# Antlers as dog chews?



## stencilface (25 October 2013)

So today I bought my dog a new toy (skin fling) to try to stop him feeling bad after the all the gifts we had for the new baby. Whilst I was in the shop I got him an antler dog chew.  I wasn't expecting much after he showed no interest in the tree root chew I bought, but he loves it, obviously still tastes deery enough to be interesting!

From what I've read they don't splinter, and have dry marrow in them. My dog loves raw bones but he eats them incredibly quickly and the marrow does not agree with his digestive system and I thought the antler might be a happy medium. Has anyone used them, have I committed a AAD crime akin to feeding bakers?!


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## Dobiegirl (25 October 2013)

I did consider this after finding a few but have heard stories of dogs breaking their teeth on them so have given it a miss, to buy they are very expensive too so my poor deprived dogs will have to make do with bones.


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## stencilface (25 October 2013)

I just wish mine could have bones without decorating my carpet quite so much


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## CorvusCorax (25 October 2013)

They're very, very hard, so combined with a dog that has a strong drive to chew they can lead to blunt or broken teeth. Plus as mentioned they are expensive. I've bought them before but never left him unattended with them.

Have you tried any of the Nylabone range?


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## stencilface (25 October 2013)

He's probably chewed it for about an hour today, currently he's asleep and there's still a lot of antler left, I did think they could be teeth breakers 

Have just looked at nylabone and they do look good, I think I was attracted to the fact that the antlers as natural iykwim?! He has a teeth chew (dentastix) daily which I know are 'bad' but he likes them, I was just looking for something to keep him occupied and as a treat. I will take the antler (its only a small one as I didn't want to spend lots if he didn't like it) away from him when I'm not here though.


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## CorvusCorax (25 October 2013)

I'm sure it'll be fine then, mine's just a 'seek and destroy' type 
The Masterpet chews are quite good also.


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## Pinkvboots (25 October 2013)

Funny I saw the antler chews in the pet shop today and wondered what they were like as never seen them before.


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## MiniMilton (25 October 2013)

I'm over run with deer here and often find antlers in the field (along with body parts which can be a bit alarming)
The full antlers last so long that my dogs actually loose interest in them. I was horrified to see the price of a short segment of antler in the shop! Maybe bring the dogs for walks in deer areas and you may come across some full ones. There seems to be a time of year that you see them everywhere. I have it in my head that its February but I could be remembering wrong.


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## milo'n'molly (25 October 2013)

Mine has one and he chews on it now and again and has had it for months and has hardly made a dent on it


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## satinbaze (25 October 2013)

Great things. I help out occasionally on a friends pet stall and did so at last years crufts. I was accosted by a bloke who accused me of cruelty for killing deer just so dogs could have a chew. He felt a real fool when I reminded him that deer shed their antlers each year so stag bars are the ultimate in recycled chew toys.


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## Bestdogdash (25 October 2013)

My dog absolutely loves them - she got her first about 6 months ago and I have just replaced it. They don't splinter, clearly taste good and last. She broke bits off her nylabone and swolled them - not good. I don't buy the excuse the are too hard - dogs teeth are designed for this - otherwises wolves would have had a hard time gumming bones to pieces !


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## Janah (25 October 2013)

You can soften the antlers by putting in a bowl of water in the fridge overnight.  I do believe if a dog breaks a tooth on them it will happen anyway, as a weak tooth.

My dogs love them and are a good treat with no weight gain and keep them occupied for hours.


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## jodie3 (25 October 2013)

Mine have a couple that I found in the woods.  I was going to buy them one until I saw how expensive they are.

One was quite a small antler and that is their preferred one, it is now well chewed and almost at the stage when I probably should take it away.

The other one is a big antler and is very, very hard.  They have a little chew now and then but have made virtually no impression on it.

As I am typing this Vega has given up on the antler and decided to chew the broom instead!!


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## stencilface (25 October 2013)

Good to know there are others that like them, he does seem to enjoy it.

Having said that, since I gave him the skin fling - a badger which I thought was appropriate  - he ignored the antler and set about 'killing' poor old Brock


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## MillyMoomie (25 October 2013)

They are brilliant, i got some for a pair of severly starved, emaciated staffies who were showing signs of food aggression in kennels with other dogs. They also would immediately try and swallow ANYTHING that dropped on the floor. This involved a syringe and mobile phone at the vet surgery! Luckily they were not human aggressive in any way so both items were retrieved from their mouths!
Anyway, the vet in charge who is considered one of the best in the county recommended an antler chew whilst in kennels as they wouldn't splinter ( and then be swallowed ) and would last forever. Other chews were found to be just too easy to splinter into little bits. Plus the poor dogs were on tiny amount of food still because of re-feeding syndrome, they needed some enrichment!!
To wrap this long winded story up, they are brilliant! ( but expensive)


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## stencilface (25 October 2013)

There's a big country estate near me with a deer park so might have a forage for our own, unless he manages to catch his own the next time he beggars off chasing after a deer.


