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Over the past couple years we’ve been hearing rave reviews about deer antlers for dogs.
If you have a Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever in your house then you probably run into some of the same issues we do with Dublin, our yellow lab, Stetson, our black lab, or Raven, our Golden Retriever.
Those three just love to chew up their dog toys, treats, chews, bully sticks (we like, recommend and use bully sticks more than any other chew)…you name it, they chew it.
In fact, Stetson can chew up a 12 inch bully stick in less than 5 minutes!
That’s the same stick that used to take Dublin 2 weeks to polish off (now it takes him about a half hour).
Needless to say we’re always on the lookout for a high quality, durable, chew to occupy our dogs and satisfy their need to chew.
Enter Deer Antlers for Dogs.
OTHER RESOURCES: Chew toys are great for helping with bitey, nippy, mouthy puppies. Check out this list of best chew toys for a teething puppy from our friends at Labrador Training HQ.
Deer Antlers For Dogs
Do deer antlers make for a good chew toy?
Some of the things we’ve heard about these antler dog chews are:
- “They are great for dogs who love to chew because they last for a very long time.”
- “You can purchase them in different sizes depending on the size of your dog.”
- “They don’t stink really bad like the bully sticks you get from the store.”
If you’d like to read more information about deer antlers for dogs then check out the product description for USA Bone & Chew Deer Antlers.
Chewy readers give mostly good reviews. Check out the antler dog chew reviews.
So, are antlers for dogs safe?
We recently received an email from our Guide Dog group that we wanted to share with our readers.
Here’s what they had to say about deer antlers for dogs.
Are Deer Antlers For Dogs Safe?
“We are having an increase in the instances of dogs (puppies and adults) with acute diarrhea.
All test show that the cause is not bacterial or parasitic. What all these cases do have in common……
Now I am not knocking antlers, they definitely have their place.
Antlers are an excellent tool for dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
But because they are considered a novel protein, once a dog is given this as a treat, Venison can no longer be considered a novel protein for that dog.
This makes it much more difficult to find a novel protein if needed in the future for skin or intestinal issues.
Recently, as antler dog chews become more popular, antler is getting more scarce.
Antler chew sellers are popping up all over and they are looking to sell the cheaper, low grade antler to make more profit.
These antlers are old, brittle and can crack and splinter when chewed.
Because of the scarcity antlers are being brought in from other countries like China where they may be treated with chemical preservatives.
Antlers are also high in protein, this too can cause stomach upset especially in young dogs.
We recommend the following “chew toys”:
Sterile bones, Nylabones and the occasional rawhide,(UPDATE rawhides are no longer a recommended chew) these are the same chew toys that are given while they are in training.
All of these chews need to be given only under direct supervision.
We do not recommend antlers as a chew toy/supplement.”
–Guide Dog Vet Department
Are Deer Antlers For Dogs A Good Chew Toy?
Obviously we can no longer use deer antlers as a chew toy/supplement for our guide dog puppies in training, but then again we never had the chance to use them in the first place.
By the way, I’m glad I did not have to experience acute diarrhea with my pups.
The fear of all 3 of my dogs getting diarrhea is enough to make me avoid purchasing deer antler chews for my dogs.
QUICK UPDATE: As several readers have noted in the comment section many dogs have cracked their teeth on deer antlers. In my own experience I’ve had one friend tell me their dog cracked a tooth as well. I know this is not the case with all dogs. One thing I’d recommend is know your dog. If your dog is a intense chewer then maybe try a softer chew like a KONG. One reader said they don’t give it to their dog if they can’t dent it with their fingernail.
So I guess we’ll just stick to the Sterile bones, Nylabones and the occasional pressed rawhide bone. (UPDATE Pressed rawhide bones are no longer recommended)
Lucky for us Dublin (and now Apache) loves the Nylabones and Sterile Bones so we rarely give them any other kind of dog chews.
Our current favorite dog chew toys are
We also like the following chews:
The KONG Dog Toy has been pretty much indestructible while the Nylabone Wishbone gets a bit jagged when our dogs chew on it, but has remained in one piece…just don’t let your dog drop it on your bare foot…OUCH!
Are Deer Antlers Good For Puppies?
Since we first wrote this post we had never used deer antlers with our puppies.
As you can see from the updated pics in this article we decided to see what the pups thought about deer antlers.
After all the pluses and minuses mentioned in this article one of the big ones that we were afraid of were cracked teeth and therefore decided antlers wouldn’t be appropriate for the big boys.
However, the little guys love to teeth, but don’t usually bite down with the same force as the big dogs thus alleviating my fear of cracked teeth. Also, puppy teeth fall out at around 4-6 months.
