# Dentastix - bad idea??



## foxyrockmeister

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has any opinion on dentastix? I am in the process of switching our pups over on to a raw meaty bones diet so am assuming they wont actually need them to keep their teeth clean with all the bone crunching!!

I have an emormous box of them though and am wondering whether to just get rid of them or carry on giving them one a day. My main concern is that one of our pups is extremely hyperactive (uncontrollably so at times) and I think their previous diet of Bakers may have something to do with this - or at least not helping the situation! Would dentastix be full of similar amounts of rubbish? I'm likening it to giving an ADHD child sweets and E-numbers! Am I being paranoid??

If I do give up the dentastix can anyone recommend a healthy, non hyperactivity inducing treat that I can give them ad they are now in the habit of being given a dentastix when they go to bed and I dont think I could just give them nothing now ..... sad puppy eyes :crying:


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## Lyceum

Dentastix have zero benifit to teeth.

They're full of sugars and crap too, so will make the dog hyper. Bones are the best thing possible for teeth.

Carrots are good for treats. But I give a gravy bones before bed. I know they are absolutely crap. But we have treats, chocolate, cake etc so I don't see why the dogs shouldn't lol.

raw Carrots are also great for teeth if you'd rather stay away from crap.


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## Sleeping_Lion

I don't know what the ingredients are tbh, I've never looked at them as I don't need them for my dogs, but I have heard of a few dogs getting dentastix stuck in their teeth, it seems to be a problem with them chewing and getting them jammed inbetween their top teeth somehow, so something to watch out for.

If you want any help swapping over to raw, give me a shout, [email protected] - I may not always reply straight away as I'm sometimes out working on site, but will send you my barf guide and give you general info


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## braemarblue

"extremely hyperactive (uncontrollably so at times) and I think their previous diet of Bakers may have something to do with this" 

Hi, i cant comment on dentastix, but a light bulb went off in my head with your quote about bakers. recently i had ran out of our usual puppy food and bought a box of bakers from local petshop and the puppy loved it. so bought another box till his usual food arived through post. Around this time for a spell he was hyper and a nightmare compared to normal and i never actually thought about his change of diet till i read your post today! I was looking for signs like stomach upset etc rather than hyperness! 
Thanks for the advice


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## catz4m8z

Dentastixs were far too fattening for my lot. You could always take them to a local shelter and see if they want them?
I give mine a bedtime gravy bone too. Other then that they just get things like pizzle, dried tripe, sinew, trachea, etc.


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## foxyrockmeister

Thanks for your replies and for your offer of help SleepingLion, I may well be taking you up on that!

Decision made then - the dentastix are going in the bin (to join the remaining sack of Bakers that went their last week!) I seem to be good at throwing money down the drain at the moment but definitely worth it to do the best for the troublesome twosome!!

I really want to give them something yummy as a bedtime treat though, and although they will munch on a raw carrot about half of it ends up in tiny shreds all over the floor so not sure I want that every night! can anyone recommend a tasty treat that wont contain anything likely to add to ADHD's pup ADHD?!! What about gravy bones and bonio type biscuits? Or raw hide chew things (bit worried about the gaudy colours some of those come in!)


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## foxyrockmeister

catz4m8z said:


> You could always take them to a local shelter and see if they want them?
> .


That's a good idea, thanks. We have a collection of outgrown puppy collars and leads that I was going to donate to the local rescue centre, so will take the dentastix too


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## Guest

What about just a stuffed kong?

Lily's Kitchen have some special 'bedtime biscuits' which are tempting me


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## Sleeping_Lion

braemarblue said:


> "extremely hyperactive (uncontrollably so at times) and I think their previous diet of Bakers may have something to do with this"
> 
> Hi, i cant comment on dentastix, but a light bulb went off in my head with your quote about bakers. recently i had ran out of our usual puppy food and bought a box of bakers from local petshop and the puppy loved it. so bought another box till his usual food arived through post. Around this time for a spell he was hyper and a nightmare compared to normal and i never actually thought about his change of diet till i read your post today! I was looking for signs like stomach upset etc rather than hyperness!
> Thanks for the advice


Bakers is one of the worst foods you can get, along with pedigree chum, and pretty much anything you can get from the supermarkets. A lot of the pet shop stuff is full of preservatives as well, the cooked marrow bones you can buy are one of the worst culprits. Many of the chew hide toys are from places like china, one reason why I don't buy any of them.


