pet.
Schedule your pet’s mobile dental cleaning today. We come to you anywhere in the Sarasota, Tampa, and Southwest Florida area.
