Pet Dental Health Month: Barkworthies Brushers - Product Review

February is Pet Dental Health Month! Like with humans, oral health is very important for dogs because serious dental problems can lead to additional health concerns. For more information on pet dental care, see the American Veterinary Medical Association's suggestions here.

There are numerous products marketed for dog dental health, such as edible chews, textured nylon chews, rope toys, and textured rubber toys. We recently got to try a new dental product, Barkworthies Brushers.

Barkworthies Brushers

I love the Barkworthies brand because all of their products are fully digestible and free of additives, chemicals and preservatives. Feeding healthier treats and chews means a healthier pet, and a healthier pet is happier and lives longer!

Barkworthies Brushers are 100% organic twigs made from branches of the East Indies Arrack tree. They release an antibiotic when chewed that helps to suppress both the growth of bacteria and the formation of plaque. They also contain minerals (potassium, sodium, chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium oxides) that help strengthen tooth enamel. Their parallel bristle-like nature works like dental floss to clean between teeth. As a bonus for the environment, they are sustainably harvested! People in the regions where these trees are found have traditionally used such twigs to clean their own teeth (look up "miswak" for more info).

Preliminary taste test

The twigs have a strange odor to them, kind of like strong body odor with a hint of acidity. While I thought they stank, Chewy did not mind at all, and got right to work chewing on the ends. When chewed open, the inside of the twig has bristle-like fibers. Chewy enjoyed breaking off little pieces and then chewing them further, before spitting out some bits. The fibers are very soft so I did not worry about splinters, making them a nice alternative to regular sticks!

Bristle-like fibers

I like that Chewy uses all of his teeth while chewing on the Brushers. With regular dental treats, he only chews with his back teeth, but with the Brushers, he works the pieces around his whole mouth before eventually spitting out most of it. It's a very messy process!

Chew, spit, repeat!

Chewy makes these happy chewing faces while he chews on the Brushers. It could be that that's just how his face is when he opens his mouth (Goldens often look like they're smiling), but I detect some distinctly upturned mouth corners!

Benebone- chewy.com Product Review

Chewy LOVES receiving packages. For awhile, if we were out on a walk and he saw a delivery truck turn onto our street, he would hurry home to see if it was for him. He is slightly less of a delivery stalker now, but he is super excited to be joining the chewy.com blogger program! Every month we will get to review one of their products, and more deliveries = happy Chewy!

All packages that enter our house must be given a proper sniff-over, and sometimes he'll claim them and bring them to his bed, like this month's product. It's a sign that something good is inside!

"Wanna cookie?" Yes.

We received a Benebone Wishbone Chew, an inedible nylon chew infused with natural flavoring. 

Some info on Benebone:

• sourced and made in the USA
• comes in three sizes (mini for dogs < 30 lbs, regular for < 70 lbs, and jumbo for 70+ lbs) 
• comes in three flavors (bacon, peanut butter and rotisserie chicken)
• a portion of all sales gets donated to animal welfare organizations

We got the new Jumbo Wishbone, which currently only comes in bacon flavor. It's about half the length of his forearm!

Chewy's first order of business was to sniff, paw at and roll on his new Benebone. Cuz Chewy's kinda crazy! He got so excited about it, he couldn't function normally for a few minutes.

Eventually, he settled down and started chewing. The curvy wishbone shape makes it easy for him to hold, and the bacon flavor keeps him interested for long periods of time.

*chew chew chew*

Mmm...bacon!

Chewy loves his Benebone so much, he carries it around the house. Sometimes he'll suddenly remember that he left it somewhere, and run off to get it. Here he is napping with it by his side:

Mine.

After some hard-core chewing, the nylon gets a bit jagged and raggedy. I tried to get a picture of it, and Chewy swooped in and stole it:

Mine!

Chewy likes to chew stuff on his bed, which is also where a lot of his shed fur accumulates, so the rough ends of the Benebone pick up a lot of fur. Chewy couldn't care less, but I pick the fur off regularly for him.

While Benebones are not edible, the little bits that might get scraped off and eaten will pass safely through your dog. The company suggests supervision and monitoring for significant deterioration, such as a crack, at which point it needs to be discarded.

