# Antler chews?



## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Has anyone given their dogs the antler chews? Do they splinter? How long do they last? Can they chip the teeth? I am seriously looking into getting Ry 1 or 2. I just dont want nasty, smelly, sliimey things.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

I will be interested to hear about other people's experiences. I was considering buying one for Jäger, but I was handling it and it just felt so darn hard. I worried he might break a tooth. Jäger is an aggressive chewer, though.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Maybe this will help...

http://www.poodleforum.com/7-general-off-topic-chat/8192-antlerz-chewies.html


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

I bought a couple for Beau a few months back. He seems to enjoy them a lot, but he likes his (oder free!) bully sticks from Bully Sticks - All Natural Dog Treats - Best Bully Stick better. Of course, the antlers don't get all soft and gooie, which is probably why Beau prefers the bully sticks.

Anyway, the antlers show no signs whatsoever of splitting, and are well worth a try.


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## flufflvr (Mar 20, 2010)

Mine really like them too, and they don't smell or get gooey. They don't splinter at all. They don't chew on them for long periods like they do bullies and tartar busters, but a few minutes here and there. No teeth broken. . .


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Thanks guys! I think i might give them a try. Riley enjoys chewing on the really hard nylabones for either short periods or long periods, so he might enjoy these. I saw some at a dog show, and im kicking myself that i didnt buy one.


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## Purple Poodle (May 5, 2008)

We had an old set that was in the barn when we first moved into our house and the dogs chewed them for a while but I would think only aggressive chewers would need them.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

love them... tried normal ones and it wasn't a big hit- then got the onse spliced down the middle so the marrow is all odwn one side and the love them. i put a new one out admid the other one. and get about 2-3 weeks out of it bfeor they totally arent interested.


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## kimstm (Jun 24, 2010)

I also ordered one from the Best Bully Sticks site when I ordered the odor free bully sticks. She loves the bully sticks and she likes the antler, but she doesn't spend that much time with it. It is so hard and heavy that I can't imagine her ever being able to chew on it. Of course, she is still a puppy so that may be why.


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## wolfcub81 (Feb 5, 2010)

After seeing this thread, I went out this morning and bought some for my dogs. Piper carried it around for a half hour before she figured out she was supposed to chew it, lol. My cocker chewed on his for about 2 minutes and then went to sleep. He's not much of a bone chewer though. I will have to see how long it holds Piper's interest. A treat ball will keep her busy for hours!


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## Margotsmom (Jun 6, 2010)

Are we talking about Elk antlers? Because I think there are deer antlers out on the market as well. I have the Elk antlers from Wapiti in Minnesota, and love them, well the dogs that is love them. I have one my 15 month old Std has been working on for 5 months. I keep one in the car so she has it when I am away or to keep her busy when I drive. We sell them in the dog boutique where I work and we can't keep them in stock. We have only had one person claim her dog didn't chew it. I also have Chinese Crested, known for lousy teeth, and they too love the Spoo size antlers. I think they are the best chew out there personally.


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## Birdie (Jun 28, 2009)

I have seen them before at a little dog boutique. They also say they can barely keep them in stock, so I assumed they were pretty good! They went on about how long they last and how all their dogs adore them. Seems like a pretty good product, in my opinion. I seriously considered buying one for Desmond, but they were just so darn expensive!! I didn't get one since I wasn't sure he would even like it. He's more partial to cow hooves, he LOVES those! For a dollar, he can chew on one of those forever. I toss it once it gets jagged, and get him a new one. 
I also do worry about him chipping a tooth on an antler, they are so hard. He already has one chipped tooth and it makes me so sad. ): I try to avoid hard things like heavy marrow bones now, since I'm pretty sure that is what broke it.


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## Penjilum-Poodles (Apr 17, 2010)

I hear lots of people whom tried them, i have yet to, but i will some day in the future.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Ok, so last night i bought an antler and some thick non-smell bully sticks from that site posted on here. I hope the thick bullys last longer then the ones i buy at the feed store. He goes through those so fast. They carried one kind that lasted Days for Ry, but dont have them anymore (and it didnt smell). Hopefully these will be like it. I will let you guys know how it goes when we get it! Ry loves chewing on the hard nylabones, so hopefully this antler will be a hit!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

A week or two ago I bought a big antler for Millie and Henry to chew on. They take turns chewing and they both LOVE it, especially Millie. Anyway, I just noticed today that it is beginning to wear down quite a bit on one end. It is chewed up and feels kind softened from all the slobber and chewing. It's still a very big antler so there is no concern of choking, but does anyone know if it will hurt them to be chewing and obviously swallowing little shreds? I mean she must be swallowing shreds if the antler is slowly shrinking! Should I take it away or is it relatively digestable?


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I know porcupines chew on antlers they find during the winter for calcium?


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I know porcupines chew on antlers they find during the winter for calcium?


I literally just envisioned Millie and Henry as little brown and black porcupines...


