How to choose safe chew toys for dogs
Choosing safe chew toys for dogs is critical for their health and happiness. However, with so many
What chew toys are safe for dogs?
Chewing is a rewarding activity for many dogs. Gnawing on a chew toy satisfies the dog’s natural chewing instincts, benefits the teeth and gums, and keeps jaw muscles strong. However, the wrong dog chew can cause fractured teeth, pose a choking or obstruction hazard, flare up food allergies, and supply unwelcome calories to a dog’s diet.
As I general rule of thumb, when selecting dog chews and dog chew toys, your best bet is to take the “above all do no harm” approach. Your dog is counting on you to select chews that both are safe and that satisfy his or her chewing needs. But what dog chew toys or dog chew treats accomplish both? Here is my short list:
- Veterinary Oral Health Council approved dog treats and dog chew toys to help control plaque and tartar
- Planet Dog rubber dog toys
- GoughNuts chew toys
- Kong® toys
- Zogoflex® dog toys by West Paw.
Dog chews that do double duty
It’s worth noting that many VOHC-approved dog chews are a win-win. While they don’t stand up very long to tough chewing, Greenies can be both a fun chew treat for dogs and are proven to help reduce plaque and tartar. Also, they have been awarded the VOHC Seal of Approval. However, for a pet on a weight loss program, please be aware that they do contribute calories.
Also, while these options satisfy a dog’s need to chew and are helpful for plaque and tartar control, they are not able to treat dental disease. Rather, they are part of a comprehensive oral healthcare program that should include daily teeth brushing and regular professional examinations and treatment.
Finally, with these dog chews or any dog toy, make sure that you select the correct size product for the body weight and size of your dog. And always observe your dog while she or he is playing with a dog chew or toy.
What are the risks of giving a dog a hard chew toy?
Over my 20+ years as an integrative veterinarian and as a mom of eight children and two dogs (and still grieving the loss of our beloved third dog, Luke, who passed from cancer), I have learned (sometimes the hard way) that there’s no reason to take chances. Even if trade magazines, product popularity, and social media suggest otherwise, hard chew toys pose risks to your dog that need to be taken seriously. The risks include:
- Fractured teeth
- Foreign body obstruction in the stomach/intestines that requires surgery
- Choking hazards: a chew toy may become lodged in your dog’s mouth or thoat
- Damage to the hard palate—the roof of your dog’s mouth.
What dog chews are unsafe for dogs?
To avoid fractured teeth and trips to the emergency room, your best strategy is to steer clear of dog chews and chew toys that present a potential hazard to your dog. Here is my list of dog chew toys and chews to avoid:
- Antlers
- Bully sticks
- Hooves
- Ice
- Natural
bones - Nylon bones
- Pig
ears - Tennis balls.
The bad news about bones and antlers
Are you surprised to see bones and antlers on my
Beware of bones
I’ve seen scores of dogs with broken teeth from chewing on bones. (Yes, raw bones, cooked bones, processed bones, and everything in between.) Bones are notorious for cracking the crowns off of the big upper 4th premolar (or carnassial) teeth in dogs. As the picture below shows, if you lift your dog’s upper lip, you can easily identify this tooth on each side. It looks like a miniature upside-down mountain range and it’s the biggest tooth in the mouth.
If a dog fractures a tooth, the only way to address it is with a major dental procedure under anesthesia—generally extraction. Left alone, a fractured crown is an abscess waiting to happen and is very painful for the dog.
Finally, bones aren’t just a pain in the mouth. They can also cause esophageal or intestinal obstruction, perforation, and constipation.
Avoid antlers
As with bones, beware of antler chews. I have a personal vendetta against antlers. They seem to be very popular lately as “natural” chew toys, and I bought into the propaganda. My own young dog, with immaculate healthy teeth, cracked the tips off of five of his premolars in a matter of hours gnawing on an antler. They are absolutely too hard, and this is not just my jaded opinion. You won’t find a board-certified veterinary dentist in the country who would give you a “thumbs up” on antler chews for dogs.
