Best Dental Chews for Small Dogs, Including Toy Breeds

How we chose and sized these chews

We compare published manufacturer data and the VOHC accepted list; we do not test products on dogs (see our methodology). A line appears here when we hold a weight band for at least one of its sizes that fits a dog under about 25 lb, read from a manufacturer page or a retailer label. Where a figure was not published, the cell says so rather than borrowing a number from another size.

Brands do not agree on what "small" means. Greenies splits the range into Teenie (5 to 15 lb) and Petite (15 to 25 lb). Milk-Bone Brushing Chews has one Mini size for 5 to 24 lb. VeggieDent FR3SH starts with Extra Small under 11 lb and Small at 11 to 22 lb. Whimzees Brushzees uses X-Small (5 to 15 lb) and Small (15 to 25 lb). Dentastix Original lists Toy/Small for 7 to 22 lb. DentaLife and Earthbones draw their lines at different weights again. A 20 lb dog can be "Petite" in one brand and nearly "Medium" in another, so look up the band, not the word.

Dental chews for small dogs: sizes, calories and share of the treat budget

The table lists the size that fits a dog of 17.6 lb (8 kg) and one of 22 lb (10 kg), with the calories in one chew and what share of that dog's daily treat allowance the chew uses. Method: WSAVA says treats should stay under 10% of a dog's daily calories and prints a table of that allowance by body weight, for an average healthy adult dog at ideal weight: 40 kcal a day at 8 kg and 47 kcal at 10 kg.¹ We divide the kcal printed for one chew by that allowance, for one chew a day and no other treats. A result above 100% means the chew alone passes the 10% line; your vet can say what the right allowance is for your dog.

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VOHC claim and seal year come from the accepted list copied October 13, 2026. Dentastix: the VOHC row names only the Original Large Dog Treats, Beef & Fresh Variety Pack, so the seal is not stated for the Toy/Small or Small/Medium sizes shown here. DentaLife: the row reads "North American sizes" without naming them. Earthbones is not on the list. "Retailer label" means the number comes from a label statement on a retailer page that we cite as text and do not link; "seller page" means the maker's own seller page, not linked.

Reading the table: at 22 lb one Greenies Petite (52 kcal) is about 111% of the allowance, while one Milk-Bone Mini (30 kcal) is 64%. At 17.6 lb the same Petite is 130% and the Mini 75%. Neither figure makes a chew wrong for a dog; it shows why the chew should replace some food or other treats that day. Our dental chew calorie calculator runs the same arithmetic for your dog's weight and a chew you pick.

Dental chews for toy and tiny dogs

For dogs under about 11 lb the choice is narrow. Only a few lines publish a size for them: VeggieDent FR3SH Extra Small (under 11 lb, 24 kcal), Greenies Teenie (5 to 15 lb, 25 kcal), Milk-Bone Mini (5 to 24 lb, 30 kcal) and Dentastix Original Toy/Small (7 to 22 lb, 22 kcal on a retailer label). Whimzees Brushzees has an X-Small for 5 to 15 lb, but its calories are not published on the manufacturer page we checked (2026-10-13). Earthbones lists a Tiny size for 3 to 10 lb at 46 kcal, and it is the only line with a published lower bound below 5 lb (3 lb); it is not VOHC-accepted.

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Greenies state that the Original line is not for dogs under 5 lb or under 6 months, and Milk-Bone Brushing Chews are not for dogs under 6 months, so the 4.4 lb (2 kg) column is blank for them. The WSAVA table starts at 2 kg (14 kcal a day).

The percentages are large. One 25 kcal Teenie is 104% of the 24 kcal allowance of a 4 kg dog, and a 46 kcal Earthbones Tiny is 192%. A toy dog can eat a full day's treat allowance in one chew, and that is the main point we would pass on for this size. Check whether a chew replaces part of a meal, count other treats, and ask your vet before a daily routine for a dog this small.

Choking and gulping: what small dogs need

Size matters for safety as well as calories. WSAVA advises that any treat be "an appropriate size and shape to reduce the risk of choking" and that you supervise chews, treats and toys.¹ The ASPCA likewise tells owners to choose a chew size consistent with the dog's size and chewing habits and to watch the dog while it chews; if a dog swallows a chunk, call a veterinarian right away.²

A veterinary case series is the clearest data on small dogs. It followed 31 dogs with a dental chew stuck in the esophagus: 26 of them (83.9%) were small dogs, the lesions were moderate or severe in 86.7%, and overall mortality was 25.8%. The paper names no brand and cannot tell us how common the problem is, only that small dogs made up most of the cases.³ If your dog gulps, gags, or drools after chewing, a smaller size or a different type may suit it better; ask your vet. Our guide to whether dental chews are safe covers the other documented risks.

