# antlers???????



## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

I see a lot of people giving pups antlers, I know nothing about them other than they were on someone's head at one time or another.. Are they safe, I have one with a sensitive belly, would it upset him ?


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## joeandruth (Aug 11, 2012)

It would certainly upset Dasher, Dancer, Donner, ...., Rudolph et al. Sorry, couldn't resist. I too, worry about antlers. I have heard they may crack a dog's teeth. Waiting for more info on this forum.


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## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

joeandruth said:


> It would certainly upset Dasher, Dancer, Donner, ...., Rudolph et al. Sorry, couldn't resist. I too, worry about antlers. I have heard they may crack a dog's teeth. Waiting for more info on this forum.


LMBO....:reindeer:


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## SWHouston (Aug 23, 2013)

Antlers are a great source of Calcium, and the only time I've herd of it "damaging" teeth, was from someone that didn't know the difference between deciduous and permanent, and thought the tooth they found laying there was a permanent one. I explained it to them, since they finally admitted the Dog was only 5 mo old.

One thing you should watch out for...
This applies to Bully Sticks as well. When a piece gets small enough to swallow, pick it up and discard it. Both are quite hard to digest when not rendered to a pulp, like the starting material is when chewed. These solid (larger) pieces lingering in their stomachs can interrupt diets and cause regurgitation frequently. I've not herd that they do much more than that, but it does interrupt their nutritional process for a couple days.

So, just keep a close eye out for those smaller pieces


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## LittlePixie (Jan 22, 2013)

My chi's get antlers. Its the main thing I give them for chewing. They LOVE them! Not to mention, they last months. Saves me money and keeps them happy 
Here is what I found about them: _First and most importantly, a dog's natural instinct is to search out and chew bones. Antler is bone, but unlike skeletal bones that primarily have a soft center, antler is solid bone thereby making it virtually impossible for a dog to break. Antler dog chews will not splinter or shred making them one of the longest lasting natural dog chews available to you. Antler dog chews are all natural. Because it is bone, it is naturally rich in calcium and minerals to enhance your pet's overall health and well being. They natural and have not been chemically enhanced or do they contain dyes or preservatives. These chews come to you exactly how nature created them. Natural antler dog chews are virtually odorless. While antler dog chews have no detectable odor to you and I they have an appealing scent to a canine's discerning nose._
They are much safer than rawhides and a lot of other chew things for dogs.
I actually sell them, usually half the price that the pet stores sell them for. I have a few small left if your interested in trying them out 

Here is a pic of my antler-holic, Pixie


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

I have heard that they are not good for really hard chewers because of tooth damage, but that goes for any hard chew. We had one for Odie and she chewed it a bit but is more interested in bully sticks.


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## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

LittlePixie said:


> My chi's get antlers. Its the main thing I give them for chewing. They LOVE them! Not to mention, they last months. Saves me money and keeps them happy
> Here is what I found about them: _First and most importantly, a dog's natural instinct is to search out and chew bones. Antler is bone, but unlike skeletal bones that primarily have a soft center, antler is solid bone thereby making it virtually impossible for a dog to break. Antler dog chews will not splinter or shred making them one of the longest lasting natural dog chews available to you. Antler dog chews are all natural. Because it is bone, it is naturally rich in calcium and minerals to enhance your pet's overall health and well being. They natural and have not been chemically enhanced or do they contain dyes or preservatives. These chews come to you exactly how nature created them. Natural antler dog chews are virtually odorless. While antler dog chews have no detectable odor to you and I they have an appealing scent to a canine's discerning nose._
> They are much safer than rawhides and a lot of other chew things for dogs.
> I actually sell them, usually half the price that the pet stores sell them for. I have a few small left if your interested in trying them out
> ...


YES!!!! do you have 4? do you take paypal?


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## LittlePixie (Jan 22, 2013)

yup. Let me see what I have left, they sell so fast!


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## LittlePixie (Jan 22, 2013)

Ok, so I have 3 small and 3 xsmall. If you send me a message, I will send you pics and prices


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

My two got one last night and so far so good they both love it! It was the first thing Sonny grabbed from the SS box Aunt Kay sent.


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## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

were going to try them, they will be in thier stockings!!!


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## LittlePixie (Jan 22, 2013)

Hope they love them, you're very welcome!


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## loupey (Oct 1, 2013)

Mine always fight over the antlers. Even though I have two dogs and 2 antlers. They always want the one the other one has!


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

In our house the antlers are being shunned in favour of hooves. I just had to buy two more for the puppies because all of a sudden everyone wants to chew hooves!


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## omguthrie (Oct 13, 2009)

I have had one of my border collies to break a molar on an antler but the big dogs are hard chewers. It was a slab fracture, quite painful and he had to go under anesthesia to have it removed. I think, like any other chew, it depends on the individual dog and that they should always be given under supervision. My dogs loved them but they can never be given again at my house. We stick to rawhides and raw bones here.