How to determine if a dog chew toy is too hard for your dog:
Not sure whether a toy is too hard for your dog to chew? Here are two simple tests you can do on any dog chew toy.
1. The kneecap tap test
Would it hurt you if someone hit you on the kneecap with the dog toy? If so, it’s too hard for your dog to chew and, therefore, not a safe chew toy for dogs.
2. The thumbnail press test
Using your thumbnail, can you make an impression on the surface of the dog toy? If not, it’s too hard for your dog to chew on.
Use this infographic as your quick-reference guide to dog chews
Now that we’ve covered all my tips and tricks, I’d like to share this “What Can My Dog Safely Chew?” infographic with you. I hope it will help you “chews” wisely for the health, happiness, and safety of your dog.
What questions do you have about choosing safe chew toys for dogs?
Please comment below. We can all learn from each other.
My dog loves the bully sticks we get from the pet supply store. They pass the thumbnail test and while I wouldn’t want to be whacked with one, I hit my knee with it and it didn’t hurt. I would understand a recall or potential contamination with these, but I don’t think the hardness is an issue (at least for the brand I’ve been using, perhaps others are harder!) Are these the same types of bully sticks you’re referencing? Should I be avoiding these softer sticks?
Hi Liz,
Good question about the bully sticks! It is possible that there are some softer ones out there than the ones that I have seen and referenced in this article. Since I can’t see and feel these bully sticks, I would recommend bringing one to your dog’s next vet appointment and seeing what your vet thinks about its suitability as a chew toy.
What is your input on rawhide? Do they have calories? And what quantity of chew bones is okay? My dog is a female pit bull and weighs 70-74 lbs. Thanks a whole bunch.
Hi June,
These are some good questions! Most rawhides probably wouldn’t pass the “kneecap test” or the “fingernail” test, so they could technically fracture a dog’s tooth. The other issues I have occasionally seen with them is obstructions of the esophagus, stomach, or intestines if a large piece is swallowed whole. Flavored rawhides may also upset a dog’s stomach or cause pancreatitis, a sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas.
Rawhides are made of animal (usually cow) skin, so they do have calories. Rawhide may contain around 100-600 calories, depending on the size of the rawhide. In general, dogs should consume no more than 10% of their daily allotted calories as treats/chews. An ideal weight 70 lb spayed dog with an average energy level would need approximately 1312 calories in a day, so that would mean no more than 131 calories in treats per day. This can add up pretty quickly when looking at rawhides.
If you are asking about the number of non-edible chew toys, some dogs like to have options and other dogs prefer one specific kind of chew toy. Rotating the toys or changing what sort of food you stuff in the Kong can be a fun way to add some variety into your dog’s life.
We have been giving our dog canine naturals hide free chicken recipe hide free rolls. Are those ok?
Hi Becky,
I looked up that product but am not familiar enough with it to be able to give you a definitive answer. I would recommend using the “kneecap tap test” to determine if it is too hard for your dog and perhaps bringing one to your next veterinary appointment so your veterinarian can give you their opinion on its safety and suitability for your dog.
Thanks for the great info. I’m wondering if you have any experience with Gorilla Chews- made of Javawood. Apparently it like compressed sawdust and all natural (and sustainable)..
Hello Cris. I have no personal experience with that product but it’s a “no” from me. I read a discussion with several colleagues who expressed concern about wood splinter/chip foreign body ingestion and that it was too hard for chewing. I hope this helps!
Thanks for the info and your great toe grips made all the difference for our recently passed 16 yr old schnauzer! Wondering what the downside of pig ears for chewing – teething option?
Good question, Dan!
1. They are not uncommonly contaminated with bacteria and recalled.
2. They can cause GI upset for dogs.
3. They can be higher in fat and be a trigger for pancreatitis.
Essentially, there are better options.
Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. This one is a bit off topic, but do you recommend pee pads for puppies? I’ve seen famous dog trainers like Ceaser Milan and Zak George recommend them, but what do you think? I’ve heard that dogs will think that carpeting is like a pee pad because it’s soft like the carpet is. I’ve also read that the dog will always think it’s OK to go inside because of the pad but doesn’t that fit in to the category of potty training anyways? The green turf items are put inside and eventually outside, so why not the pee pads too? I’m torn on what to do and we’re getting a Beagle puppy within a few weeks. Thank you in advance for your advice.
