To give this chew to my dog?

[frostedviolets]

Clearing out the cupboards and I've found an old fallow deer antler dog chew.

It looks like new but I would guesstimate it to be at least two, if not three years old...

Is it likely to be safe?
Not going to splinter or anything?

Absolutely fine. We had one for years. Just boil it up in a saucepan for a bit to get the marrow smelting good again.

Antlers are a fortune in pet shops, go for it.

It’s not the age of it that’s the concern, it’s that antlers are far too hard for dogs to chew. Though dogs jaws are strong their tooth enamel is thinner and weaker than in humans. There’s a very real risk of tooth fractures. A good tip is, if you can’t indent it with your thumb nail, it’s too hard.

It’s not the age of it that’s the concern, it’s that antlers are far too hard for dogs to chew. Though dogs jaws are strong their tooth enamel is thinner and weaker than in humans. There’s a very real risk of tooth fractures. A good tip is, if you can’t indent it with your thumb nail, it’s too hard

I have heard this before.

It's a fallow deer one which are meant to be softer than the stagbar type, that's why I used to buy them.
But even so I did used to worry.

Dog actually really isn't a chewer at all!
Never has been, chewed a bit as a pup during teething but never been big on chewing.

Hence why the antler was stuffed in the back of cupboard to be found tonight!
There are chewroots in there too, pristine condition as dog never showed any interest.

I have taken the antler out, its in her bed, she's literally had the tiniest nibble and left it.

We are going to be buying a second pup at some point and I'll obviously need chews for him.

What do I use?!

I don't buy rawhide because I've heard it's toxic.

I don't buy anything plastic like nylabone because I don't want my dog/s ingesting plastic.

I don't buy roast bones because I hear they can splinter.

I don't buy rope toys incase the dog/s ingest the rope and it causes a blockage.

And there is a safety question mark over antlers too!

🤦🏻‍♀️

My dog does her chewing outside on raw bones. Raw bones only mind, you butcher will happily give you them and Morrison’s also sell good beer and lamb bones for £1.50 a tray. I think they are meant to be for soup.

We get cow tail, bull pizzle etc. Our dog is a big chewer and will demolish them very quickly but they last a few minutes.

Ostrich bones are good as they have a lattice/hexagon sort of structure so can’t splinter.

Also raw bones but people seem to disagree on whether weight bearing or not is safer.

Our vet told dh that she gets them for her dog .
We have one for ages, sometimes the dog enjoys it other times not. In warm weather I soak it in water and let her lick like a lolly.

Vet says they supposed to be v good for dogs.

On raw bones, I give raw duck necks and other small bony things like chicken legs sometimes, as a snack/treat meal, they are crunched down in minutes.

Never buy big raw weight bearing bones because I've heard they crack teeth and the marrow causes pancreatitis!

My dog has proved to not to be much of a chewer since teething so I don't really have to worry about chews but obviously new pup is going to want to chew.

Quite what I'm going to give him I don't know..

My dog has broken teeth, from antler chewing (and also bricks and stones, although I always stopped him as soon as I spotted him!) I give him meaty bones from Morrisons, they are beef rib bones so not weight bearing, and seem not to do any more damage.

I was told by a specialist dog dentist that a dog should never be encouraged/allowed to chew anything harder than their teeth. Deer antlers are such an item and they should not be promoted as a dog chew.
A fractured tooth is unbelievably painful for a dog. Reconstructive surgery is nearly 4K.
Not worth the risk.
I only give raw beef bones (marrow bone from butchers, Waitrose sell them and I believe other supermarkets have them at times).
All other bones (raw or cooked) can splinter and perforate the dog’s stomach.
A really hard bread baguette is a suitable occasional chew.
I agree with the other posts about nylon chew toys or the chew treats available in the shops.
When in doubt, don’t ... golden rule

We give our springer Yakker chews, they’re like a smoked cheese thing. Perfectly safe and once they get too small to chew up you can microwave them and they puff up to make a crunchy treat. She loves them!

I'll look into these cheese chews.
And they don't fracture teeth or cause blockages?

How long does your springer take to finish one loz?

www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/3li420/discussion_vent_himalayan_dog_chews_the_only_chew/?utm_source=amp&utm_medium=&utm_content=post_body

You know honestly, when pup arrives I think I might just focus on filling his day with training tricks, socialisation outside and forcing him to sleep.

Basically not giving him any opportunity to chew anything because I'm getting stressed already thinking about the apparent dangers in every available chewing option...

Hopefully he will grow up to be like my existing dog and not be interested in chewing 🤞

Yakkers bars! Made from dried yak milk. Our four-leggers love them.

Google is telling me horror stories about yakkers bars (along with everything else!) too lotta

Ostrich tendon chews - swear by them.
As a PP said, no to antlers. It’s good for dogs to chew as it’s a self sooth and stress release mechanism for them, but I’ve seen antlers break teeth and jaws. (Seriously - Vet nurse, three jaw repairs from antlers in the past year! Just because you’re supervising doesn’t mean a break won’t happen people!!!!)

Saw a puppy with a bit of antler out it's side... Burst through it's stomach from the inside.
Grim.

How about a stuffed kong to chew?

But also in this house we mainly have puffed beef jerky, pizzle sticks and paddywhack. Oh and the usual pigs/cow/rabbit ears.

How about a stuffed kong to chew?

I have never bought plastic toys specifically for chewing because I'm not comfortable with the risk of ingesting plastic.

Existing dog had antlers when teething but I can't say I'm terribly comfortable giving them to new pup with all this talk of fractures.

I have given existing dog kongs before for training/mental stimulation, just not chewing.
They don't last long, she empties them in minutes!
I'll definately buy new kongs for puppy though.

B&M near us sells bamboo bones for dogs what our springer and cockapoo love. Neither has managed to destroy one yet and they've both managed to finish off antlers from our local Dobbies in under a week previously.

Following with interest.

I have a yorkie who is a chewer, will happily sit with a treat between his paws chewing away.

He has had a rawhide stick on occasion because they keep him occupied for hours- he doesn’t actually eat them, either “buries” it around the house (down the side of the sofa, in the washing basket or ironing pile etc) or chews it into a sticky mess.

Is there anything vaguely safe? Might try the yakker things.

Reading with interest, I have a 5 month old terrier puppy who loves to chew.

It's a minefield!!

I think it really depends on your dog. My springer has the Yakker treats but she doesn’t chomp off big pieces, she knaws on them and she only tends to chew them for 10-30mins at most. She’s never polished one off in the same sitting. She has maybe 2 of month at most, and she used to eat the furniture when she was a pup so loved chewing.
I think no matter what you buy there will always be a horror story. You have to do what you’re comfortable with and make sure they’re supervised.
If you can stand the smell then Fish4Dogs do dried fish skins which they can crunch on but it’s not really a chew. Or maybe look at making your own 😊

If you freeze a long it lasts longer. I put a blob of peanut butter to seal the hole, then freeze. Then add yogurt and anything else and then freeze.