Dentastix

[benji]

We've recently started giving Benji a Dentastix, one a day to help reduce plaque on his teeth...

But he seems to have runny tummy...just wondered if anyone else had experienced this ie is it common with these 'treats'?

All feedback appreciated so we can either stop giving him these or rule it out and it might be something else upsetting him...

Thanks!

[Helen]

got a dodgy tummed boy here so steer away from anything like that.  from what i've heard dentastix are full of preservatives and sugar and salt so not particularly good anyway...and we've had many incidences of multi coloured puke when he's stayed with friends who have given him bakers treats  despite being told he shouldn't have them....and lets not talk about what jumbones do to him

we tend to go for pigs ear strips or (supervised) rawhide chews and other more natural products rather than the manufactured treats - he is ok on the occassional gravy bone but anything else tends to *react*.  He does eat a lot of raw (you will have seen the BARF threads) and raw bones like pork ribs and lamb bones do keep the teeth nice and clean.

i thought i'd have a dog with a cast-iron stomach (well he can consume sheep, duck or horse poo with no adverse reactions) but some things are a real no-no with him!

[Sheryl]

from what i've heard dentastix are full of preservatives and sugar and salt   

Is that right???  I have been giving my two dentastix thinking I was helping them   Although they are not on the barf diet, I do try to keep preservatives out of their diet.  As best I can anyway.  They get Burns food and I make up a natural breakfast for them in the morning.  I am gutted that I have been pumping them full of this rubbish

[Nicola]

Dentastix...

Ingredients
Rice flour, wheat starch, glycerin, calcium carbonate, gelatin, gum arabic, cellulose powder, natural poultry flavor, sodium tripolyphosphate, salt, potassium chloride, potassium sorbate (a preservative), vitamins [choline chloride, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin A supplement, niacin, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), folic acid], smoke flavor, turmeric, iron oxide, copper sulfate.

I don't give my dogs anything made by Pedigree tbh. They get gravy bones made by a local organic dog bakery and bought at a local pet shop.

[scooby's mum]

I give Scooby a Dentastix every morning, and Misty gets half of one too 

Although, like the others have said, they aren't the best thing to give, a little bit of rubbish doesn't harm in my eyes and they absolutely adore them  (doesn't upset their tums though, wouldn't given them any if they did).

Have tried giving Scooby raw bones but he doesn't chew them, just guards them for hours in his bed and then carries them off in the garden and buries them    Even tried him with chicken wings and he wanted to bury those too 

[lolajays]

Whoops Maudie has these when I leave her in her crate! Just bought 3 pks as they were buy 2 get one free! Oh well Ill let her have these then stop using them!

[benji]

Hmmm so rawhide would be a better option then assuming this will still help with teeth.
There's no way he'd let us brush his teeth (far too wriggly at the moment) but wanted to start something early on.
Although I guess as he's still got his puppy teeth (16 weeks old) it's not all important at the moment?!!!

Re Pedigree Chum products, we've just recently changed him over to PC Puppy Food (wet) with dry mixer food (which he was having before).
Now I feel terrible as it seems from other comments I've also read that this could be upsetting him if it's as terrible as everyone makes out.

We just can't decide which (more natural) diet to put him on so were doing this until we could speak to the vet...
This is all so confusing!!!   We're spending a small fortune finding the right products for him  !

[Cob-Web]

We just can't decide which (more natural) diet to put him on so were doing this until we could speak to the vet...

Vets are not necessarily the best people to talk to about diet - very few will agree with raw feeding, and many Veterinary Practices are paid to endorse/promote a particular brand of food 

There are lots of threads on COL about different "premium" foods available - but I would certainly recommend one of these, rather than the cheaper "supermarket brands" if you can afford it 

[benji]

Yes we'd rather spend a little more to ensure he's fit and healthy.

Will have a good read up tonight and make an informed decision then.  Poor little boy!

[lolajays]

Do you have a local pet food warehouse. We are very fortunate to have a pet food delivery guy who recommends various foods but can get anything you like. He will often give samples and so does our pet food warehouse. I use Husse which isnt well known but very natural. I also use salmon oil on the Husse which makes it extremely appealing. I know my pet food guy would not recommend and general supermarket shelf food including IAMS sometimes due to the content and sometimes due to the testing. Shop around I know that Burns is very good too just Maudie wouldnt eat it. Naturediet is a good wet food if you want to go down that route and widely available too! Hope this is of some use!

[LurcherGirl]

Our dogs also get raw marrow bones or ham bones. Our vegan dog gets vegetarian dentastix type chews which are all natural without any artificial additives (a bit more expensive than normal treats though).

Vera

[Helen]

don't feel terrible at all - some dogs have no reactions to products like these and it is purely personal choice what you feed your dog.

i liken it to letting your kids have a macdonalds...sometimes   except mine has a bit of an allergy to stuff like that

and it does take a while for dogs to get used to raw bones, they all react differently to them. 

as vera has mentioned there are other chew types available which may be better for your dog's tum - are they the hedgehog shaped  vegetarian ones you get vera?  they are a bit more expensive

otherwise, how about a carrot or brocolli stalk (mine loves making a hideous mess with a carrot!!!)

[Max X 2]

We're usual careful on what/how many treats Max has as certain things do affect his tummy, having said that, we've usually got a box of dentastix in, which Max loves but I usually buy Antos toothbrush shaped chews which apparently help in the cleaning of their teeth.  Fortunately our local pet shop stocks them.  He has one daily.  Although he eats all colours he has his preferences 

Here's the link

http://www.antosuk.com/_view.php?i=3&t=%20Toothbrushes

[LurcherGirl]

as vera has mentioned there are other chew types available which may be better for your dog's tum - are they the hedgehog shaped  vegetarian ones you get vera?  they are a bit more expensive

The hedgehog ones, but also others that look like dentastix as well as bone shaped and even pig ear shaped ones  : http://www.veggiepets.com/acatalog/cerea_vegetarian_dog_chews.html

 

[CarolineL]

They get gravy bones made by a local organic dog bakery and bought at a local pet shop.

  you have an organic dog bakery!?!?!!! That's amazing - I dont even know where our local hooooman bakery is   

I tend to steer clear of the processed chew sticks if only because they make Hurley hyper. Instead he gets rawhide chews and tripe sticks (which absolutely stink but Hurley loves 'em!!)