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

Wicked Pixie said:


> In our house the antlers are being shunned in favour of hooves. I just had to buy two more for the puppies because all of a sudden everyone wants to chew hooves!


FYI-I know everything has dangers...but this happened to someone I personally know. They lost a dog to a perforated intestine after a little splinter off of a hoof was ingested. They had an autopsy done, so it was confirmed. Just wanted to pass along. I was using hooves also, now the only thing I use is antlers.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Thanks for sharing Debby, was the dog a toy breed or a bigger one? I don't think my lot actually get pieces off the hooves, but I will certainly be watching carefully. It is hard to find a chew that is totally safe :/


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

Wicked Pixie said:


> Thanks for sharing Debby, was the dog a toy breed or a bigger one? I don't think my lot actually get pieces off the hooves, but I will certainly be watching carefully. It is hard to find a chew that is totally safe :/


It was a bigger dog....I kept using hooves thinking the same thing Stella. My breeder swore by them I felt comfortable with them until I found little shard on the floor. As I searched there were more. That was it.
The girls have a Facebook page, a trusted source had a dog die of a small ingested piece of Bully stick. 
I just don't feel safe with anything but antlers or the hard nylabones now. They love especially the elk antlers that are sliced.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

We tried the antlers, my pups didn't get much use out of them. They could only chew the very tip of it, and lost interest quickly. I have heard that strong chewers can and have broken teeth on them.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

The puppies won't chew antlers or nylabones. The things they favour are hooves and fabric. They love edible chews too, but they are coming up to teething age (15 weeks now) so need more chewing options. I did see some antlers that were sawn in half, maybe they would prefer them.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Wicked Pixie said:


> The puppies won't chew antlers or nylabones. The things they favour are hooves and fabric. They love edible chews too, but they are coming up to teething age (15 weeks now) so need more chewing options. I did see some antlers that were sawn in half, maybe they would prefer them.


I saw those somewhere. I thought about trying them out, but they are pricey, and I would have to buy 4. I figured since the other ones weren't a hit, we'd just stick to bully sticks. I buy the 6 inch, thin from best bullies. Chance is able to get the end going pretty good, the girls really just slober on them. I pick the ones that are kinda flat out of the bag to give to the girls. I let them gnaw at them for about an hour or so, then I toss them. Lots of waste, but I have to provide something to chew for teeth cleaning. Gia is either going to have a dental, or really get to chewing. She is starting to get minimal plaque build up. So far, so good with the other 3. If Gia has to have a dental, my vet has referred her to a specialist. They aren't keen on the idea of putting her under. I've been trying to jiggle a toothbrush around in her mouth, but it basically chokes her, so she's scared of it. :/


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

Wicked Pixie said:


> The puppies won't chew antlers or nylabones. The things they favour are hooves and fabric. They love edible chews too, but they are coming up to teething age (15 weeks now) so need more chewing options. I did see some antlers that were sawn in half, maybe they would prefer them.


I forgot you had the puppies! I bet you are having a ball with them. The antlers last forever, when I buy them, I look for the ones that have a large area of bone marrow exposed, even in the whole ones, those are the ones they prefer. 
It's hard with the little ones, I just kept them in every room, along with kongs and nylabones. That seemed to give her enough of a variation of what I considered "safe". I always kept antlers around when Mia & Raisin, (siblings), were teething. 
Lily and Mia are my chewers, I would say hard chewers, their teeth look great.


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## Pitluvs (Jul 24, 2013)

I used to be a pet rat owner, and antler chews where big for rat treats (cut into slices, not full antlers). The only thing that came up when we were discussing them was the dose of hormones that might be in the antlers. I am a bit fuzzy now but something along the lines of when they're shed, they have a higher concentration of hormones in them. I don't really remember the outcome of that topic, but it was enough for me to not want to buy them lol These guys sure look like they are enjoying them though!!


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## LittlePixie (Jan 22, 2013)

I cant stand the smell of hooves omg stink! Makes me house smell like a farm!


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

These don't smell at all, far less smelly than a bully stick. Maybe they have been treated with something? I am starting to think I should throw them out.


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## debrawade10 (Oct 10, 2013)

LittlePixie said:


> I cant stand the smell of hooves omg stink! Makes me house smell like a farm!


I have owned horses...I thought the same thing! When they chewed them the smell was overpowering.