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## foxyrockmeister

braemarblue said:


> "extremely hyperactive (uncontrollably so at times) and I think their previous diet of Bakers may have something to do with this"
> 
> Hi, i cant comment on dentastix, but a light bulb went off in my head with your quote about bakers. recently i had ran out of our usual puppy food and bought a box of bakers from local petshop and the puppy loved it. so bought another box till his usual food arived through post. Around this time for a spell he was hyper and a nightmare compared to normal and i never actually thought about his change of diet till i read your post today! I was looking for signs like stomach upset etc rather than hyperness!
> Thanks for the advice


to be honest I dont know if the bakers is the cause of my pups hyperactivity or whether she's just always goin got be like this but on reading a lot of threads on this forum I figured it probably wasn't helping! She's not been off it long enough yet to know if she's going to calm down but I'm ever hopeful! Sounds like it was definitely the culprit in your pups case though.


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## foxyrockmeister

McKenzie said:


> What about just a stuffed kong?
> 
> Lily's Kitchen have some special 'bedtime biscuits' which are tempting me


ooh, I haven't investigated Lily's kitchen yet - I'm going to have a look now. Especially seeing as hyper pups name is Lily.... it must be a sign!!!

Hopefully not another company that want to charge extortionate delivery to the isle of wight though


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## MissBexi

*I use to use Dentastix and they made my dogs fat. A vet said to me that they are absolute rubbish and do nothing for the teeth. Don't use them now. I was recommended the Hi-Life Chews, which my dogs love and they last far longer. Not only that but the Nylabones seem to work quite well chew, though they usually get the non edible ones.

About hyperactivity: my dogs are young, 1 and 2 and there breed can be slightly mental at times [Bedlington Terriers], however I've noticed that if they eat either Rawhide chews [the good boy ones] they go mental afterwards, same with the Fold Hill Chews. It's not the brand because I know other people who use them and have no problems but my two just got nuts afterwards.
They had a foldhill chew the other day and they spend an hour running around the house and outside, no matter how much I told them to calm down, nothing worked. lol. They then went to bed and crashed for about an hour. 
It could be an ingredient that caused the hyperactivity.*


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## Milliepoochie

I have never bought DentaStix BUT Millie got given a box of 56 of them from a friend when she was spayed as a 'get well soon' pressie! 

We still have loads, I have to admit I would never buy them. Mainly because I havnt heard good reviews of Pedigree food so im sure there treats will be just as full of rubbish. Plus my girlie eats dry and her teeth are tip top. I am not convinved that dentastix actually do anything to teeth anyway, I always thought of them a a junk food type treat for her.

I am a mean mummy though, we dont have dog treats in this house (Unless they r a present!) Millie loves her Marrow bones (Empty now but still chomps on them for hours!) and if im feeling naughty I put some peanut butter or cheese in them


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## mistysmom

I absolutely WILL NOT give my dog dentastix. The reason for that is because she is such a greedy-pig she eats like a crocodile, and tries to swallow the whole stick! When she realizes that's impossible she then bites it in half and tries to swallow half of it!
Well I witnessed that twice, then saw her sides heaving and had to rescue her from choking....so dentastix are definitely off the menu.
They are very gloopy and sticky too I find. I watched another dog eat one and it seemed to be getting it stuck all over his teeth...

For an evening treat, what's wrong with a small handful of the usual kibble you feed your dog? It might seem boring to us, but doggies with the midnight munchies aren't going to say no!


