I purchased the following natural dental chew sticks for Chance and Kiya and they seem to like them more than greenies so far. Looking for more recommendations on the dental chews and also when and how do you give it to them. Chance tends to hoard the chew and then tries to swallow it once he gets through half of it, so I have to take it away before he does.

Halo, Purely for Pets Spot's Chew Natural Edible Dental Treat
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BL0G9SA/

PetzLife Natural Dental Chews for Dogs
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OZO6TKM/

Get Naked Super Antioxidant Dental Chew Sticks for Dogs
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BKOTQ2

Alex I have tried a few varieties, but the greenies, especially blue berry flavor. My basenji does great, her teeth sparkling with every other day... but of course it does NOT replace yearly teeth cleaning under gum line. Our new samoyed... chews off a little and then swallows whole then throws it up. So I have to sit and hold it, take away when gets too short.

@DebraDownSouth thanks for the reply. Do you do teath cleaning under anesthesia? We have done it with Kiya, but with Chance being susceptive to seizures it's a major concern.

Alex, you cannot clean adequately without anesthesia. Like people, bacteria from tartar under the gums/irritation is dangerous. There are very safe anesthesia meds today.

http://avdc.org/AFD/what-is-an-anesthesia-free-dental-cleaning/

from the American Veterinary Med Assoc:
https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/Pet-Dental-Care.aspx

Periodontal disease is the most common dental condition in dogs and cats – by the time your pet is 3 years old, he or she will very likely have some early evidence of periodontal disease, which will worsen as your pet grows older if effective preventive measures aren’t taken. Early detection and treatment are critical, because advanced periodontal disease can cause severe problems and pain for your pet. Periodontal disease doesn’t just affect your pet’s mouth. Other health problems found in association with periodontal disease include kidney, liver, and heart muscle changes.

Blue Buffalo Wilderness dental chews. I have tried to switch to another brand that was highly recommended but my dog LOVES the blue buffalo ones. They font splinter, grain free, and my basenji approves of them :) Just make sure you get the wilderness line. Those are much better quality than their other lines.

@DebraDownSouth I don't agree that they need yearly teeth cleaning....if they have teeth issues then of course, but not in general.

Pat, I used to agree with you. Fed my dogs raw, teeth pearly white. I saved cleaning for if/when they were older or breathe not good.. in other words, rarely.

But I cn no longer feed raw, and the more research I see, the more I agree that ... like people, dogs need under the gumline cleaning like we do.

Not only in numerous AVDA, but in other studies as well:
http://www.avdc.org/periodontaldisease.html

https://www.banfield.com/getmedia/fca67363-7362-4bb0-9824-50905f7ca817/48fdbdb1-8ff0-40b6-8d7f-3e8fac47de3a-pdf0

https://actavetscand.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13028-014-0077-8

https://actavetscand.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13028-014-0077-8

@DebraDownSouth Agree to disagree..... mine are going to be 7, I have used Plaque off since they started eating solid food, brush 3 times a week at least...they have no dental issues.... maybe when they are much older.... but not now

I think this sort of problem is diet related. I note in the last study mentioned "The dogs were mainly fed a diet consisting of commercial dry pellets and water ad libitum." And they have dental problems......no surprise there. IMO, dry food is almost guaranteed to cause issues. That aside, some dogs (and cats) have saliva that seems to predispose them to having problems. Others not so much. The two of my Basenjis that lived the longest (16 years) were the ones I paid the least attention to their teeth. And yes, they had some tartar, but it was unrelated to COD. The ones I spent more time on had issues that could conceivably be related to gum disease. Go figure!

When I fed raw, my dogs' teeth never needed cleaning til they were OLD, and then just as a precaution, so I totally agree diet makes a big difference. But I'd rather clean once a year than risk issues with their diet now.

I agree that diet is a major factor, but the I'll bet that there is a genetic component as well. We used to have a lot of huskies when we ran sled dogs, they all had basically the same diet. For the most part they all had great teeth, but some would have bad teeth which would end up needing to be removed.

I do know that a lot of the toy breeds end up losing many teeth no matter what you feed, or how much you brush.
-Joanne

Joanne, I had a basenji with CUPS. Autoimmune disorder, and much in the line, so sure as heck genetic.

http://www.wellpets.com/vet-dentistry-ulcerative-stomatiti/