Elk Antlers - Page 1

I have the opportunity to purchase elk antlers as a very rerasonable price, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with thier dog's teeth and elk antler chews. I don't want to cause any issues there. They would only have them an hour or two a day while they are in the kennel. Thanks!

Google antler chews and teeth...lots of information out there.  I would not give them to my dog.

Thanks for the info, Keith! I've been giving these to my dogs now and then, but was not aware they could cause a problem!

They are one of the few things that seem to last with my female, Star, who demolishes even very tough dog toys (Kongs, Bad Cuz) in sort order!  :(

Anything hard can cause a problem with teeth, and just about any item that a dog finds satisfying to chew on comes with pros and cons.

I do give my dogs antlers, but I also limit how much they chew on them, and I make sure I buy ones that are of appropriate size; it takes them months to whittle the antler down, and I haven't had them break any sharp pieces off of them as sometimes happens with the raw beef femurs I also give them from time to time. My old rescue girl, Suess, wasn't so much into chewing on stuff--her thing was carrying large rocks around in her mouth. She didn't chew the rock, she just carried it around, dropping it now and then to play 'rock-hockey' before she picked it back up and paraded around with it so I could admire her and her rock. Her incisors were worn to the gum, but the rest of her teeth were perfectly fine when she passed at 15+ yrs. 

Yes, my Hexe had a couple of molars that slab-fractured when she was 12-13 yrs old, but at that age it didn't really surprise me. They never caused her any pain, and the enjoyment she took in her antlers and bones was well worth what it cost me to have the damaged molars removed.

It's a balance, and it's up to each owner to decide what's best for their individual dogs. hntrjmper434, if you're not going to avail yourself of your opportunity for the elk antlers, don't hesitate to send that opportunity my way!

Oh gosh, Hexe, your girl and my old boy, Ranger must be siblings!!  His teeth are terribly worn from chewing on rocks!  And last spring, when a contractor and I were up on my roof, taking a pickaxe to 6-8 inches of ice so the roof would stop leaking, he was grabbing big chunks of the ice and chewing on them until his gums bled!

We did get the leak stopped,and the roof has been fine ever since, thank God!!