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## bigdogworld

foxyrockmeister said:


> I really want to give them something yummy as a bedtime treat though, and although they will munch on a raw carrot about half of it ends up in tiny shreds all over the floor so not sure I want that every night! can anyone recommend a tasty treat that wont contain anything likely to add to ADHD's pup ADHD?!! What about gravy bones and bonio type biscuits? Or raw hide chew things (bit worried about the gaudy colours some of those come in!)


How about one of these:

Fish4Dogs Sea Jerky Fish Twists 200g

or these:

Pet Munchies Chicken Strips

Much healthier


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## foxyrockmeister

bigdogworld said:


> How about one of these:
> 
> Fish4Dogs Sea Jerky Fish Twists 200g
> 
> or these:
> 
> Pet Munchies Chicken Strips
> 
> Much healthier


ooh thank you, they both look great. I'm going to order some now!


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## Malmum

Even if you don't feed raw you can always give a nice raw meaty bone a couple of times a week to keep the teeth clean.


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## foxyrockmeister

Malmum said:


> Even if you don't feed raw you can always give a nice raw meaty bone a couple of times a week to keep the teeth clean.


they have just started on raw so plenty of bone crunching and meat chewing to keep their teeth nice and clean  So definitely dont need the dentastix for that, but still want someting to give them as a bedtime treat that isn't full of rubbish!


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## paddyjulie

I did used to give them to Mave thinking they were doing her teeth good...she has not had one for a long time now....i have started using plaque off, again for her and she gets the fish4dogs fish jerky

juliex


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## My babygirl

Dentastix are a choking hazard
Dentastix are a very bad idea
My beautiful rescue dog , the love of my life came so close to loosing her life last night leaving us both traumatised.
It splintered ( like a cooked bone which you would never give your baby) and jammed in her throat.,
We held her upside down and 5 short thrusts luckily we knew the heinlick manoeuvre but it was still jammed in her throat. She was limp and then finally I dislodged it and she gasped.
I will never forget this ever that something I gave her almost took her life.
Please don't give these to any puppy or dog.


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## tabulahrasa

I give the odd debtastix...I don't really fuss about treats not being the best food as they're tiny compared to the rest of his food, he likes them and it's occasionally.

Mostly though as his extra special going to bed treat he gets dried tripe sticks, he loves them, I'm assuming because they stink, lol, most pet shops sell them and they are just tripe.


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## Tillystar

Lyceum said:


> Dentastix have zero benifit to teeth.
> 
> They're full of sugars and crap too, so will make the dog hyper. Bones are the best thing possible for teeth.
> 
> Carrots are good for treats. But I give a gravy bones before bed. I know they are absolutely crap. But we have treats, chocolate, cake etc so I don't see why the dogs shouldn't lol.
> 
> raw Carrots are also great for teeth if you'd rather stay away from crap.


Haha that made me lol bout the gravy bones. My dog is on diet n gets a dental treat at lunchtime n 1 gravy bone at bedtime. She rushes to have a last wee n pulls to get bk.in cos she knows it's gravy bone time lol. She also get one of the new denta flex once a fortnight n again goes mad 4 it.


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## hackertime

rachelholmes said:


> Haha that made me lol bout the gravy bones. My dog is on diet n gets a dental treat at lunchtime n 1 gravy bone at bedtime. She rushes to have a last wee n pulls to get bk.in cos she knows it's gravy bone time lol. She also get one of the new denta flex once a fortnight n again goes mad 4 it.


Haha i got hacker one of those dentaflex last week you would think he had won the lottery ,throwing it up in the air,guarding it,playing with it .it was so funny. 
Still only lasted ten minutes though


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## tabulahrasa

10 minutes? I consider things not bad if they last about one minute, lol


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## hackertime

Probably 8 mins playing with it ,two mins to nosh it


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## blade100

Blade had them from a pup up until around 6 years old, after that I stopped as they did F all. He had bad teeth, tartar on them. Don't waste your money.