Hello Greg, I have to confess that the question is completely out of the scope of my expertise. I recommend crate training puppies and taking them outside for potty training. Congratulations on your new addition! ♥️
Hi Julie, What is your professional opinion on water additives that claim to help prevent tartar and plaque buildup? Have you had any patients use these with good results? Bad results?
Hello Rick, Water additives are way down on my list of recommended home care options to keep your dog’s mouth healthy. Brushing is by far and away the best option. But to answer your question directly, there is one approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council, which is a very reputable organization that I trust. On their list of accepted products
http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf is a water additive called Healthy Mouth. I have no personal experience, though.
How about goat horns; safe or no?
Hi Kathleen, I’m sorry to say I have no experience at all with dogs chewing on goat horns. I’m guessing they aren’t as hard as antlers, but I’d still have similar concerns. 😉
I’m struggling with finding something that my 7yo standard poodle will chew on. She likes the nylabone healthy edibles and usually has the very large ones gone within a day or two, she also likes pig ears and bully sticks…all of these given in place of rawhide. I’ve tried the ‘rubber’ flavored bones, but if it’s non-edible she won’t touch it!
Suggestions? Any ideas would be great, I hate spending money on the non-edibles only for them to lay around the house untouched.
Hi Jessica, This is such a tough question because so many of the common “chew toys” for dogs I would consider a hazard (for one reason or another). Please check out the infographic in the blog for approved ideas. Beyond that, I would advise that you take stock in Nylabone and keep supplying her with the Nylabone edibles. 😉
My two Vizsla’s love uncooked beef marrow bones. On cold or rainy days they spend over an hour and a half getting the marrow out, but really don’t chew the bone that much. My boy never had problems but my female chipped a tooth. They ate them for years, until the price went up.
I have given my dogs bully sticks for over 16 years with no problems. They were recommended as a safe chew by an excellent veterinarian. They are very digestible. He said when they chew a bully stick down to the point where it’s only a couple inches long, take it away and give them a new one. I’ve had no problems with seven different dogs over a span of 16 years. And it has kept some of them, who were so inclined, from chewing on truly dangerous things, like door jambs, furniture, etc. I’ll just stick with the bully sticks.
Hi Cydney, Thanks for your comment. I am so happy to hear that your dogs have done so well, and I agree that the complications of chewing on things from the “no no” list are not common. They are uncommon…but can be very serious when they occur. So I’ve elected to err on the side of caution and go with the recommendations of my colleagues from the American College of Veterinary Dentistry. Here’s an interesting article from one of them which mentions bully sticks: https://www.mypetsdentist.com/cage-chewer-syndrome.pml
My GSD is 13 weeks and he is a power chewer. I’ve done all the puppy stage toys of nylabone and he busted through those in one day. So I bought a puppy variety bone pack for light to power chewers. He went through the light chew bones(bully/rabbit roll) in 10 seconds, the medium chewer bone(lamb ear) in 30 seconds and the power chewer bone (split elk antler) is still going strong for a week. We play with a Kong tennis ball but he doesn’t get to chew on it. And he has a tug of what rope. A squeeze monkey and a freezer chew. He’s going through them too fast. What kind of puppy you is good for a power chewer like him?
Hi Ashley, in a case like this, I don’t think the answer lies in a better chew toy. I think the secret may lie in a more tired puppy. 🙂 Beyond my “approved” list in the blog, most notably the Kong® toys, I don’t have any advice. But I would recommend giving this puppy a LOT of opportunity for exercise and play each day, and I suspect you’ll see this chewing issue actually improve.
I completely feel your pain, when my dog was a puppy we’d get him 3 solid hours of excersize a day, plus training and mental stimulation. With all of that, he still chewed a hole a foot in diameter through a wall. Is it possible that your dog is experiencing some anxiety? Once we got to the root of our dog’s issues, the chewing stopped and his energy levels became more reasonable. It’s worth talking to a trainer!
