Dentley’s Dog Chews Reviews in 2024 – Are They Healthy?
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Dog chews are an alternative to bones, but are they really the best? We’ve heard of raw hide being detrimental to a dog’s health as well as artificial flavors and dyes, but do Dentley’s dog chews have these ingredients, and are they rawhide-free? There’s a lot that goes into choosing the best snack for your boy dog or girl dog, especially since they can be extremely picky. What if your dog likes something that’s not good for it?
We know the downsides of feeding bones because they can splinter and get lodged in your dog’s throat, and cause an obstruction within the intestines, but what about these chews that are excellent for keeping your dog busy and softening as your dog works away at it?
Can Dentley chews be your dog’s go-to snack for positive reinforcement, training, and reward while affording health benefits? Let’s find out.
About Dentley’s
Dentley’s is a brand that offers various dog chews and is a brand without much history (as far as we can tell). They don’t seem to have a website and are sold almost exclusively at Petsmart. Dentley’s works to craft what your dog loves – yummy chews! They have reimagined some of your dog’s favorites and can even entice extremely picky eaters into loving Dentley chews.
Yes, there are rawhide options but also ones that are raw-hide free. There is new packaging and the raw hide chips, for example, look even more appealing and like real meat than before. Dentley’s is dedicated to providing whatever you need for your dog. You can find chews of different strengths for a big dog or smaller dog, delectable flavors, and of course, awesome shapes!
What really makes the brand stand out from other competitors on the market is not only that dogs love their products, but they have both raw hide and raw hide-free options for dog parents that aren’t keen on cutting raw hide completely out of the equation. They have so many options, which is something else we like because you will definitely find something your dog loves.
Dentley’s History
Not much can be found on Dentley and its history, and from what we gathered, it’s almost exclusively sold at Petsmart. This leads some consumers to ask the question of whether it is a Petsmart brand. We can find very little to no information about Dentley chews and the brand itself except for what is offered on Petsmart.
Where are Dentley’s Chews Made?
Dentley’s has written in an email to a past consumer that its products are sourced from multiple countries, including the US, Brazil, China, parts of South America, India, Mexico and Thailand. All of the suppliers in these countries have to pass rigorous tests to ensure the raw materials and finished products are safe for dogs. It’s alluded that the raw hide-free and rawhide chews are made in China, although some packages state that its made in the US.
Dentley’s Chews Cost
Depending on what you’re purchasing (rawhide or rawhide-free chews) and the size of the packaging, the cost of Dentley’s dog chews can vary. Owners of a smaller dog won’t have to spend as much as those with a big dog. The price of the products can be anywhere between $5 and up to around $40.
There are promotions and discounts from time to time that can put an additional percent off on the products.
Dentley’s Chews Ingredient Quality
As said, Dentley’s chews can contain rawhide or be rawhide-free. We will use the Rawhide-Free Retriever Sticks Dog Chew in the chicken flavor as the representative for rawhide-free products from the brand.
In this snack we can see the ingredients are:
Chicken, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Beef Gelatin, Vegetable Glycerin, Sorbitol, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (A Preservative). These are pretty basic ingredients that are found in a lot of chews dogs love. Chicken can help build lean muscle mass and match a big dog and smaller dog’s energy output requirement. Mixed tocopherols are a preferred ingredient for food preservation and rice flour can be a good source of protein for dogs.
For rawhide treats, we’ll use Dentley’s American Made Rawhide Chew Chips as the representative.
The ingredient in the above product is beef hide – that’s it.
What are the drawbacks of feeding rawhide to your dog? What if your dog loves it? Even if dogs love chewing on rawhide, we would strongly suggest dog parents opt for rawhide-free chew options. This is because rawhide can cause distress to dogs’ stomachs, they could be contaminated if they aren’t treated right, they present choking hazards, and can cause intestinal blockage.
These concerns are so serious that the Humane Society and various SPCA branches discourage feeding these treats to your dogs.
Dentley’s Chews Top Product Lines
1. Dentley’s Rawhide-Free Rolls
Since rawhide-free is the way to go, many dogs absolutely loved the rawhide-free rolls from the brand that we fed, so these are a great alternative to the rawhide options. These rolls come in various popular flavors and will be such a hit for your dog!
