Forthglade Dental Calming Sticks

A dental chew usually only has one job, and this one is doing two at once — the ridged shape works on plaque the way most dental sticks do, while camomile, valerian root and passionflower are added specifically for a calming effect, aimed at the wind-down part of the evening rather than a stressful moment.

The recipe leads with dried chicken protein (18%), with dried potato, sweet potato and tapioca starch making up the bulk, and sodium hexametaphosphate included at 0.6% as the dental-specific additive. The calming botanicals — camomile, valerian root and passionflower — sit at 0.5% each, alongside dried algae at 0.2%.

• Ridged shape designed to clean teeth and reduce plaque and tartar as the dog chews
• Camomile, valerian root and passionflower, each at 0.5%
• Crude protein 15%, crude fibre 4.8%, crude fat 2.6%, crude ash 5.8%
• Suitable for all dogs 1 year and over
• Feeding: 0.5 to 2 sticks daily depending on size, up to 70 a month for extra-large dogs
• 185G bag

What the label does not say. "Calming" here means specific botanical ingredients included at stated percentages — Forthglade don't publish any study data or behavioural claims on this card, so treat it as a chew with calming ingredients included rather than a guaranteed effect. It's also not suitable for dogs under a year old.

Who it's for: owners of an adult dog who want a dental routine built into the evening wind-down, rather than a purely functional chew with no other purpose.