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## Spring Feather (26 October 2013)

We have loads of deer come through and live on our farm and I have so many full sets of antlers that I now use them in the house as glove driers/warmers by the fire.  My dogs find them and bring them home and they all enjoy them a lot; some I leave with them but the nicer ones I bring into the house and keep.


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## MurphysMinder (26 October 2013)

I give mine antlers occasionally (stag bars).  They do last ages but I had a bit of a fright a while ago when I found Freya had bitten off a chunk which she could easily have swallowed,  so when I get them now I always ask for ones that are just one solid "trunk" rather than with spurs off.


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## twiggy2 (26 October 2013)

mine love them


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## freckles22uk (26 October 2013)

I got some ages ago, the dogs did chew at them for a while but then got bored, the new puppy has found them and loves them, shes chews and plays with them, but Ive just ordered some of the ones that are split down the center so she can get to the inside better..


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## misterjinglejay (26 October 2013)

I looked into them as I didn't want to pay the horrendous price, but the dogs love them, so wondered if I could just buy some antlers and saw them up. We used to live on Ashdown Forest and could've made a killing on all the antlers we found!

Different breeds of deer have different toughness of antlers - fallow appears to be the softest, with moose being the hardest. 
If you search on ebay you can find some bargains - bags of antlers from various breeds for only a few quid!


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## Cinnamontoast (26 October 2013)

Mine liked theirs, I was a bit worried about them breaking teeth. They lost interest after a while. 

Zak showing how to parade round with it:


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## Holly Hocks (26 October 2013)

I give my boy the stag bars.  Fabulous product - don't splinter, natural and last for ages.  Expensive, but to be honest, with the length of time that they last they don't work out expensive in the long term.


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## Tilo (26 October 2013)

My Lurcher thinks they are the bees knees!!


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## Follysmum (26 October 2013)

My Bulldog can't have the popular bones so the Antlers are great for him. He spends hours gnawing at it.


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## dunkley (26 October 2013)

As someone else said, they might have an expensive price tag, but they go on forever   My SiL (fingers crossed  ) shoots, and often brings them home - all the dogs love them!


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## Venevidivici (27 October 2013)

Antler word of warning!
My dogs had one each-loved them,no chipped teeth and plenty of healthy,teeth-cleaning gnawing on their ridged surface going on BUT.....

My OH sometimes let the dogs take their antler bones outside (they would be let out for a wee with antler still in mouths). I retrieved them from the garden,the next morning,whilst scooping the poop. This happened maybe 3 or 4 times. 

One day,I was horrified to find the dog bed had many small,beige maggots squirming on it. Eeeuuwww!
First thought was dogs had worms but realised not possible,as all on strict&up-to-date worming regime & no physical signs of worms. Then saw them on lounge carpet and...yeeuch..one of chairs in lounge. Then saw antler bone down side of armchair...picked it up&sure enough,squirming around & poking thru each hole in the marrow,like some gross scene from Alien or something,was a hideous wormy looking maggot. Omg:-/

I binned the antlers. Will never get another(whether kept strictly indoors or not!!). Presume they were fly larvae or something but flies and bugs can lay eggs anywhere,anytime. 
So,great idea but not for us anymore


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## druid (27 October 2013)

Mine loves his, they have some toys with antlers/rope/rubber rings which are big favorites too.


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## loopiesteff (28 October 2013)

I got one for my terrier about 8 months ago, it's still going strong! 

Although if a veal spine appears, the antler is quickly made redundant...


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## whisp&willow (28 October 2013)

Just a note to those who's dogs have gone off the stagbar:  give it a scrub with a stiff brush and water and they soon get the taste for them back!

Most damage has been done by Betty flinging hers about, chasing it across the laminate floor...


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## lexiedhb (29 October 2013)

whisp&willow said:



			Just a note to those who's dogs have gone off the stagbar:  give it a scrub with a stiff brush and water and they soon get the taste for them back!

Most damage has been done by Betty flinging hers about, chasing it across the laminate floor...
		
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Or rub a bit of pate on it!!!!  Dex flings his around too- OH was very much "watch the bloody tv- you idiot ginger creature" last weekend.........


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## dunthing (29 October 2013)

Our young Lab has had two of the large ones and he loves them. He isn't allowed to take his indoor toys outside so they are safe from maggots. Stag bars have lots of protein and calcium in them and although they are quite expensive, they do last quite a long time. He will be having another one for Christmas this year.


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## stargirl88 (29 October 2013)

whisp&willow said:



			Just a note to those who's dogs have gone off the stagbar:  give it a scrub with a stiff brush and water and they soon get the taste for them back!
		
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might give that a try!

Vet sold me one a few months back and after an eye-watering price the dog wasn't even interested. Like the lack of mess when comparing to raw bones though!


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