Treats and chews
Are dental chews high in calories?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
Many dental chews sized for medium to large dogs carry 50 to 90 kcal per piece, which for a small dog can represent close to the entire daily treat allowance in a single chew. Checking the specific product's kcal per piece, and adjusting the main meal slightly on days a dental chew is given, keeps overall calories on track.
Why dental chews run higher than typical training treats
Dental chews are physically larger than a pea sized training treat by design, since a bigger piece is needed to give the dog enough sustained chewing time for the mechanical cleaning effect to work, and that larger size naturally translates into a higher calorie count per piece.
Comparing across dog sizes
A dental chew sized for a large breed dog might carry 80 to 90 kcal, while a version for a small breed typically runs lower, around 30 to 50 kcal, but even the smaller version can represent a large share of a 5 kg dog's total daily treat allowance of roughly 30 kcal.
Fitting a daily dental chew into the calorie plan
Subtracting the dental chew's kcal from the day's meal portion, similar to how any other treat should be accounted for, keeps total daily intake steady, and for small dogs specifically, this often means the dental chew essentially replaces other treats for that day rather than adding on top of them.
Key takeaways
- Dental chews for medium to large dogs often carry 50 to 90 kcal per piece.
- Even small breed versions, around 30 to 50 kcal, can use up most of a small dog's daily treat budget.
- The larger size needed for effective mechanical cleaning is what drives the higher calorie count.
- Subtract dental chew calories from the day's meal or other treats to keep totals on track.