AVA Gut Health Dental Sticks

Treat · complementaryClear label

Gut Health Dental Sticks
This is sold as a treat, not as an everyday meal. The 1–100 rating applies to complete meals, so it isn't scored. Ingredient breakdown below.

Our verdict

Is AVA Gut Health Dental Sticks a good dog food?

This is a treat, not a complete diet, so it is not scored on our 1-100 scale. The ingredient breakdown below shows what is in it; a treat should be fed alongside, not instead of, a complete diet.

Complementary treats for adult dogs, with oat flour, potato starch and glycerine as the main ingredients.

How we score

99% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.

Why you might choose it

  • Prints ingredient percentages on the label.
  • Low in fat for its format: 4% fat on a dry-matter basis.
  • Declares energy content, which most labels omit.

Why you might not

  • A treat, not a complete diet: feed as an extra, not the whole diet.
  • Low in protein: 10% protein on a dry-matter basis.
  • Meat makes up an estimated 0% of the dry matter; carbohydrates dominate.

Who is this food for?

Suits

  • Labelled by the manufacturer for adult dogs
  • Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, fish, venison, pork, duck as ingredients

Consider something else if:

  • Your dog avoids grain: the label lists oat flour
  • You need more protein than this: 9.6% on a dry-matter basis is in the low band

These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Find foods that fit your dog.

What the label tells us

  • The label lists 16 ingredients.
  • Lists no artificial colours or preservatives.
  • Prints quantities for 7 ingredients.
Why is this treat not scored?

Our 1 to 100 rating applies to complete diets, so treats and complementary foods are presented as what the label tells us rather than a number that would invite comparison with complete meals.

What should I look for on a treat label?

A short ingredient list, named animal sources instead of generic terms, and no artificial colours or preservatives. Printed quantities are a good transparency signal, though few treat labels provide them.

These points are derived from the published ingredient list, not a rating.

Nutrition and feedingProtein 8% · Fat 3%

Typical analysis (as fed)

NutrientAs fed
Protein8%
Fat3%
Fibre2%
Ash2.50%
Moisture17%
Calcium0.20%
Phosphorus0.10%

Energy: 301.5 kcal/100g

Additives & feeding info

Feeding and storage

Storage

Always store in a cool dry place. Once opened re-seal to maintain freshness.

Feeding guide

Toy up to 5kg: 1/2 stick/day; Small 5-12kg: 1 stick/day; Medium 12-25kg: 1–1½ sticks/day; Large 25-45kg: 1½–2 sticks/day; Giant 45-70kg: 2–3 sticks/day. Treats should not make up more than 10% of your dog's total daily calorie intake. Dogs should be supervised at all times whilst feeding.

Additives declared on the label

Nutritional additives

Vitamin C 35mg

Technological additives

Preservatives: Citric Acid; DL-Malic Acid

Ingredients (17)99% of the recipe is estimated

Estimated composition

  • carb 47.1%
  • other 12.6%
  • additive 12.1%
  • fibre 10.2%
  • veg 9.5%
  • supplement 8.6%
#As declaredMatchedLabel readingDeclared %Est. %
1Oat FlourOat Flourcarb · medium-14.1
2Potato StarchPotato starchcarb · poor-13.4
3Glycerol of Vegetable OriginGlycerineother · medium-12.6
4Hydrolysed Yeast DigestHydrolysed Yeastadditive · medium-11.8
5MolassesBlackstrap molassescarb · medium-11.0
6LignocelluloseLignocellulosefibre · medium-10.2
7Dried CinnamonCinnamonveg · good-9.4
8Dried Seaweed (0.5%)Dried Sea Algaesupplement · good0.50.5
9Pea FlourPea flourcarb · medium-8.6
10Sodium Hexametaphosphate (0.3%)Sodium hexametaphosphateadditive · medium0.30.3
11Β-Glucans (0.2%)Beta-Glucanssupplement · good0.20.2
12Mannan-Oligosaccharides (0.01%)Mannanoligosaccharidessupplement · good0.010.01
13Fruco-Oligosaccharides (0.01%)unmatched-0.010.01
14Dried Cranberries (0.01%)Cranberriesveg · good0.010.01
15Dried Pomegranate (0.01%)Pomegranateveg · good0.010.01
16Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract (0.01%)Green Teaveg · good0.010.01
17Lactobacillus Helveticus HA - 122Inactivated Lactobacillus helveticussupplement · good-7.9
  1. 1. Oat Flour14.1% estimated
    Oat Flour · carb · medium
  2. 2. Potato Starch13.4% estimated
    Potato starch · carb · poor
  3. 3. Glycerol of Vegetable Origin12.6% estimated
    Glycerine · other · medium
  4. 4. Hydrolysed Yeast Digest11.8% estimated
    Hydrolysed Yeast · additive · medium
  5. 5. Molasses11.0% estimated
    Blackstrap molasses · carb · medium
  6. 6. Lignocellulose10.2% estimated
    Lignocellulose · fibre · medium
  7. 7. Dried Cinnamon9.4% estimated
    Cinnamon · veg · good
  8. 8. Dried Seaweed (0.5%)0.5% declared0.5% estimated
    Dried Sea Algae · supplement · good
  9. 9. Pea Flour8.6% estimated
    Pea flour · carb · medium
  10. 10. Sodium Hexametaphosphate (0.3%)0.3% declared0.3% estimated
    Sodium hexametaphosphate · additive · medium
  11. 11. Β-Glucans (0.2%)0.2% declared0.2% estimated
    Beta-Glucans · supplement · good
  12. 12. Mannan-Oligosaccharides (0.01%)0.01% declared0.01% estimated
    Mannanoligosaccharides · supplement · good
  13. 13. Fruco-Oligosaccharides (0.01%)0.01% declared0.01% estimated
    unmatched
  14. 14. Dried Cranberries (0.01%)0.01% declared0.01% estimated
    Cranberries · veg · good
  15. 15. Dried Pomegranate (0.01%)0.01% declared0.01% estimated
    Pomegranate · veg · good
  16. 16. Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract (0.01%)0.01% declared0.01% estimated
    Green Tea · veg · good
  17. 17. Lactobacillus Helveticus HA - 1227.9% estimated

