Greenies vs. Pedigree Dentastix: Which Dental Chew Is Better For Your Dog?
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The Spruce Pets / Zackary Angeline
Rewarding your dog with a treat they’ll enjoy that also cleans their teeth, like Greenies or Pedigree Dentastix, is a winning combination, and each of these oral-hygiene snacks is available in a variety of sizes and flavors to help clean your canine’s chompers.
And when it comes to caring for your dog’s teeth, both Greenies and Pedigree Denstatix are approved for at-home oral care by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC), which sets standards and reviews data to highlight pet products that are proven to reduce plaque and tartar by up to 20 percent. Plus, a dental chew is typically easier to get into your dog’s mouth than cleaning with dog toothpaste and a dog toothbrush. And when given in tandem with regular brushing at home, you may find your dog needs less professional teeth cleanings–which are costly and require a dog to be sedated.
We compared these two pupular oral hygiene-focused treats to select the one that we feel is a better selection for most. In a side-by-side analysis, we showcase the similarities and advantages of each, but we found one to be more beneficial than the other.
Our Winner: Greenies
Greenies, which are shaped like a toothbrush, are made in four different sizes to meet the needs and the mouths of most dogs from five to a hundred pounds. They also have special formulas for puppies, seniors, and weight management. While both are effective at cleaning your dog's teeth, the wide range of Greenies formulations, flavor, and sizes gives it an edge over the Pedigree Dentastix.
Versus Highlights
Greenies | Pedigree Dentastix |
Approved for at-home oral care by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) to help remove plaque and tartar build-up | Approved for at-home oral care by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) to help remove plaque and tartar build-up |
The toothbrush shape and chewy texture are designed to clean teeth | The X-shape of the sticks and chewy texture are designed to clean teeth |
Available in four different sizes, teenie, petite, regular, and large | Available in three sizes: mini, small/medium, and large |
Four flavors: original (poultry), blueberry, sweet potato, and fresh | Three flavors: original with chicken, beef, and mint |
Two recipes: regular and grain-free | First five ingredients: Rice flour, wheat starch, glycerin, gelatin, gum arabic, calcium carbonate |
Special formulations for puppies, seniors, and weight management | |
First five ingredients: Wheat flour, glycerin, wheat gluten, gelatin, water, powdered cellulose |
|
Greenies Original Regular Natural Dental Dog Treats
Who It’s For: From puppies to seniors, there is a Greenie to help clean your dog’s teeth throughout their lifetime. The dental treats are available year-round in four different flavors, Original (which has a poultry taste), Blueberry, Sweet Potato, and Fresh. They also release seasonal flavors around the winter holidays, like Pumpkin Spice.
Price at time of publish: $43 (regular, 36 treats)
Flavors: Original, blueberry, sweet potato, and fresh | Daily Serving Size: One chew per day | Treat Shape: Stick | Main Ingredients: Wheat flour, glycerin, wheat gluten, gelatin | Calories: 91 calories per regular original treat | Nutrition: 30% min protein, 5.5% min fat, 8% max crude fiber, 6% max moisture
Pedigree Dentastix Dog Dental Treats
Who It’s For: For dog parents in search of an affordable dental chew that is proven to reduce plaque and tartar. Dentastix signature X-shaped sticks are available in three sizes–mini, small/medium, and large– and are typically less expensive per treat than Greenies.
Price at time of publish: $19 (small/medium, 45 treats)
Flavors: Original with chicken, mint, beef | Daily Serving Size: One chew per day | Treat Shape: X stick | Main Ingredients: Rice flour, wheat starch, glycerin, gelatin | Calories: 53 calories per small/medium original treat | Nutrition: 8.0% min protein, 1.0% min fat, 4.5% max crude fiber, 18% max moisture
Effectiveness
Winner: Tie
Both these popular dental treats consist of a texture that works in conjunction with chewing to reduce the amount of buildup on teeth and along the gumline. Giving your dog either dental chewable as a treat will clean their teeth and freshen their breath. They are both backed by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC), which requires research demonstrating "dental efficacy" and a proven record of reducing plaque and tartar.
Value
Winner: Pedigree Dentastix
A bag of twenty-four Pedigree Dentastix Original in the Mini size (for dogs weighing five to twenty pounds) is five dollars, which comes to roughly twenty cents per treat. A similar-sized bag containing twenty-two Greenies Original in the Teenie size (for dogs weighing five to fifteen pounds) costs eleven dollars, which comes to fifty cents per treat.
Flavor
Winner: Tie
A dental chew your dog won’t chew on doesn’t offer any benefits. Fortunately, both Greenies and Pedigree Dentastix take advantage of poultry's vast appeal among canines for their Original formulations. If your dog is sensitive to chicken or simply prefers a different flavor while cleaning their teeth. Greenies come in Blueberry, Sweet Potato, and Fresh flavors, and Pedigree Dentasix are available in Fresh and Beef. Both also offer seasonal and/or special flavors, like Greenies Gingerbread and Pedigree Dentastix Dual Chicken and Bacon.
Variety
Winner: Greenies
Greenies offers more options than the competition, with four different sizes to better suit a wider range of dogs. Greenies are available in more flavors too, and have an entire line of grain-free alternatives if your dog has food allergies or sensitivities. If you find a Pedigree Dentastix flavor that your dog loves, than there's no special reason to prefer Greenies, but Greenies offers more opportunities to find the treat that best suits your dog. Formulations for puppies, seniors, and weight management are especially likely to be useful to pet owners providing for an animal on a carefully managed diet.
Why Trust The Spruce Pets?
This story was written by Anna Mejorada, a writer for The Spruce Pets, who shares her home with a happy Pomeranian named Gidget. Before researching and writing about pet products for a living, Mejorada embarked on a self-mandated, ongoing quest to find the optimal items for her dog. She is now delightfully devoted to helping humans discover and select the most favorable products for their pets.
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