So we took the plunge and allowed our puppies under 4 months to play and chew on the deer antlers.
Our pup’s immediately loved the antlers and no issues with cracked teeth and they barely put a dent in the antlers. Luckily we haven’t had any digestion or diarrhea issues with our puppies.
The question now is will I continue to use deer antlers with my young pups?
Yes, if I can find a high quality deer antler I don’t mind using it with the puppies. However, I’ll probably stick mostly with my two favorite chews: Himalayan Dog Chews and Bully Sticks.
One thing to remember is no matter what your puppy is chewing monitor him closely.
While products like antlers and rawhides come into the news more often even items deemed “safe” can become a hazard depending on the puppy.
That’s it! By the way, there’s tons of great information about the advantages and disadvantages of antlers for dogs in our comments section. Check it out if you have a moment.
Do you have a destructive dog that loves to chew?
What are your favorite dog chew toys?
Have you tried deer antlers for dogs?
How about elk antlers for dogs?
We’d love to hear about your experiences so tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.
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UPDATE: This post was originally posted December 27th, 2011. It has been updated with new information based on our experiences over the years.
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Gabby says
My Chihuahua, Courtney, LOVES her deer antler. I bought it in March for $7.99 from Pet Valu and here we are three months later- she still has more than half left! Exellent chew in my opinion.
Colby says
That’s good value for a chew toy!
Debra says
wspuppyeyes on etsy.com is awesome and cheapest I have seen. Our Dog loves all antlers and we have not had any issue.
B Bird says
I bought some deer antlers for my Dandie Dinmonts and Westie, a few weeks ago. They love them. Keeps them busy for ages. Cleans their teeth beautifully, with no ill effects. However
they have such strong jaws that they can chew them down , so I remove them when they get to the stage where they could be swallowed !
Doggie Diva says
Just keep in mind that deer antlers are must softer than elk antlers so your dog will go through them much faster. Still a great treat!
Loves Dogs says
Our family hunts so have our own antlers. Have elk, deer and moose. Our dogs love them all and have no problems with them splintering. Two dogs had teeth that really needed to be cleaned. Now after about three weeks of chewing on these antler pieces they are shiny and clean looking. Our new puppy loves them and keeps him busy. He is a lab and into everything!
Doggie Diva says
That is good to hear, I tell people all the time that the antlers help the teeth. They really do!
Ian says
Have several dogs and friends with dogs as well. We are hunters so the whitetail antlers are quite abundant. As far as the antlers for dogs, we saw of any of the tines that may easily break, and then turn them loose. My dogs have sensitive stomachs when it comes to processed chews, such as rawhides, but the antler has not shown any negative effects on any dogs that I know of. They will last from teething through adult if you get the right base diameter.
Forest with dogs says
I had a greyhound whom I noticed chewing on the fallen antler of one of our resident wild white tails several years ago in the winter. One and a half weeks later she became quite ill and her right eye started to bulge out of the eyes socket. She had an abscess from a splinter that had punctured her soft palate (roof of her mouth) and caused an infection. The abscess had to be surgically drained and she would otherwise have died as the infection moved into her brain. It was not a good scene!
Thus, while I’d like to us antlers to improve the teeth of our current dogs, I’d need a bit more convincing of their safety.
Colby says
Thank you for sharing your story.
Kanon says
Did you saw off the tines of the antler? That’s where splintering will most likely occur – not from chewing on the main beam or base of the antler.
Russell Grayson says
I discovered that dogs LOVE antlers about 40 years ago when my 3yr/old Alaskan Malamute discovered my Whitetail rattle-in rack in the back of my jeep. My Malamutes do NOT do well on any carbohydrate-saturated commercial dog food–even the high-end, expensive “natural” kibbles. I get nothing but diarrhea or loose stools on them. So I feed them a raw diet only, and never have a problem. They also get the “trots” from the edible Nylabones, even though they adore them–so I remembered the antlers that my late Mal, Yukon, had discovered, and I went with Elk antler for my new little guy with the carb-hating gut. Perfect! Endless hours of gnawing with a happy pup. Rather than spens a fortune on fragments of antler, I get a nice 3-foot-long shed Elk antler, cut it into manageable lengths and sand the sharp edges, and Jake has antler chews for the year. One antler gives Jake a year’s worth of chews, and my friends’ pit bulls get a few antler treats as well for Xmas gifts. Great source of calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and potassium/magnesium as well as chewy entertainment!
