Antlers for treats

[jdatwood]

I have access to TONS of antlers, I have a brother-in-law we call the deer slayer. However, I agree with other posts here. Antlers are VERY hard, and not only splinter bad, possibly break teeth. I would stay with raw bones before I would give antlers to the dogs.

I could see antlers that have been drying in the sun for month or years splintering but a fresh rack would never have that problem. They are VERY hard but not nearly hard enough to break a tooth.

Our girls have been gnawing away on the rack I bought them for months now. There hasn't been a SINGLE splinter. It gets soft and pliable as they chew on it.

They LOVE it and I'll continue giving antlers as a chew the rest of my life. Buying the rack off of Ebay was one of the BEST purchases I've made all year

[mstngchic2012]

Do the racks with the velvet still on them have more nutrients than a rack that has shed the velvet?

[jdatwood]

Do the racks with the velvet still on them have more nutrients than a rack that has shed the velvet?

I wish I had an answer for that. I just know that the dogs LOVE the antlers

Since they are hard and it takes quite a long while to chew it down (4 dogs have chewed down maybe 8-12 inches in 4 months) the nutritional "benefits" if any are probably negligible

[dobesgalore]

They do seem hard, but I see them at pet stores all the time.
Are the ones in the stores treated with something?

I saw some advertised with the 'velvet on' as well.

Really? I've never seen any in pet stores or even advertised in catalogs.

[jdatwood]

Photographic evidence of no splintering

Really? I've never seen any in pet stores or even advertised in catalogs.

http://www.activedog.com/elk_velvet_antler
http://www.pethealthandnutritioncent...velvet-antler/
http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...ler+dog+treats

[dobesgalore]

I don't think I could give up my Buck antlers to my dogs. OH NO! Those are trophies!

Yep, when folks get one with a nice rack, they don't like to let them go and I can't blame them. My brother-in-law has three Alabama state records, and even all the other "smaller basket racks" he has hung up I don't think would even be considered going anywhere! As far as nutrition goes, they have something I would think because squirrels will chew them all up.

[jdatwood]

Yep, when folks get one with a nice rack, they don't like to let them go and I can't blame them.

Fortunately there's plenty on Ebay

elk antlers, Sporting Goods, Collectibles. Great deals on eBay!

Just have to shop the auctions to find the right set at a reasonable price

[spookychick13]

There are a few really good pet stores where I live, that is where I have seen them.
They are just 'tips' though, not the whole rack. I picked one up at the store the other day just to see how it felt, and it felt almost stonelike in hardness, so I skipped it. I wasn't sure if it was safe or treated or what.

Then I saw a bunch at the pet expo as well. :)

[dobesgalore]

There are a few really good pet stores where I live, that is where I have seen them.
They are just 'tips' though, not the whole rack. I picked one up at the store the other day just to see how it felt, and it felt almost stonelike in hardness, so I skipped it. I wasn't sure if it was safe or treated or what.

Then I saw a bunch at the pet expo as well. :)

That is how I feel about them as well.

[lovinmylabs]

I have nothing to go on here except what I've read as them being a better natural alternative to other chews...

antler dog chew - Google Search

We have a good family friend who is an aid hunter. I asked him about this....he said that the antlers are known to have anthrax as they decay or dry out???? He advised me to stay away from them unless they are sold in a store for pet use. Not sure if they have to boil them or something....Just advice I got about deer antler....take it for what its worth