Purina Dentalife Dog Chews Review

I started using Purina Dentalife Dog Chews last year after my Amazon Fresh account recommended them during a routine shopping visit. As an evidence-based pro-veterinarian pet journalist, I don’t purchase or recommend dog products unless they have some legitimate science to back up their marketing claims.

See, I’m tired of being sold to. I know you are, too. I understand the conflict here, as I’m using this blog post to promote a product that I wholeheartedly believe in. Hear me out on this one.

Purina Dentalife caught my attention because of the price. I have big (ok, GIANT) dogs that can put away a dental chew like nobody’s business. Affordability matters and Dentalife is very reasonably priced.

I also understand how important clean teeth caring for our pet’s oral health is to our pets (seriously, check out this article from Cornell University about dog dental care).

So let’s chew this up. Are Purina Dentalife chews safe, effective, and affordable for our pets? I say yes, but let’s read more below!

Are Purina Dentalife Chews VOHC Approved?

YES! I will not purchase any oral care product for my dogs unless the VOHC approves it.

The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) is an organization that evaluates the dental health benefits of pet products, particularly dental treats, chews, and oral hygiene products like toothpaste and mouth rinses.

It was founded to help pet owners identify products that are effective in reducing the accumulation of dental plaque and tartar in dogs and cats. Products that meet the VOHC’s standards for efficacy in reducing plaque and tartar buildup receive the VOHC Seal of Acceptance.

This seal serves as an indication to pet owners that the product has undergone rigorous testing and has been shown to contribute to good oral health in pets when used as directed.

Do Dogs Like Purina Dentalife Chews?

My dogs love them and will jump through hoops to get their daily dental chew from me.

To be fair, my dogs will also eat bunny poop. So I find their tastes to be questionable!

Knowing this, I turned to Amazon to check out some reviews on Dentalife, to see if other pet owners had the same experience.

Here are a few quotes from Amazon & Chewy Reviews:

“My dog loves these things. If she doesn’t chew on these daily her breath is unbearable!
Nice size package for the money.”

“They seem to help with his tartar buildup and they both seem to love them they run right over to the cupboard where I have them.”

“Our dogs run straight to the counter for their DentalLife sticks as soon as they’re done eating breakfast.”

Do Purina Dentalife Dog Chews Work?

The VOHC seal of approval is a green flag for these chews, as that seal can only be obtained by companies that prove their product with rigorous trials.

In my own experience, yes, they do work. I was pleasantly surprised that even my gunky mouth dog (we all have THAT dog, am I right?) had clean teeth after just a few days of chewing on these.

The chewy texture scrapes their teeth as they bite into it. This helps to remove slime, buildup, and gunk around the gumline including damaging and unsightly tartar.

Like most pet owners, I’m not perfect. The truth is, I don’t always get around to brushing my dog’s teeth every single day (like we are supposed to).

I can say from personal experience that these chews not only help my dogs have fresh breath, but they work pretty well to remove gunk from their teeth and keep their mouths clean.

Of course, if your dog has serious dental problems, lots of build-up, and bad teeth, I recommend starting with a sedated cleaning with your veterinarian. No dental chew on the market is going to help that situation! However, these are phenomenal for maintaining good oral health once established.

Are Purina Dentalife Safe to Feed Dogs?

Purina Dentalife dog chews are made in the U.S.A. with carefully sourced ingredients. The proprietary shape and texture are effective at removing tartar from a dog’s teeth, and the chews are digestible (so unlike rawhide and bully sticks, you don’t have to worry about obstructions).

There is some chatter on social media about Purina products being full of heavy metals, toxins, and roadkill. This commentary is driven by a fringe group of “holistic” veterinarian influencers and pet owners who are anti-science, anti-vaccine, anti-veterinarian, and pro-conspiracy. You can read more about this nonsense HERE.

My dogs, and millions of others, enjoy Purina products (including Dentalife) daily and are positively thriving. They have clean teeth, too. Yay!

Pros & Cons of Purina Dentalife Dog Chews

There are many pros and only a few cons of Purina Dentallife dog chews.

Here they are in summary:

Pros

• VOHC Approved
• Proven in rigorous tests and trials
• Made of wholesome ingredients
• Reduces tarter build up on teeth
• Won’t break or harm teeth and gums
• Readily accessible (Amazon Fresh, Amazon, Chewy, and the Grocery Store carry these)
• Affordable (these are much less expensive than Greenies and other dental chews on the market)
• Dogs love them

Cons

• Dentalife Chews contain chicken, which is a problem for sensitive dogs
• Like all dental chews, they can be fattening if fed in excess