Corinne Sessarego says
Thank you for your input. 1st off, I have to tell you when I had horses in the eighties I had a Malamute named Bear, who was my love. What a great dog Malamutes are. Big, big dogs with so much love and gentleness in them… but are also great watch dogs. Your message brought back wonderful memories. I now have a 1 yr old, 10 lb. Maltese. I have given her
the deer antler chew and she loves it. However I worry if it can damage her teeth in the long run. I hate to give them up, but I dislike rawhide or bully sticks because they cause a mess and can possibly choke her if a piece brakes off. ???? What are your thoughts on his?
Colby says
We like giving our dogs bully sticks and haven’t had problems with pieces breaking off, but we are careful because when they get too small our dogs can choke on them. Before that happens we’ll throw away the small pieces.
Jacqui says
My 8 month Golden Retriever is mad for his deer antler. He would chew it for hours on end if ever I let him. He also loves to carry it around the house and drop it on to the tiled floors enjoying the noise it makes.!! However I do have to seriously limit the time he spends with it as it definately makes his stools much looser.
Lori says
I just bought a split elk antler at Petsmart for my Jack Russell/Beagle, Gracie, who is 6 or 7 years old (I’m not the original owner). She enjoyed it for a bit but didn’t seem all that into it. Then when I picked it up, it felt like some marrow was coming loose. She then proceeded to have diarrhea all night with my having to take her outside 3 or 4 times in the middle of the night. I finally closed her up in my bathroom since it’s so much easier to clean up if she were to have an episode inside the house. I think it’s out of her system now, but if anyone has had similar occurrences, I would love some feedback. Thanks.
Mike says
We have a 1 year old lab and he loved the first antler we bought. It was very hard and had no accessible marrow. We bought another round of antlers that looked good but I didn’t notice that the marrow was more accessible and within 10 minutes he had cleaned out a bunch of the marrow from inside the antler…well you can guess what happened over the next 24 hours. That little bit of marrow wrecked his system and he ended up with major diarrhea that created a few messes in the house and 2 or 3 middle of the night trips outside. Can’t take that chance again especially when he is crated during the day. We are done with the antlers and need to look for another tough toy for him to chew. Again, the problem didn’t seem to be the hard outside part of the antler, it was the marrow. He did ok with the first antler that didn’t have the accessible marrow.
barry amerault says
You’ve put yourself in the position of authority by responding to the “deer antler” question. In doing so you go on to comment on some of your dogs chewables, including “rawhide bones”, which in fact are not bones at all! They are made from a treated animal hide, loaded with toxins that all combine to make a substance that is mostly undigestable, but potentially poisonous to your dog dangers of rawhide.
The issue here isn’t the suitability of deer antlers for dogs, it’s the assumption that you are knowledgable about dog products. I’m afraid that, based on your misinformation on rawhide chew products, you’re not in a position to be doling out information. Nothing personal just remember who your audience is, and what the consequences could be!
Lizzy says
Our vizsla recently started vomiting and having diarrhea. We thought it was a parasite/worm and took him to the vet. Everything came back normal. Then we thought, maybe it’s the marrow for the antler. He has chewed closer to the marrow on one of his antlers For the past two months he has loved chewing it but I think we hit our breaking point. Bottom line: Antlers are great for a little while but when you get too close to the marrow it’s time to pitch it.
Angela says
Was thinking the exact same thing. Anyone who gives their dog rawhide hasn’t done their research. Horrible stuff.
tuck says
I was thinking the same thing about the rawhides chews and Colbys response (lack of) speaks volumes here….
Colby says
@Barry, @Angela and @Tuck, my apologies for not responding to this comment thread sooner. This is not my full time job. I get hundreds of comments and emails every week and unfortunately I don’t have time to respond to everyone.
@Barry, you make great points and thank you for sharing the link. Here are a couple more with some other opinions on rawhides:
Best Rawhide Chews
Are Rawhides Bad for Dogs?
You are correct that I am not an authority on dog products, deer antlers, dog chewables, and “rawhide bones”. This is a blog where I share my experiences raising guide and service dog puppies. Six years ago the guide dog school asked us not to give our puppies deer antlers, but still recommended rawhides and sterile bones. The school places over 300 puppies every year and based on their experience and research they deemed it okay to allow us to give their puppies rawhide.
I read through the BARk post @Barry shared, the two links in my comment, and a half dozen other articles about rawhide and based on those readings I cannot conclusively say that all rawhide is bad for all dogs, but based on those reading there are plenty of dangers and pitfalls associated with rawhides as chews for dogs.
As @Barry pointed out I am not an expert or authority on this subject and this is by no means a scientific study.