Friday, February 6, 2015

Myah Is Hooked On Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks (And I Like Them For Her!)


The Good: Healthy, Great dental benefit for dogs, Good ingredients, They smell good, Low breakage factor, Freshens Myah’s breath!
The Bad: Could always be less expensive, Myah does not go for these with the same zeal as other Benefuls treats
The Basics: Myah likes the Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks dog treats and I think I like them more for what they do for her!


When Myah, our Siberian Husky, came to us, she was underweight, hand-shy and needed some serious retraining. But, she also came with a bag of goodies and I’ve never forgotten how she came to us with her own toothpaste and specialized toothbrush. I also remember clearly my wife’s “hell, no!” expression when I asked, “So, we’re going to have to brush her teeth regularly?” Instead of going through that potential hell, we’ve just hunted down good treat with real dental benefits for Myah. The latest one that seems to have hit with her are the Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks. These seem to be filling a similar niche to the Greenies (reviewed here!) we used to give Mitzie, but without the same breakage issues that once plagued that brand. Myah likes the Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks, but I think I like what they do for her more than she likes them!

Basics

We picked up the 8.4 oz. bag of Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks for $2.99 at a local pet store when we were getting a bunch of free samples for Myah. The bag contained seven large dog treats and they were just the right size for our 75 pound Siberian Husky; too big for her to just swallow and small enough that she finishes them in one sitting without getting tired, bored or full from the process.

The Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks dog treats are hard stick twists, with a textured side that is brown and a smoother cylinder wrapped into the treat that is green. The curved treats are 4 1/4” long, 7/8” wide and 3/4" tall. They looks like a human snack food, save their odd coloring and they smell mostly of peanut butter. The Healthy Smile treats are hard enough that they help brush the dog's tongue and teeth when they chew it.

Ease Of Preparation

This is a ready-to-eat dog treat and only requires one to open the bag to dispense. The bag is resealable to keep the treats inside fresh.

Myah’s Reaction

The firm Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks help physically remove plaque and other build-up from dog’s teeth. Myah’s breath improved noticeably when we gave her the Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks treats for a week, an average of once every other day (which is actually far less than the recommended serving size, but I’m cheap and I want the treats to last!). Knowing there is a clear dental benefit for these treats helped me rate them higher; these treats help minimize the need to brush your dog’s teeth and can save money at the vet’s.

However, Myah does not actively choose these. This is one of the treats that she will usually pass on when she is given multiple treats at a time. After two times when she was offered a choice of treats (and she chose simple rawhide treats after sniffing these!), I just started giving these to her without giving her the choice. She ate it eagerly enough, but it was clearly not her first love in treat form!

I like that they are firm, do not “shatter” (a problem Greenies snacks sometimes had) and smell inoffensive. They are just enough work for Myah to eat that they do clean her mouth out exceptionally well.

Nutrition

The Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks dog treats are healthy-enough to recommend without any serious health detractions for the dog. With at least 6% crude protein, 1.5% crude fat and no more than 1.5% crude fiber and 16% moisture, the Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks offer some decent nutrition to dogs. Made primarily of rice, glycerin, and wheat flour, Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks appear to have nothing bad in them. They do, however, have enough preservatives to make them last – the bag we bought a last month would have expired in September 2015, had Myah not eaten them before that time. As with all dog treats, it is highly recommended that when you give your dog Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks, you make sure they have a decent supply of clean water available. Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks treats are not intended to replace dog food.

Overall

Myah likes the Purina Beneful Healthy Smile Dental Dog Snacks and I like them because they make it so I do not have to risk my fingers and my healthy relationship with my beloved dog to try to keep her teeth clean. These treats do that quite nicely and I’ll keep buying them for that!

For other Purina dog treats and foods, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Beneful Dental Dog Snacks Stars
Beneful Dental Dog Snacks Hugs
Pro Plan Natural Lamb & Rice Shredded Blend

8/10

For other dog products, be sure to visit my Dog Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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