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## Margotsmom (Jun 6, 2010)

From my experience only small pieces of the antler are chewed off, this should not present any kind of blockage issue. And, Elk antler is loaded with nutrition so I would not worry about them ingesting it. Nylabones are Nylon, they are ingesting that...


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## Curlydogs (Jun 28, 2010)

I got one for Cosmo a few weeks ago. He sniffed it a few times and promptly lost interest in it. I don't know why. He loves bully sticks, hooves, raw bones, basically anything other than the antler... O well - I will give it to my parents' lab, who I am sure will appreciate it.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Margotsmom said:


> From my experience only small pieces of the antler are chewed off, this should not present any kind of blockage issue. And, Elk antler is loaded with nutrition so I would not worry about them ingesting it. Nylabones are Nylon, they are ingesting that...


That was kind of my thinking....better an antler than nylon, right? And you're right, the stuff she is chewing off is just little bitty gooey chewed bits. Much better than the little hard nylon pieces from nylabones...


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Curlydogs said:


> I got one for Cosmo a few weeks ago. He sniffed it a few times and promptly lost interest in it. I don't know why. He loves bully sticks, hooves, raw bones, basically anything other than the antler... O well - I will give it to my parents' lab, who I am sure will appreciate it.


I was expecting that kind of a reaction, but Millie is just OBSESSED with her antler! She carries it around the house! She chews it every morning while I am getting ready to leave and every night while I get ready for bed. 

Henry actually loves it too, but he is hen pecked and doesn't get to play with most of the things he loves because Millie won't let him.....


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

LOL!! Riley is not too impressed either. He chewed on it a little, but the novilty wore off. He would still rather chew his nylabone.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Are antlers ok for puppies?


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

CurlyDog said:


> Are antlers ok for puppies?


Yes!!

BTW, I love your new sig. photo of your pup. How old? Is your puppy Cafe au Lait?


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Thanks ChocolateMillie! He's a SilverBeige. It's hard to believe that gorgeous chocolate brown coat will be gone, but I love his eyes! I actually had a cream puppy on hold but we fell in love with this little guy! My son picked him up and siad, "mom, this is THE ONE". He is 12 weeks old now. I think that pic was just a few days ago. 

I can't wait to try the antlers. I can't get him interested in Kongs. He'll lick whatever I put in/on them but the loses interest. He LOVES bully sticks but they go to fast for my budget!


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Personally, I won't get antlers for my guys. I also won't buy them Nylabones. I won't risk a chipped tooth. The antlers just seem so darned hard. I have a friend that raises elk (for meat) and they sell the antlers at agility trials. I give my guys bully sticks (non odor ones :Lol and Nylabone's _Puppy Bones_. The puppy bones are much softer than the regular Nylabones. There is also a gumabone made by Nylabone that is harder than a puppybone and softer than a Nylabone. I also get my guys tendons and other fun body part chewies.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Swizzle has an elk antler. He is a chewer so he goes back and forth antler, bully, kong, nylabone with the nylabone being the least favorite. I was worried about cracked teeth and asked my sister. They have lots of elk there and she knows lots of dogs who have these (they can pick them off the ground there) and she has not heard of any cracked teeth. If they did crack a tooth they probably would put it in the newspaper. Everyone who catches a fish, has a birthday or does almost anything gets in the local paper.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

AgilityIG said:


> Personally, I won't get antlers for my guys. I also won't buy them Nylabones. I won't risk a chipped tooth. The antlers just seem so darned hard. I have a friend that raises elk (for meat) and they sell the antlers at agility trials. I give my guys bully sticks (non odor ones :Lol and Nylabone's _Puppy Bones_. The puppy bones are much softer than the regular Nylabones. There is also a gumabone made by Nylabone that is harder than a puppybone and softer than a Nylabone. I also get my guys tendons and other fun body part chewies.


Really? That is very interesting. The antlers that I have purchased (from MANY different companies) are soft, even more so once they get a little moist from chewing. They are much, much, much softer than those hard nylabones. Antlers are one of the safest things you can allow your dog to chew on. I wonder if you have found some sort of processed antlers? That would not be good.

The rule of thumb is...don't allow your dog to chew on something harder than their own teeth. Antlers are softer than their teeth, most definitely. I can pick away at them with my fingernail.

For a strong chewer, those soft nylabones will be chewed to pieces and ingested in minutes (experienced that here lol). Antlers are a much more natural and safer alternative. They get calcium from chewing antlers. Ingesting plastic just doesn't seem like a good idea to me, especially when we are all learning to avoid overexposure to plastic in our own lives.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

CurlyDog said:


> Thanks ChocolateMillie! He's a SilverBeige. It's hard to believe that gorgeous chocolate brown coat will be gone, but I love his eyes! I actually had a cream puppy on hold but we fell in love with this little guy! My son picked him up and siad, "mom, this is THE ONE". He is 12 weeks old now. I think that pic was just a few days ago.
> 
> I can't wait to try the antlers. I can't get him interested in Kongs. He'll lick whatever I put in/on them but the loses interest. He LOVES bully sticks but they go to fast for my budget!


