Dedicated to Dog Chew Safety and Efficacy

The Chew Safety Institute is an organization dedicated to dog chew safety research, packaging claims transparency, and dog guardian education. We conduct research on commercially available chews, as well as develop new chews that meet the most stringent safety standards. The Institute publishes original research to help pet guardians, veterinarians, retailers, and regulators make more informed decisions regarding chew safety and efficacy.

Chewing is essential to dogs, and they benefit from it in a variety of ways. It enhances oral health and satisfies psychological needs.

Many chew packages claim high digestibility and longevity, which implies they are safe for dogs to consume over an extended period. Yet many dogs suffer from severe gastrointestinal obstructions due to chews. They also experience lesions or lacerations to their gums, mouths, or digestive tracts from chews that break into sharp shards upon mastication. And chews often do not last all that long.

Dogs are an integral member of our families. They are our loyal friends. They are our devoted sentinels. That’s why we all want the best for our dogs. We want you to be able to make science-based, factual decisions regarding your furry family member’s health and wellness.

That’s where the Chew Safety Institute can help. Our data allow us to answer important questions about the safety and efficacy of dog chews. Chew safety includes digestibility and “chewability” – the ability of a chew to be chewed without causing injury.

Chew Safety Institute was established by Chews Happiness, which has developed DigestaBone™ — an all-natural, safe, and durable dog chew supporting digestive health, because we recognized that it was next to impossible to sift through available information to determine which chews are the safest for our precious furry family members.

Original Research Summaries:

Research Study Sneak Peak: How much a dog can bite off and chew – the state of chew safety and efficacy

Chew Safety Institute recently completed a comprehensive study evaluating chew safety and durability. Unfortunately, we found that most chews with digestibility and durability claims include falsifications on their packaging. Many chews with such claims are neither very digestible nor all that long-lasting. So, not only do they present a genuine safety risk to your dog, but also they may not offer lasting enjoyment or benefit.

For example, see the figure, below. It shows the results of our comprehensive testing of 32 chews across 10 types. It clearly shows that most chew types should be given to your dog with unqualified caution.

A few myths the study debunked:

• Soft chews are safer: Not necessarily. Although they may pose a reduced lesion/laceration risk, they can be extremely undigestible, presenting a heightened GI obstruction risk.
• It is OK to throw your dog a bone: No, it is not. Bones are some of the least digestible, highest prone to fracture into sharp shards, and most unsafe chews available.
• Hard cheese chews are safe because they are natural: No, they are not. These products, which include all those yak cheese chews, are just as unsafe as bones and perhaps even less so. They are extremely undigestible, are prone to fragment into sharp shards, and can even expand in a dog’s digestive tract potentially causing a severe GI obstruction.
• Dental chews are safe: Not necessarily. Some were found to be quite undigestible.
• Chews manufactured by large companies are safe because they have been tested: Not necessarily. The study found many chews from major brands that are unsafe.

Please stay tuned for links to our original research over the coming months!

For more info, please email us: .

Educational Videos:

Dog Care On Air Intro

Full Dog Care On Air Video:

Throwing Your Dog a Bone; How to Safely Choose Chews