2. Dentley’s Rawhide Knotted Bones
The knotted bones are shaped similarly to the ones of the SmartBones brand. This product is made from actual rawhide. They usually come in a chicken flavor and large packaging. We would recommend this snack for big dogs rather than smaller dogs. Knotted bones can keep moderate to heavy chewers something to do and are great for extremely picky dogs.
3. Dentley’s Bully Stick Chews
These bully chews are advertised to be made in the USA, and are grain and gluten-free (celebrate if your dog has allergies to either or both!) they come in different sizes and are excellent for moderate chewers. The ingredient is only beef pizzle.
4. Dentley’s Rawhide Chew Chips
Rawhide chew chips from the brand are great for teeth cleaning and are flavored very deliciously. They come in the chicken flavor and are designed to satisfy your dog’s inner urge to gnaw away. Chew chips are great for both moderate and heavy chewers but they do contain some ingredients that are less than ideal such as caramel coloring, brewer’s yeast, and guar gum.
Alternatives to Dentley’s Dog Chews
We will be completely honest and say that not all products from the brand are the best for your dog (but the same can be said about many brands), so you may be wondering what a better alternative may be. Here are a few of our top recommendations (all in moderation):
1. SmartBones
These cute knotted bones can come in many sizes to suit any breed. They are much more digestible than rawhide chews and come in various flavors. They are a great alternative because you can be sure they are easy to digest and won’t cause issues for dogs’ stomachs.
2. Carrots
When in doubt, always go fresh! Carrots are a nice crunchy snack for humans and dogs! The hard nature and texture of baby or large carrots can function similarly to commercial dog chews. These alternatives are also packed with vitamins!
3. Broccoli Stems
Broccoli stems are another option to try if your dog isn’t a fan of carrots. What many humans dislike could be your dog’s new favorite snack! Broccoli stems contain vitamins and minerals essential to your dog’s health.
4. Bully Sticks (under supervision)
Bully sticks, which are bull pizzles, are also great chew toys and snacks to keep your dog stimulated and occupied. However, we would suggest only giving it to your dog when you can keep an eye on him.
5. Kong Toys
Kong toys are probably one of the best alternatives for dog chews, except they aren’t really a chew, but more so a toy. You can stuff snacks within some of the designs and the toy can keep your dog engaged for hours.
6. Nylabone (with supervision)
Although most treats and toys should only be given to your dog under supervision, we specify this with Nylabones too because there is a chance your dog is such a powerful chewer that he dents or even breaks off tiny pieces of the toy. There are different chew strength levels to pick from, so before you get it right, make sure you keep a watchful eye on your dog.
7. Yak Cheese Chews
Yak cheese chews are also a great snack (for dogs who are not lactose intolerant), and they can be an excellent additional source of protein. Supervision is again needed because chunks can break off.
Where to Buy Dentley’s Dog Chews
You can buy Dentley’s dog chews at Petsmart as they are almost exclusively sold there, but you can also find them on Amazon sometimes.
Dentley’s Chews Recalls
There have been recalls in Dentley’s past, with a notable one happening from 2019 to 2020. The period in question was between June 1st, 2019, and May 31st, 2020. All the products with expiration dates that fall between these dates were subject to a voluntary recall. This was due to contamination of a chemical used to clean the processing equipment within the manufacturing plants.
Though there were few reports of sick dogs from Dentley’s chews as well as others included in the recall, United Pet Group thought it was best to do a recall.
Wrapping Up
Dentley’s is a brand that is sold almost exclusively on Petsmart. There aren’t clear origins, sourcing, and detailed info on how the product is created. The lack of a dedicated website can also be concerning for some dog parents, but if you trust Petsmart and its long history of serving pet parents, then we would suggest picking a rawhide-free treat for your beloved dog.
Amazon Recommends:
- Slow Roasted Hide
- For Heavy Chewers
- Bacon Flavor
- Dog Chews, Highly Digestible
- With 75 percent collagen / Medium and large dogs dogs
- Skin and Coat Health Joint Health Helps Clean Teeth
