# deer antlers?



## Ladyscarletthawk (Dec 6, 2011)

They are awesome and aren't messy/smelly either. But I have a mini and toy.. Mini doesn't chew it cause she can't swallow it.. A waste of time in her opinion. My toy chews on it nearly everyday and has for months now.. She's gnawed down almost 3" in 6 months or so. Doesn't sound like a lot but she's constantly whittling away at it lol. Otherwise both will eat chicken necks and wings


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Mine chew on elk antlers. They like them when the marrow is exposed, but grow tired of them as soon as it's gnawed around the fresh cut. Then we power saw off another little bit to expose more marrow and they like them again. We haven't had any bad experiences so far.


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## cindyreef (Sep 28, 2012)

Ive had an elk antler for 3 months now and he will chew on it quite often, a couple times a day. Clean, doesnt chip and no smell. Thumbs up here.


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## TammyQ (Feb 10, 2012)

My Hudson loves these things.


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## Grace (Jul 27, 2012)

My spoo pup really loved her antler (forgot what species it was) for the first couple of weeks, but then she lost interest. Now she chews on it only when we hold it for her (spoiled!!). With moderate chewing, it has scratches on it but the size & length are the same as when it was brand new.

We were told by our pet supply store employees to let her chew it only intermittently - not all day / every day - because the antlers are so hard that it can be tough on dogs' teeth. The boiling in chicken broth seems like a great idea, especially if you use low-sodium broth.


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## Arborgale (Dec 11, 2011)

This is the first time I have used an antler and Rosie LOVES it! I have not used chicken broth. She has worked her antler down a good bit. She will only chew one end though. The other end was where it was once attached and she won't touch that end. I have thought of cutting that part off to see if she will chew that end, but it makes a good stand while she is chewing, so I don't want to ruin it for her. 

I am glad that I have found this clean, no mess chew toy for her.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Mine ignored them, even when I shaved the end, soaked the antlers in chicken stock, pretended I wanted them for myself - it seems dogs either love them, or simply don't get the point. Try a smallish cheapish one before splashing out, just in case!


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## first poodle (Jan 12, 2010)

Ginger had an antler but showed almost no interest in it (and she loves chewing), my sister's dog loves her antler and that's why we bought one for Ginger. Ginger goes thru everything else so quickly (including beef tendons) we thought we'd give it a try. Our antler has been passed to my daughter's Great Dane who will chew on it once and a while and hasn't made a dent in it yet.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

None of my dogs care anything for the antlers. I finally gave mine to Chili, my sister in laws dog, who loves them. He has had his (and now mine) for months and they only have some on the ends smoothed out. The only things like this that my dogs have liked are the hoofs.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

My mpoo is one who isn't interested in antlers at all. I've tried repeatedly to tempt him with them over the past three years, but wound up re-gifting them to friends' dogs, all of whom do like them.:smile: This Whole Dog Journal article about antlers might be of interest.

High Quality Dog Chews - Deer Rack Snack Antler Chews - Whole Dog Journal Article


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## pgr8dnlvr (Aug 7, 2011)

Just a word of caution, in the last 3 months we had to do two extractions of fractured teeth from dogs chewing antlers. Ideally they would have had capping and or root canals at veterinary dental specialists, however it seems a lot of pet owners don't have or want to pay the $1500 to $2000 fee that would entail, so they opt for the $6-$700 extraction instead. 

Be careful if you want to use antlers as chew treats and maybe be prepared in case you suddenly need money for dental care 

Rebecca


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## Lea (Oct 20, 2012)

I've heard they are great. (I have yet to give them to Murphy) 

I was advised not to give them to your pup until the baby teeth are gone as they are hard enough to chip them.


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## KidWhisperer (Apr 3, 2012)

Sammi gives two thumbs up for antlers! We've gotten two so far. The latest one is split lengthwise down the middle, and she much prefers that one.

There is another chew that she loves that is a long stick of dehydrated duck. She eats that pretty fast, though. Cows hoof sounds interesting too!


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

Panda likes his but I read a few weeks ago that dogs can break teeth on them so I havent been letting him have it. He doesnt go after it too hard so Im probably worrying for nothing.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

pgr8dnlvr said:


> Just a word of caution, in the last 3 months we had to do two extractions of fractured teeth from dogs chewing antlers. Ideally they would have had capping and or root canals at veterinary dental specialists, however it seems a lot of pet owners don't have or want to pay the $1500 to $2000 fee that would entail, so they opt for the $6-$700 extraction instead.
> 
> Be careful if you want to use antlers as chew treats and maybe be prepared in case you suddenly need money for dental care
> 
> Rebecca


Yes, this happened to my girl. It was either antler or nylabone, cannot be sure which. But both are hard enough to cause this.


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## Mikey'sMom (Feb 21, 2012)

Thanks everyone. I guess we will try it, but not give them access to the antlers all the time, and make sure we supervise them. 

Do they consume much of it? If my older dog is ever so slightly overweight, it giving him this a bad idea? I don't want him over-eating, but it sounds like they don't really eat it, jsut gnaw on it, is that right?


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

Yes, no need to worry about calories, just watch to see how hard they chew. If they chew hard, they can break a tooth.


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## caroline429 (Mar 5, 2012)

Cali only likes antlers if they are cut in half so she can get at the middle portion. If they are whole, she ignores them which is probably a good thing. The outside of an antler is very, very hard and I can see where a dog would risk fracturing a tooth if they tried to chew through the outside to get at the middle.

The middle is softer than the outside and is composed mainly of calcium. When a dog loses interest in the antler, you can soak it in water overnight and that seems to make it tastier.


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