Best Dental Chews for Small Dogs

How do I know which size dental chew my small dog needs?

Read the weight range on the page, because every brand here sets one and tells you not to feed the chew outside it. Milk-Bone’s Mini is “for dogs 5-24 lbs.” and “not suitable for dogs less than 5 lbs., greater than 24 lbs., or dogs less than 6 months of age.” Pedigree’s Toy & Small is “for toy/small adult dogs (7-22 LB/3.2-10 kg)” and “not suitable for puppies and dogs under 7 LB.” Greenies splits the same territory in two: Teenie for “dogs 5-15 lbs.” and Petite for “dogs 15-25 lbs.,” with a chart on each page that runs up through Regular and Large. All four say one treat a day. The pages differ on what “small” means by as much as ten pounds, so the range is the fact to check before the brand.

The dental claim is the other fact to read. What the VOHC Seal on Dog Dental Chews Actually Means covers how the council’s list works. For these four, the list itself says which claim each line earned: Milk-Bone’s Brushing Chews for tartar, Greenies for plaque and tartar, and nothing for the Toy & Small Dentastix. Each brand’s page makes its own claim as well, and none of them publishes a test behind it.

What does each page actually publish?

Two of the four pages publish a full ingredient statement and a guaranteed analysis, and two publish neither. Milk-Bone and Pedigree print the ingredient list, the crude protein, fat, fiber and moisture figures, and the calorie content per kilogram and per treat. Greenies’ pages print a feeding guideline and a calorie figure for the treat and nothing else: the section its page labels Nutrition holds one image, which the page’s own alt text calls a “guaranteed analysis image,” and the image shows a treat being bent between two hands over the words “rawhide free,” “easy to chew and digest” and “bendable.” No ingredient and no analysis appear on it. The description says the treats are “made with natural ingredients plus vitamins, minerals & nutrients.” That is the whole disclosure, and the records below show it as “Not published by the brand.”

Our pick: Milk-Bone Brushing Chews Daily Dental Treats, Mini

This is the one chew that is on the VOHC list and tells you what is in it. The council’s accepted-products list carries “Milk-Bone Brushing Chews for Dogs, Daily Dental Treat,” claim “Tartar,” seal awarded 2014, which this record cites directly from the list rather than from the brand, since the brand’s own page does not mention VOHC at all. The page publishes a twenty-three-item ingredient statement, from brewers rice and powdered cellulose through chicken by-product meal to three preservatives it names as such, potassium sorbate, mixed tocopherols and BHA, plus two dyes, Yellow 6 and Yellow 5, and titanium dioxide as a color. It also prints a guaranteed analysis, 12 percent protein and 1 percent fat at minimum, and 2,580 kcal per kilogram, 30 per chew.

The brand sells the Mini for dogs of 5 to 24 pounds, one a day, “as part of a healthy diet,” and says the product “is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.” The dental claim on the page is that the chews “encourage chewing, which helps clean teeth and helps freshen your dog’s breath.” The VOHC claim is the stronger of the two statements, and it is for tartar only.

Runner-up: Pedigree Dentastix Toy & Small Dog Dental Treats, Original

Pedigree’s page publishes as much as Milk-Bone’s, and the chew is the lightest of the four at 22 kcal. The ingredient list starts with rice flour, wheat starch, glycerin and chicken, names potassium sorbate as its one preservative, and ends with turmeric, iron oxide and green tea extract. The guaranteed analysis is 8 percent protein and 1 percent fat at minimum, 4.5 percent fiber and 18 percent moisture at maximum. The page says the treats are “formulated with no added sugar or fillers.” The weight range is the narrowest here, 7 to 22 pounds, and the page rules out puppies and dogs under 7 pounds.

It is the runner-up for one reason. The VOHC list carries “Pedigree Dentastix Advanced” and a variety pack of the Original Large treats, and no entry for the Toy & Small Original. The dental claim is the brand’s own: “Triple Action: Reduces tartar build up, Promotes healthy gums, Freshens breath,” with “a chewy texture that scrapes away plaque while chewing.” No test is published on the page.

Also consider: Greenies Adult Dental Dog Treats, Teenie Size

Greenies carries the broader VOHC claim, plaque and tartar, under the list’s entry for “Canine Greenies, five sizes,” and the Teenie is the size for dogs of 5 to 15 pounds. The page states 25 kcal per treat as the amount to take out of the dog’s main meal, says to feed one a day, and rules out dogs under 5 pounds or under 6 months. Its own dental claim is specific: “47% less tartar accumulation and 40% less plaque accumulation in 28 days (Data on file).” The data is on file, not on the page.

What the page does not publish is an ingredient list or a guaranteed analysis, in any form a reader can check. A buyer who wants to know what is in the chew has to read the bag. That gap is why a product with the broader VOHC claim sits third here.

For 15 to 25 pounds: Greenies Adult Dental Dog Treats, Petite Size

The same product line one size up, for “dogs 15-25 lbs.,” at 52 kcal per treat. Everything said about the Teenie applies: the VOHC listing covers it, the dental claim is the same sentence, and the page publishes no ingredients and no analysis. It is here because a dog of 16 to 24 pounds has three pages claiming it, Milk-Bone’s Mini, Pedigree’s Toy & Small and this one, and only Greenies draws its line at 15 pounds rather than 5 or 7.

What the pages leave out

None of the four pages publishes the test behind its dental claim; the VOHC listing is the one independent statement, and it names tartar for Milk-Bone and plaque and tartar for Greenies. Greenies publishes no ingredient list on its site. Milk-Bone’s and Greenies’ pages warn, in their own words, to watch the dog while it chews; Pedigree’s feeding guide says only to keep fresh water available. Greenies’ version is the plainest: “Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog.” None of the pages says anything about a dog’s teeth, digestion or health beyond its claim, and this guide adds nothing on those subjects. A dog’s weight is the one fact the pages agree matters, and the Dog and Cat Food Calculator turns that weight into the daily food the treat’s calories come out of.

How we researched this

Every product fact in this guide comes from each brand’s own website, read on the date each record shows, and from the Veterinary Oral Health Council’s own accepted-products list, read 2026-10-12. Nothing was retrieved from a retailer listing or a review. Ingredient lists and guaranteed analyses are quoted as the brands print them; Greenies’ pages print neither, and the records say so. The VOHC entries are confirmed directory listings for each product line, not manufacturer claims. Runlow has not fed any of these chews to a dog and makes no claim about any dog’s teeth. No prices are shown.