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## Polkop

Lyceum said:


> Dentastix have zero benifit to teeth.
> 
> They're full of sugars and crap too, so will make the dog hyper. Bones are the best thing possible for teeth.
> 
> Carrots are good for treats. But I give a gravy bones before bed. I know they are absolutely crap. But we have treats, chocolate, cake etc so I don't see why the dogs shouldn't lol.
> 
> raw Carrots are also great for teeth if you'd rather stay away from crap.


I know this is a very old post but this rubbish needs to be called out.

Dentastix have NO added sugar (or "crap")

Ingredients:
Rice Flour, Wheat Starch, Glycerin, Gelatin, Gum Arabic, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Poultry Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Salt (Iodized), Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of Vitamin C], Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, D-calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1]), Potassium Sorbate (a Preservative), Smoke Flavor, Zinc Sulphate, Green Tea Extract, Turmeric, Iron Oxide, Copper Sulfate.

(All ingredients are above board and used in many human foods)

They are also proven to be good for dogs teeth under the study provided below.

https://www.pedigree.com/really-good-food/efficacy_trial.pdf

All in all before giving advice you should first find out facts and strive to understand the product fully before spreading half baked theories :nonod:.

Edit: Before someone says but glycerin is sugar no it is not it is a simple polyol (sugar alcohol) compound which is a totally different thing.


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## lorilu

foxyrockmeister said:


> Hi
> 
> Just wondering if anyone has any opinion on dentastix? I am in the process of switching our pups over on to a raw meaty bones diet so am assuming they wont actually need them to keep their teeth clean with all the bone crunching!!
> 
> I have an emormous box of them though and am wondering whether to just get rid of them or carry on giving them one a day. My main concern is that one of our pups is extremely hyperactive (uncontrollably so at times) and I think their previous diet of Bakers may have something to do with this - or at least not helping the situation! Would dentastix be full of similar amounts of rubbish? I'm likening it to giving an ADHD child sweets and E-numbers! Am I being paranoid??
> 
> If I do give up the dentastix can anyone recommend a healthy, non hyperactivity inducing treat that I can give them ad they are now in the habit of being given a dentastix when they go to bed and I dont think I could just give them nothing now ..... sad puppy eyes :crying:


Donate the "dentastix" to a shelter. Use freeze dried pure proteins for treats.



Polkop said:


> I know this is a very old post but this rubbish needs to be called out.
> 
> Dentastix have NO added sugar (or "crap")
> 
> Ingredients:
> *Rice Flour, Wheat Starch,* Glycerin, Gelatin, Gum Arabic, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Poultry Flavor, *Powdered Cellulose*, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, *Salt (Iodized)*, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of Vitamin C], Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, D-calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1]), *Potassium Sorbate (a Preservative*), Smoke Flavor, Zinc Sulphate, Green Tea Extract, Turmeric, Iron Oxide, Copper Sulfate.
> 
> (All ingredients are above board and used in many human foods)
> 
> They are also proven to be good for dogs teeth under the study provided below.
> 
> https://www.pedigree.com/really-good-food/efficacy_trial.pdf
> 
> All in all before giving advice you should first find out facts and strive to understand the product fully before spreading half baked theories :nonod:.
> 
> Edit: Before someone says but glycerin is sugar no it is not it is a simple polyol (sugar alcohol) compound which is a totally different thing.


Sure looks like a lot of "crap" to me. LOL! Since the product is made by Pedigree, the link that "proves" they are useful is highly suspect. Of course they are going to say they are effective. LOL again!


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## rona

Also, as well as the extensive list of what a dog doesn't require from a treat, on average, just one dentastix will be 10% of your dog daily calorie needs. That's 10% of decent food displaced if you watch your dogs weight


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## Fluffster

Belle loves them and I figure at 14, she can have what she likes! She has one at bedtime every day. I don't give them to Daisy, though as she has various other chews.


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## rona

Fluffster said:


> Belle loves them and *I figure at 14, she can have what she likes!* She has one at bedtime every day. I don't give them to Daisy, though as she has various other chews.