What the VOHC listing does and does not cover for small sizes

VOHC accepts named products for a plaque claim, a tartar claim or both. For small dogs the wording of the row matters. Greenies Original (Plaque, Tartar, 2007), Whimzees Brushzees (Plaque, Tartar, 2019) and VeggieDent FR3SH (Plaque, Tartar, 2020) are accepted across their sizes; Milk-Bone Brushing Chews is accepted for tartar (2014). The Dentastix row is narrower, as noted above, and DentaLife's row says only "North American sizes". If the seal matters to you, read the row, then check that the package you hold is the product the row names. The VOHC accepted dental chews page lists every row.

One age limit is worth noting here. Whimzees Brushzees is labeled for dogs over 9 months, which excludes puppies; our page on dental chews for puppies lists the minimum ages of each line. For dogs that will not touch a chew, see why a dog won't eat dental chews.

Next steps by line and comparison

Product pages with all sizes: Greenies Original, Whimzees Brushzees, VeggieDent FR3SH, Milk-Bone Brushing Chews, Pedigree Dentastix Original, Purina DentaLife and Earthbones. Side-by-side numbers: Greenies vs Whimzees, Dentastix vs Greenies and Milk-Bone Brushing Chews vs Greenies. Bigger dogs: dental chews for large dogs. How many a week: how often to give a dental chew.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. World Small Animal Veterinary Association: Feeding treats to your dog (June 2024), accessed October 13, 2026. The 10% guidance, the treat budget by body weight, and the advice on size, shape, supervision and very hard chews.
2. ASPCA: Position statement on dog chews and treats, accessed October 13, 2026. Matching chew size to the dog, supervision, swallowed chunks.
3. Leib MS, Sartor LL. Esophageal foreign body obstruction caused by a dental chew treat in 31 dogs (2000-2006). J Am Vet Med Assoc 232(7):1021-1025, via Europe PMC, accessed October 13, 2026. Abstract only; it names no brand.
4. VOHC: Accepted products, accessed October 13, 2026. Claims and seal years.
5. Greenies (manufacturer): Original Regular size, accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands, calories, one chew a day, minimum age and weight. The Teenie, Petite and Large pages (adult-dental-dog-treats-teenie-size-original, -petite-size-original, -large-size-original) were read the same way.
6. Wellness Pet (manufacturer): Whimzees Brushzees, accessed October 13, 2026. Size and weight bands, one chew a day, minimum age.
7. PetSmart: Whimzees Brushzees Medium listing (not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Label text for calories (Small 44, Medium 87, Large 173); the manufacturer page lists none and gives no figure for X-Small or X-Large.
8. Virbac US (manufacturer): C.E.T. VeggieDent FR3SH, accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands, calories per chew, once-daily feeding and the FAQ line on puppies.
9. Milk-Bone (manufacturer): Brushing Chews, Small/Medium, accessed October 13, 2026. Feeding, minimum age; weight bands and calories also from the Mini and Large pages.
10. Pedigree (manufacturer): Dentastix Original Large, accessed October 13, 2026. Large size, 40 lb and over, 78 kcal, one a day; the Dentastix oral care page carries the age statement.
11. PetSmart: Pedigree Dentastix Original Toy/Small and Small/Medium listings (not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands and calories for those two sizes (22 and 54 kcal).
12. PetSmart: Purina DentaLife Daily Oral Care Small/Medium and Large listings (not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Weight bands and calories (63 and 100 kcal); no minimum age appeared on the pages read.
13. Earthly Pet: Fresh Breath Dog Dental Bones (Earthbones) product page (seller page, not linked), accessed October 13, 2026. Sizes, weight bands and calories; Earthbones is not on the VOHC list.

Prepared by the DentalDogTreats editorial team from the sources above. We compile published data and did not try these products on dogs. This is not veterinary advice; ask your veterinarian about your dog's teeth, diet and health. See how we compare and the affiliate disclosure.