I almost asked if he was silver beige but his face looked a little darker so I wasn't sure! Beautiful boy! Silver beige is one of my favorite colors. Cannot wait to see him change.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

ChocolateMillie said:


> Really? That is very interesting. The antlers that I have purchased (from MANY different companies) are soft, even more so once they get a little moist from chewing. They are much, much, much softer than those hard nylabones. Antlers are one of the safest things you can allow your dog to chew on. I wonder if you have found some sort of processed antlers? That would not be good.
> 
> The rule of thumb is...don't allow your dog to chew on something harder than their own teeth. Antlers are softer than their teeth, most definitely. I can pick away at them with my fingernail.
> 
> For a strong chewer, those soft nylabones will be chewed to pieces and ingested in minutes (experienced that here lol). Antlers are a much more natural and safer alternative. They get calcium from chewing antlers. Ingesting plastic just doesn't seem like a good idea to me, especially when we are all learning to avoid overexposure to plastic in our own lives.


The antlers I had my hands on were straight off the farm - no processing involved. My friend brings them to agility trials. Her family raises elk. Vinnie does not eat the Puppybones. He just chews off pieces and spits them out.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

AgilityIG said:


> The antlers I had my hands on were straight off the farm - no processing involved. My friend brings them to agility trials. Her family raises elk. Vinnie does not eat the Puppybones. He just chews off pieces and spits them out.


I personally still do not like the idea of my dog chewing on plastic. Weirds me out with all of the things we are learning about plastic. Maybe I'm just an overthinker.  Anyway, I promise the antlers are soft, especially once they are chewed on. They actually turn into like a wet, gooey calcium type substance. It gets in Millie's ears which is irritating....Certainly cannot chip teeth, though. Some wear away into tiny granules so fast my dog has eaten through an XL in 2 days. Her poop was straight white calcium LOL.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Thanks for all the quick relies! I'm going to try the antlers. I think Raleigh will like them!


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## fracturedcircle (Aug 19, 2010)

mine did not like the antlers. I don't know if they were elk or deer. is their composition so different? I was told that putting them into meat broth might spark some interest, but we haven't tried that yet.

P.S. I absolutely love silver beige too.


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## jasperspoo (Feb 25, 2011)

Jasper loves his antlers. I believe that they are elk. He's not an aggressive chewer, but does love to gnaw on them... I mean he does prefer a bully stick, but the antlers last longer, so... I have to say that the antler is the only 'toy' that he always gets (I rotate so he doesn't get bored) but it's also his go-to favourite!


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

So, Raleigh chews on his antler a little it but gets bored easily so I will rotate it. Today I bought him a beef tendon and he is having a ball. It looks like it'll last longer than bully sticks too. Well worth the price at $6 (compared to bully sticks). The shop also had two large braided sticks made from buffalo intestines. Seemed like it would be a hit but the clerk told me they stink and the owner wasn't going to order any more for that reason. Still, seems like a bargain and might be worthwhile for use outside? Anyone tried these?


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm lucky that my boyfriend is an avid hunter, so he harvests deer antlers in abundance while the season is in (also deer meat of course, which is a special treat for the pups and the kitty). So my two girls and his labrador have deer antlers to chew all year! 

They aren't hard at all. They are actually fairly soft. Now, these are completely untreated, unprocessed, un-anything but completely natural. They come right off the wild white-tailed deer. I don't know if any preservation or processing goes on with store-bought ones that may make them harder. I have also never tried elk antlers so can't attest to those. 

But my girls LOVE antlers. I let them chew them down and then replace them with new ones from the stash. They like these much more than they like Nylabones, and I like them better because they are completely natural and not synthetic like Nylabones. I don't think chipping a tooth is a huge concern with antlers, because they are pretty soft. We have never had any problems.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

Update on the beef tendon:

I was mistaken about the price. They were only $3! They last a long time and Raleigh loves them. He will still chew on the deer antler, but loses interest quickly. My mom bought her dog an elk antler and Raleigh seemed to like that better but it may just be that it was somebody else's!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Mine ignore the - very expensive - antlers I bought them. Beef tendon (paddywack in the UK) is a perennial favourite, though, and lasts them for ages.


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## Panda (Jan 7, 2010)

I didn't know paddywack was beef tendon. I have never given it to Panda because it looked really hard. Maybe I will get some for him.. Is it any good for sensitive tummies though? He is a bit of a poo bum when given new food. normally OK for treats though although I guess you can never be too careful


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I find the bigger pieces are better - they can't get enough off at a time to cause tummy upsets. Sophy can have problems if she gets too much chewy bar at once (and it always seems to happen when we are visiting my sister!), but she is OK with paddywack. I do avoid giving her the little soft fatty bits, though.

Sainsburys etc sell the Good Boy version for around £1 a pack.


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