My dog only chews on her soft cloth toys and usually does this at night when I’m sleeping so I’m not able to catch her to scold her. She destroys all her toys. I would like her to sleep with me but she she chews the blankets then and eats whatever she chews! I have not heard of any other dog doing this. Why? Is there anything I can do other than kenneling her or taking away all toys?
Hello Patricia,
As I’m sure you know, the fact that your dog not only destroys toys/blankets, but also EATS them is a huge problem. I would consider her a walking time bomb for a GI obstruction, which is typically a serious surgical condition. My first thought is to make sure you are really tiring your dog out each day. We joke in veterinary medicine that a tired dog is a good dog. Is she a herding breed or other high drive/high energy breed? My top recommendation is to make sure she is getting plenty of exercise daily, with long leash walks being top of the list. Second, please talk to your veterinarian. As I said, I’m genuinely worried about the possibility of GI obstruction and would love for you and your vet to collaborate to see what more can be done to keep her safe. Thank you!
For a future reader with a similar issue my resolution: I adopted a mis-characterized “trained” pup that in reality was fresh off the mean streets of San Antonio, so sleeping inside was a rough transition for her and my wool rugs. A crate was not an option bc her “mid-sized” 55lb puppy body threw the crate over and up and against walls spraining her leg.
Every night at the same time before bedtime I took her and my other dog for a short run from my powered wheelchair. Once back home they went outside to “hurry hurry” (aka go potty); then straight into the kitchen where they watch me prepare/line their Kongs with homemade peanut butter. Once in the bedroom, they each get on their beds and get a special bedtime high value treat for getting on Bed. Then I give each a Kong. Then lights go down.
It was the exact same routine every night until her anxiety was eliminated. At first I had to give multiple treats through the night to get her back on her bed. But over time, her bed became her place of comfort. And now she falls asleep as soon as she finishes her Kong, which is lined only with a single swipe of peanut butter.
My mini Aussie is a tough chewer. Almost all of the things she chews are on the “no list”. The items on the “yes” list were tried when she was younger but she “chewed through them” in minutes so I moved to tougher chews ( no list). The only thing on your yes list that has worked is a black Kong. Ate there other chews I can try?
Hi Susan, Trust me, I feel your pain. And I’ve had clients say, “I understand that I’m taking a risk on teeth fractures, but I’m going to do it anyway because my dog is such an insane chewer.” I don’t have anything more to suggest beyond the toys/chews on the infographic. But in general, keeping your dog “tired” ie. lots of daily activity and exercise should decrease your dog’s need to expend so much energy on chewing and hopefully take it down a notch.
Am I wrong on saying that a dog “chew toy” should be given as a treat and not left alone with also that should be given to him/her for 5 – 10 mins at a time then taken off them? Thats my way anyway! Seen it on TV also when watching the police programs and a police dog has found Drugs, cash or anything else he/she is trained to find and they give them a toy to play with for a short time as their reward or they would bite into it in no time given the chance!
Hello Robert,
Good question and I see your point! I don’t necessarily agree that a chew toy should only be given as a treat and then taken away after a few moments, but where we do completely agree is that all chew toys should be used with supervision. Although they are rare, fatal freak accidents can and do occur with chew toys/treats. Thanks for sharing your experience/perspective!
I just adopted a 3 1/2 month old schnauzer/mix for our local animal shelter, Its been awhile since I have had a puppy and would like to know what chew I can give him while he is kenneled when I am at work. I was going to go for antlers or bully sticks, but after reading you article, I am not,,
What can you recommend for a young puppy. I see my vet next week, and hate to see him without chewing sticks. He does have the appropriate toys, but want to give him something with flavor. Can you help?
Hello Anne. Congratulations on your new adoption! I’m glad that you will discuss this topic with your vet, but in the meantime, I have a list of my “approved” chews/chew toys in the infographic at the bottom of the article. KONG toys are usually a safe bet.