How do I choose safe chew toys and chew sticks?

Short answer: unpainted, untreated fruit-wood sticks or woven hay toys, alongside unlimited hay, are the safest everyday chewing combination.

1. Safe woods — apple, pear, willow and woven bamboo, dry with no mould spots.

2. Avoid — painted, dyed or glued wood, resinous pine or cedar, and plastic toys.

3. Woven hay — hay balls, mats and huts add foraging fun and are edible.

4. Replace regularly — swap toys with sharp splinters or urine soaking.

5. Hay comes first — chewing long-fibre hay is the core of natural tooth wear; toys are extras.