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## LittlePixie (Jan 22, 2013)

Yeah, the ones I bought smelled terrible. My house would smell like a farm in a matter of minutes. The cow poop smell would stick around too...I hated them. If they dont smell Pixie, something is wrong Lol


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## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

My big dog use to chew thw hooves and the pig ears..and yyes the house smelled like a farm. .lol.
I completely expect them to all want the same one..they do that now with some of the nylabones. With a little luck they will all pick different ones and find a neutral corner


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## SWHouston (Aug 23, 2013)

cpaoline said:


> I completely expect them to all want the same one


HA HA, I think it's not a matter of resource guarding, but breeding


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I don't use the antlers nor hooves. Our sheltie had a slab fracture of a molar chewing the hoof. I use cow ears that are not dyed.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Pitluvs said:


> I used to be a pet rat owner, and antler chews where big for rat treats (cut into slices, not full antlers). The only thing that came up when we were discussing them was the dose of hormones that might be in the antlers. I am a bit fuzzy now but something along the lines of when they're shed, they have a higher concentration of hormones in them. I don't really remember the outcome of that topic, but it was enough for me to not want to buy them lol These guys sure look like they are enjoying them though!!


That is intiresting. Now I get my antlers recently shed from a property in Montana where they just end up with a lot in the yard. They are for sure more popular than store bought antlers but I wasn't sure why. If this is true it makes a lot of sense. I do know the dogs seem to prefer the bottom part of the antler (The part closer to the deer's head). 

As far as safety I think they are much safer than rawhide for sure, and depending on the kind of chewers you have they are safer than hoves. They are softer than marrow bones or other large weight barring bones of animals so are less likely to cause tooth fracture than those. Nothing is totally risk free (life is pretty dangerous after all) but it is safer than many alternatives. The only verifiable injury I have ever heard from them is from bigger dogs swallowing pieces that are too small and them getting lodged in their throats. So just make sure you get a big enough piece that it can't be swallowed! I certainly believe that a dog COULD fracture a tooth, but on every occasion I have seen on the internet about that it was actually a horn the dog was chewing on, not an antler (horns are permanent things like on antelope and goats and therefore totally different than antlers). I also suspect that some of these dogs had underlying issues and the antler just got blamed for the fractures (I have seen so many slab fractures blamed on chicken bones that I just don't trust people to actually be able to identify what happened most of the time). My Copley is a hard chewer and it is just about the only lasting chew I feel good about him having. Not to say that the poster who said their dog got a slab fracture from an antler is wrong- it for sure could happen- I just think for every 20 slab fractures blamed on antlers there is probably only 1 or 2 that actually were caused by antlers.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

Like half of one of my paragraphs was erased there. But the long and the short of it was that I believe hormones might make them more tasty- but since my dogs (and wolves) eat deer year round including hormone secreting organs without any hormonal issues I can't imagine that any hormones in the antlers them selves would cause a problem.


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## omguthrie (Oct 13, 2009)

I do know for a fact that my dog got a slab fracture from an antler, he had perfect dentition (I brush their teeth) then I gave the antlers which he chewed enthusiastically and then later that evening I noticed that he was having trouble eating his dinner. I checked his mouth and found the slab fracture. My dogs chew rawhide appropriately and raw bones nicely so I would much rather give those to them and supervise. 

I think everyone has to find the chews that work best for them. I know I hear that so many people hate rawhides but they work great for my crew.


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## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

Molly (18 weeks old) loves her antler. She has an extremely sensitive tummy and it hasn't affected that at all, it's one of her favourite things to settle down with. I don't allow her to have it unattended though just in case. She has her antler, a puppy Nylabone and the chicken fillet chews from Sainsburys and they satisfy her chewing needs perfectly. I do think I'm going to get the ones split in half for next time as she'll soon run out of marrow that she can reach!


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## Moonfall (Nov 16, 2012)

My personal thoughts on each "type" of chew-

Antler- they are hard and can cause fractures. I don't use them personally but consider the idea and may try it out some day. My dog is not a super hard chewer.

Hooves- I won't use the cow ones. I have a horse though, and when his feet get trimmed Douglas gets to munch on a hoof for a bit. Never unsupervised.

Bully sticks- I use these. They smell so bad though that he only gets it in his crate. We're trying to crate train him, so he goes in to chew that and gets brought out later.

Nylabones- I have not tried, but want to.

Raw meaty bones- My favorite. They really go to work to get to the marrow and get the meat off.


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## Saqqara (Feb 14, 2013)

I haven't tried antlers or hooves for Cai. He only gets bully sticks. I did give him one of those big bones that are in pet stores. I let him chew on it for about a day and then tossed it. 
He is a bully stick fanatic. The tiny, thin ones do not last long with him. He will go through one in about an hour. A couple of times, he swallowed a piece a little longer than an inch before I could take it away. Now, I only give him large ones. He chews the heck out of them, and they last so much longer.


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## Audreybabypup (Sep 14, 2010)

All my girls get antlers


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## cpaoline (Oct 9, 2012)

Antlers were a hit!!! Luigi grabbed his and ran into the back room. Mia, Enzo and Vito snuggled into thier beds with thiers. Trying to get pics but all you can see is the tops of thier heads burrowed into thier beds..lol protective chewing I guess


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