Review: SmartBones Chews

Product: SmartBones®

What It Is: Chicken-based, rawhide-free dog chews

Manufacturer: PetMatrix, LLC

DogTipper Review: Our dogs love to chew, especially Irie who is a true power chewer. We are always eager for them to try out a new chew. To be honest, we haven’t seen them turn down any chews we give them; all the more reason for us to make sure that their chews are safe and nutritious.

We used to give Irie and Tiki rawhide chews but not any longer since we discovered the potential problems with rawhide chews, such as the possibility of choking or internal blockage. Irie especially was too too quick to consume rawhide chews, swallowing chunks of rawhide before they’re completely chewed, a real choking risk. Today they no longer are allowed rawhide chews.

With that in mind, we were especially interested in reviewing the PetMatrix SmartBones®, developed as a safe alternative to rawhide chews. They look like the traditional tied-in-a-knot chew but are made of a chicken base beneath a vegetable wrapper and enhanced with vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients.

SmartBones are available in several sizes to accommodate all sizes of dogs and are available in chicken and peanut butter flavors. There is also a Dental version of the chews with added ingredients to enhance the chew’s teeth-cleaning performance.

We received samples of the Mini SmartBones in both chicken and peanut butter flavors for review, and it didn’t take Irie and Tiki long to polish them off. Even though the chews were intended for smaller dogs, they enjoyed the chewing and there was no choking or gagging after the chews (which used to happen with rawhide chews.) The chews seem to be somewhat softer than a rawhide chew.

The company’s research shows that “9 out of 10 dogs prefer SmartBones® chews over the leading rawhide chews,” and notes that SmartBones “are 99% digestible.”

The chicken-flavored chews contain:

Corn, Chicken, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Fructose, Pork Gelatin, Barley Malt Syrup, Maltodextrin, Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Carrots, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Ferrous Sulfate, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Sulfate, Milk Flavor, Niacinamide, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Sodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Propionate (preservative), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Vitamin E, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, FD&C Red 40.

while the peanut butter version adds real peanut butter for flavor. More nutritional information can be found at the SmartBones website.

In all, we loved the fact that SmartBones® Chews are highly digestible and safer than rawhide. And we love the fact that they’re made with chicken and vegetables.

But…our main concerns are some of the ingredients such as Titanium Dioxide, which is used in products to produce white pigment and is a somewhat controversial ingredient. The chews also contain FD&C Red 40, and, let’s be honest: dogs don’t care about these coloration issues…this is just for the purchaser.

Another negative to SmartBones® is the fact that they are manufactured in China.

In all, we’re lukewarm on the SmartBones; we love the fact that they don’t contain rawhide and they’re completely digestible but we wish they weren’t made in China.

Availability: SmartBones are available at major national retailers and through the company website.

Price: A pack of eight mini bones is $5.49 on the SmartBones website.

For More Information:

• visit www.smartbones.com
• visit SmartBones on Facebook
• call customer service, 1-877-336-DOGS (3647)

Disclosure: We received samples of SmartBones to review; we were not paid for our review. All statements are entirely our own.

About Paris Permenter and John Bigley

DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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