We give the Benebone Wishbone Chew 4 paws up! It is easy for Chewy to hold firmly while he chews, and it is much safer than the sticks he keeps munching on outside (he has gotten a piece of stick stuck in the roof of his mouth twice now). Compared to an edible chew, the Benebone keeps him occupied for longer, and doesn't add calories to his diet. 

4 paws up for Benebone!

In other news...

For every Wellness product purchased at chewy.com from now until December 16th, 1 meal will be donated to an at-risk animal through the Jackson Galaxy Foundation. For every Wellness Autoship purchase, 2 meals will be donated. If you were planning to stock up on Wellness, now's a good time!

Even if you currently have no need for Wellness products, you can still help out animals in need: for every like, comment and share on this Facebook post, Wellness will donate 1 meal, up to 50,000 meals. Please consider helping to feed a hungry fur-belly. Thanks!

Disclaimer: We received a Jumbo Benebone from chewy.com for review purposes as part of the chewy.com Blogger Program. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this post, and all opinions shared above are our own.

Barkworthies Odor Free Double Cut Bully Sticks & Bully Stick Flakes: Product Review

Barkworthies® has a chew or treat for virtually every pup! They offer hypoallergenic, single ingredient, and made in America options, among others. Plus, their entire range of treats and chews is free of GMOs, preservatives, hormones, additives, and artificial ingredients, so you can rest assured that your furry companion is getting a quality product.

Barkworthies is committed to not only making wholesome and affordable products, but also to being green/environmentally responsible, as well as to supporting local animal organizations such as the SPCA. They even recently updated their packaging and online presence to exclusively feature newly-adopted shelter dogs. 

Chewy received a 12" Odor Free Double Cut Bully Stick and Bully Stick Flakes to review.

First up, the 12" Odor Free Double Cut Bully Stick. Barkworthies' "double cut" bully sticks are thicker than regular ones, so they are more long-lasting. They are all-natural and 100% digestible, and sourced from free-range, grass-fed Brazilian cattle. To the average human, there is only a very faint odor if you hold the chew up to your nose. It still smells great to the doggie nose, though:

Sniiiiiff

There is a small rubberband + paper label hybrid attached to the bully stick to identify what it is. It is easy to slide off, and a nice alternative to the sticky labels and hard-to-remove shrink wrap that other chews tend to come in. 

*chew chew chew chew*

This chew lasted for about half an hour before being completely demolished by Chewy's jaws. That is perhaps the longest-lasting chew that he's ever had! On the odor front, I could only smell it if I stuck my face by Chewy's mouth. 

Chewy liked this bully stick so much, he even refused to trade it for a jerky treat! Of course, he did eventually take the treat from me and set it aside for later, because Chewy does not say no to treats.

Now, on to the Bully Stick Flakes. Made from the same free-range, grass-fed Brazilian cattle, they are meant to be a food topper. They can stimulate tired-out taste buds and entice picky eaters. 

No scissors needed to open! Just pull the tab

The flakes come in an easy-to-open, resealable pouch. We had previously tried these bully flakes a few years ago, and the new packaging is much more attractive than it used to be! To serve, just shake some out over your pup's meal.

The flakes fall through the cracks between the kibbles, forcing your dog to work through the kibble to get all the bully flakes. Chewy went through a picky eating stage when he was maybe a year old, and refused to eat his kibble. These bully flakes convinced him to finish his meals for a few days. Even if you don't have a picky eater, bully flakes can jazz up your dog's dinner.

Chewy does not leave behind a single speck of bully flake in his bowl, so he must think they taste great!

Must get every...last...flake!

We give both the Barkworthies Odor Free Double Cut Bully Stick and Bully Flakes 4 paws up. I appreciate that they are all-natural and responsibly made, and how long-lasting and un-stinky the bully stick is. Chewy loves the chewiness and beefy taste/smell.

Four paws up for Barkworthies!

Disclaimer: We received one Barkworthies Bully Stick (Odor Free 12" Double Cut) and one package of Barkworthies Bully Stick Flakes for review purposes. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this post, and all opinions stated above are our own.