Pooch & Mutt Dental Sticks Calm & Relaxed

A dental stick usually only has one job. Adding hemp and sage to the recipe is Pooch & Mutt's way of giving this one a second, aimed at a dog that could do with settling down as much as its teeth need attention.

The base is dehydrated chicken liver, whole-wheat flour, oat flour and whole-wheat starch, with hemp flour and dried sage each making up around 1% of the recipe, alongside sodium hexametaphosphate to help against tartar.

• Protein 10.5%, fat 1.5%, fibre 3.0%, ash 2.5%, moisture 17%
• Chicken liver as the main flavour ingredient
• Contains hemp flour, a source of L-tryptophan
• Contains dried sage, with natural antimicrobial properties
• Contains sodium hexametaphosphate to help reduce tartar
• Not grain-free — whole-wheat flour and starch are in the recipe

On the calming claim. Hemp here means hemp flour, not a cannabinoid extract, and the amount — around 1% — is a small addition to a wheat-based dental stick rather than the basis of the product. It's reasonable to expect the L-tryptophan angle to be a small, supportive effect rather than a guaranteed change in behaviour, and it isn't grain-free, so it isn't the pick for a dog avoiding wheat.

Who it's for: owners of a dog that gets stressed or overexcited, wanting a daily dental stick that at least tries to do double duty, without expecting it to replace proper management of the underlying anxiety.