Chewing is a normal, necessary behaviour that relieves boredom, soothes teething and lowers arousal. The question is what to give, and the chew aisle contains several things that send dogs to emergency vets.
The thumbnail test
Before buying any chew, press your thumbnail into it. If you cannot make a dent, it is hard enough to fracture a tooth.
The teeth that break are the carnassials — the large shearing teeth at the back — usually as a slab fracture down the side. It is painful, it often exposes the pulp, and the treatment is extraction or root canal.
Fails the test: antlers, hooves, weight-bearing bones, very hard nylon, ice cubes for hard crunchers, and some hard plastic toys.
The specific problems
Rawhide. Contentious, and the concerns are real: it softens in the mouth and can be swallowed in large pieces, causing choking and intestinal obstruction. Processing varies enormously between sources, and some involves chemicals you would rather your dog did not ingest. Many vets advise against it.
Cooked bones. Never. They splinter into sharp fragments. This includes leftover roast bones, chop bones and cooked poultry bones.
Raw bones. Better than cooked, and still contentious. They do reduce plaque; they also account for a substantial share of fractured teeth, and weight-bearing bones from large animals are the worst offenders. Obstruction and constipation are also risks. If you use them, choose softer non-weight-bearing bones, supervise, and take them away before they become small enough to swallow.
Antlers and hooves. Extremely hard. A common cause of fractured teeth, and hooves splinter.
Pig’s ears, bully sticks and other natural chews. Very high in calories and fat — a pig’s ear can be 150 calories or more. There is also a recognised contamination issue: surveys have found *Salmonella* in a proportion of natural chew products, which is a risk to the household as well as the dog. Wash hands after handling.
Corn starch chews and “edible” chews. Generally safe but calorific, and some dogs swallow them in large pieces.
Tennis balls as a carried toy. The felt is abrasive and wears teeth flat in dogs who carry them constantly. Fine for fetch, bad as a permanent possession.
Sticks. Genuinely dangerous. Stick injuries — splinters driven into the mouth and throat, and penetrating wounds — are a recurring emergency, and a dog running with a stick that hits the ground end-on can suffer serious injury. Carry a proper toy instead.
Safer options
Stuffable rubber toys. The most versatile. Frozen with food, they combine chewing, licking and problem-solving.
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KONG Classic Dog Toy
Hollow natural rubber, stuffable and freezable. Passes the thumbnail test comfortably, and frozen it lasts several times longer than unfrozen.
KONG Extreme Dog Toy
The tougher compound, for dogs who destroy standard rubber. Starting here is cheaper than a series of replacements.
Nylon chews, with the tooth-fracture caveat — choose a size too large to fit fully in the mouth, supervise, and replace when worn.
Benebone Wishbone Chew Toy
Curved so the dog can pin it and reach with the back teeth. Very long-lasting, and it is on the harder end — read up on the fracture question before choosing it for a heavy cruncher.
VOHC-accepted dental chews, which have published evidence for reducing plaque or tartar. Count the calories.
Greenies Teenie Dental Dog Treats
A texture designed for the tooth to sink in rather than shatter it. Match the size band to your dog’s weight, and subtract it from the daily allowance — a mid-size dental chew is 70 to 100 calories.
Lick mats and frozen food, which satisfy without any chewing risk at all.
LickiMat Wobble Slow Feeder Lick Mat
For dogs who need occupying but cannot safely have hard chews — dogs with dental disease, seniors, or heavy chewers who destroy everything.
Carrots and other vegetables, frozen, for a low-calorie chew.
The calorie problem
Treats and chews together should stay under ten percent of daily calories, and should be subtracted from meals.
For a 10kg dog eating 500 calories a day, that is 50 calories — which is one dental chew, or a third of a pig’s ear, and nothing else.
This is where most weight gain comes from, because a chew does not feel like feeding.
Safety rules for any chew
- Size up. Anything that fits entirely in the mouth can be swallowed
- Supervise, particularly with a new item
- Take it away when it becomes small enough to swallow
- Inspect before each use and bin anything cracked or splintering
- Give chews separately in a multi-dog house — this is the commonest cause of fights between dogs who otherwise get on
- Wash hands after handling natural chews
- Do not give chews to a dog who bolts things whole without close supervision
Signs of a problem
Call the vet for:
- Repeated vomiting or unproductive retching
- A tender or swollen abdomen
- Lethargy and no stool
- Pawing at the mouth, drooling, or reluctance to eat
- Blood in vomit or stool
- A dog who will not settle after a chewing session
Fractured teeth frequently go unnoticed because dogs keep eating. Look for a tooth with a chip or a dark spot, reluctance to chew on one side, or chewing only with the front teeth.
The practical summary
Give: stuffable rubber toys, VOHC dental chews, lick mats, frozen vegetables, and nylon chews with supervision.
Skip: antlers, hooves, cooked bones, sticks, and rawhide.
Treat with caution: raw bones, pig’s ears and bully sticks — high calorie, contamination risk, and worth reserving rather than giving daily.
And apply the thumbnail test in the shop, before anything goes in the basket.
