A dental chew only does its job if it actually gets eaten every day, which is why the shape it comes in matters almost as much as what's in it — a bone that gets buried rather than chewed defeats the point of buying one.

This is the rice-based recipe in the WHIMZEES range, shaped like a bone and sold as a value bag for daily use. It's built from rice, potato starch, glycerin, powdered cellulose, lecithin, dried yeast, malt extract and sweet lupine meal — a vegetarian formula rather than a meat-based one.

• Value bag of Rice Bone shaped chews
• Protein 4.0%, fat 2.0%, fibre 3.1%, ash 2.4%, moisture 12%
• Made with rice, potato starch and sweet lupine meal — no meat
• Vegetarian, with no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or GMOs
• One chew a day is Whimzees' own guidance
• Not suitable for dogs under 9 months

On the ingredients. This is the rice-based recipe in the range — rice comes first on the list, ahead of potato starch — and it's vegetarian rather than meat-based, so it isn't the shape to pick if you want a meat treat rather than a dental one. Whimzees don't publish a minimum bodyweight for this shape, only the 9-month age minimum, so that's the line to check rather than a weight one.

Who it's for: owners wanting a daily dental chew that isn't meat-based — useful for a dog on a restricted-protein diet — whose dog is past 9 months old.