Agreed


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## Frankie457

McKenzie said:


> What about just a stuffed kong?
> 
> Lily's Kitchen have some special 'bedtime biscuits' which are tempting me


i use the lily'd bedtime biscuits and Frankie loves them, they fit in her puppy kong well and do actually calm her down - i was actually really sceptical about them working and my fussy eater not enjoying them but she gets on great with them and its really helped getting her settled in her crate before bed. i recommend giving them a go


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## StormyThai

Polkop said:


> Edit: Before someone says but glycerin is sugar no it is not it is a simple polyol (sugar alcohol) compound which is a totally different thing.


No it isn't a sugar..but DIGESTED glycerin WILL change into a sugar in the body when its digested through the system 

Nice try tho - do you work for Pedigree?


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## cinnamontoast

Polkop said:


> I know this is a very old post but this rubbish needs to be called out.
> 
> Dentastix have NO added sugar (or "crap")
> 
> Ingredients:
> Rice Flour, Wheat Starch, Glycerin, Gelatin, Gum Arabic, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Poultry Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Salt (Iodized), Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate [source of Vitamin C], Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, D-calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1]), Potassium Sorbate (a Preservative), Smoke Flavor, Zinc Sulphate, Green Tea Extract, Turmeric, Iron Oxide, Copper Sulfate.
> 
> (All ingredients are above board and used in many human foods)
> 
> They are also proven to be good for dogs teeth under the study provided below.
> 
> https://www.pedigree.com/really-good-food/efficacy_trial.pdf
> 
> All in all before giving advice you should first find out facts and strive to understand the product fully before spreading half baked theories :nonod:.
> 
> Edit: Before someone says but glycerin is sugar no it is not it is a simple polyol (sugar alcohol) compound which is a totally different thing.


Yum, full of healthy stuff, then! StormyThai already myth busted your false assertion about sugar. The primary ingredients of this 'treat' are of little to no worth nutritionally.

Rather than spending so much money on advertising, I do wish the big names would spend money on formulating decent food with nutritionally valid ingredients. People are starting to look far more carefully at what is in their pet's food these days, shame the companies haven't realised this yet.


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## Rott lover

Or raw hide chew things (bit worried about the gaudy colours some of those come in!)[/QUOTE]

I have been told by many many vets and people that the only color rawhide to stay away from is the white.The white rawhide is bleached and causes a lot of stomach upset.


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## Rott lover

I gave Oliver one of these once and really didn't pay it much mind.about 10 minutes later i heard him start retching to puke.Out came the denti stick in big chunks.


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## andreasfaults

We had exactly the same problem with dentastix I am not surprised they are still one of the best selling dog chews on the market. They are in all the right places in supermarkets. Made by Mars! They run TV ads and have great product packaging. When you can replace this un-natutral stick full of rubbish with a air dried chew that is 100% natural why? Cost is really not the issue. You can buy bulls pizzle sticks for about the same price and they are probably the most expensive natutal treat. Go with chicken feet and cost really is not an issue. We have started using a mix of dried pigs intenstine and beef scalp one is a quick treat and the other longer lasting. Just a really natural way to keep your dogs jaws exercised and teeth clean. chemical free! Started buying the beef scalp on amazon

This is an issue I think so many people dont think about. the processed treats and food sector is huge business for the likes of Mars. How many would agree a mars a day helps you work rest and play


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## andreasfaults

We had exactly the same problem with these. I am not surprised they are still one of the best selling dog chews on the market. They are in all the right places in supermarkets. Made by Mars! They run TV ads and have great product packaging. When you can replace this un-natutral stick full of rubbish with a air dried chew that is 100% natural why? Cost is really not the issue. You can buy bulls pizzle sticks for about the same and they are probably the most expensive natutal treat. Go with chicken feet and cost really is not an issue. We have started using a mix of dried pigs intenstine and beef scalp one is a quick treat and the other longer lasting. Just a really natural way to keep your dogs jaws exercised and teeth clean. chemical free! Started buying the beef scalp on amazon as they have free delivery


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