Trust and sourceNo recalls recorded in our database · checked 2026-09-14

Brand and contact: AVA

Trust and provenance

Recall history
No recalls recorded in our database
Label data last checked
2026-09-14
Product page
www.petsathome.com

Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.

Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.

Score details and methodologyCalculations, history and evidence

Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated

Scored with model v3 on 2026-10-25. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.

ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-30.909+30.91
Average ingredient quality0.69.191+5.50
Carb share of dry matter44.0%-0.115-5.06
Vegetable share of dry matter11.2%-0.005-0.06
Additive share of dry matter14.3%0.163+2.32
Supplement share of dry matter10.3%-0.012-0.13
Other share of dry matter8.2%-0.375-3.09
Recipe graded poor13.4%-0.065-0.87
Number of poor ingredients1-0.876-0.88
Largest single poor ingredient13.4%0.060+0.80
Undeclared quantities99.0%-0.106-10.45
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)yes-3.158-3.16
Additive penalty-14.500.222-3.22
Processing multiplier0.9833.786+33.11
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.713-6.71
Show all 40 components
ComponentInputCoefficientContribution
Base score-30.909+30.91
Average ingredient quality0.69.191+5.50
Meat share of dry matter0.0%0.096+0.00
Carb share of dry matter44.0%-0.115-5.06
Oil share of dry matter0.0%-0.092+0.00
Vegetable share of dry matter11.2%-0.005-0.06
Additive share of dry matter14.3%0.163+2.32
Supplement share of dry matter10.3%-0.012-0.13
Other share of dry matter8.2%-0.375-3.09
Unrecognised share of dry matter0.0%-0.027-0.00
Recipe graded poor13.4%-0.065-0.87
Poor-quality meat in recipe0.0%-0.179+0.00
Number of poor ingredients1-0.876-0.88
Largest single poor ingredient13.4%0.060+0.80
Undeclared quantities99.0%-0.106-10.45
Prints ingredient percentagesno0.000+0.00
Complete dietno2.294+0.00
Frozen or chilled freshno0.000+0.00
High meat (30%+ of dry matter)no0.707+0.00
Low meat (under 10% of dry matter)yes-3.158-3.16
High carb and low meatno-1.180+0.00
Meat share × printed percentages0.00.000+0.00
Meat share × fresh0.00.000+0.00
Fresh × high meat0.011.084+0.00
Additive penalty-14.500.222-3.22
Processing multiplier0.9833.786+33.11
Processing: Rawno-0.054+0.00
Processing: Fresh Chilledno-2.354+0.00
Processing: Fresh Frozenno-2.354+0.00
Processing: Fresh Refrigeratedno0.000+0.00
Processing: Fresh Shelfno-0.672+0.00
Processing: Dry Freeze Driedno6.629+0.00
Processing: Dry Air Driedno6.331+0.00
Processing: Dry Cold Pressedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Bakedno-6.713+0.00
Processing: Dry Extrudedyes-6.713-6.71
Processing: Dry Semi Moistno-6.174+0.00
Processing: Dry Mueslino-10.146+0.00
Processing: Wet Pateno-0.672+0.00
Processing: Wet Chunksno-0.672+0.00
Processing-type offset
+0.02
Additives declared on label
+2 transparency bonus
Subtotal
41.0
Final score
41/100

Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.

This is not a complete diet, so the 1-100 rating does not apply to it. Read the recipe breakdown above as ingredient-quality context only.

Score history across model versions

The score shown above is always computed with the latest published model. Earlier scores are kept for the record and are never edited or deleted; a scoring change ships as a new model version with a public write-up on the methodology page.

ModelScore
v341/100current
v249/100
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges

Not applicable to complementary food. FEDIAF reference ranges apply to complete diets.

Transparency: what the label discloses

How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.

ItemPoints
✓ Ingredient list on the label (mandatory)10/10
✓ Printed percentages on the label (1% of the recipe mass) (voluntary)0.2/20
✓ Analytical constituents declared (mandatory)15/15
✓ Additives declared (mandatory)10/10
✓ Energy value declared (voluntary)5/5
✓ Complete/complementary designation (mandatory)5/5
✓ Feeding guidance given (mandatory)10/10
✓ Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory)5/10
✓ Country of manufacture stated (voluntary)10/10
✗ Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file0/5

Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Batch and date labelling).

Safety: recall history

Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.

No recalls recorded in our database.

See all current recalls we track.

Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it

No on-pack claims on file: nothing to verify.

The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.

See all products from AVA

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