# Elk antler for 10 week pup



## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

For a 10 week pup, are elk antlers ok for him too chew on? Don't want him per-maturely loosing his baby teeth. 

Just need to give him something else to chew on in his crate...


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I gave puppy nylabones.

But you can give elk antlers - the split kind, or a chew.
This article explains what kind to give to puppies:

Is it Ok to Give my Puppy Elk Antler Chews? - Elk Antler - Elk Antlers for Dogs - BestElkAntlers.com


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## Chris1N1A (Dec 3, 2015)

Rule of thumb: If you can't leave an indent or mark in it with your thumbnail its too hard to give to your dog to chew. This goes for puppies or adult dogs.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I don't give antlers as they are known to break teeth.

I wouldn't go to an antler-dealer to ask about their safety.


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## Squeetie (Jan 19, 2012)

My middle dog, Red, broke his tooth (the really large top premolar) on an antler and cost us a few hundred bucks to have it removed. I thought he was a moderate chewer so I figured his teeth would be okay with the antler. Apparently I was wrong...


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## Strikker (Dec 2, 2015)

All three of our dogs have chewed on antlers, although we only give them to them after dinner for about an hour. This is not because we are trying to limit chewing on them, just a quiet down time and they will lay on their dog beds and quietly chew these. We have not had any problem with their teeth breaking or chipping. Our Vet has complemented them on how clean their teeth are and healthy looking.


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## Joey-and-chandler (Jan 16, 2016)

I personally love antlers as they really keep them busy and they are not messy and i dont have to keep them on the grass or ground like raw bones. And my pups love them too!

BUT 

They do break teeth. My 14 week old just broke half of his bottom canin tooth (just when i thought i could finally relax as they stopped chewing on other stuff)


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I don't like antlers or marrow bones. Broken teeth are expensivie.

Bully sticks, tracheas, raw poultry necks, beef or lamb necks, knuckle bones are all good.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I was passing out the giblets one day, and the chicken neck went to the puppy. It went in and straight down the hatch. I don't think she bit it at all. She inhaled it. It made me really nervous. But she was fine. She was about 16 weeks old, so about a month ago. 

Maybe turkey necks would give more time and satisfaction.


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

Thanks for the comments! Going to hold off on the elk antler. Heading to the store to see what else I can find for him. Hes a biting monster right now. lol


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## Chris1N1A (Dec 3, 2015)

Jax08 said:


> I don't like antlers or marrow bones. Broken teeth are expensivie.
> 
> Bully sticks, tracheas, raw poultry necks, beef or lamb necks, knuckle bones are all good.


+1 on this. All great options for chewing. Antlers are a big NO.

I don't feed raw (I just don't have the time) but a raw turkey neck is about the best thing in the world for my pup


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## Chris1N1A (Dec 3, 2015)

selzer said:


> I was passing out the giblets one day, and the chicken neck went to the puppy. It went in and straight down the hatch. I don't think she bit it at all. She inhaled it. It made me really nervous. But she was fine. She was about 16 weeks old, so about a month ago.
> 
> Maybe turkey necks would give more time and satisfaction.


Turkey necks are definitely better to start with. But even with them you need to hold on to it and make the dog pull / gnaw / chew on it to get it.

If you don't raw feed and give kibble (which I do as well) your puppy doesn't really know how to chew on food like this. I know it sounds weird but its true. He has to learn to chew his food.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Chris1N1A said:


> +1 on this. All great options for chewing. Antlers are a big NO.
> 
> I don't feed raw (I just don't have the time) but a raw turkey neck is about the best thing in the world for my pup


My dogs are fed raw. If yours isn't, be careful on just tossing them a turkey necks. Explosive diarrhea could occur. Introduce it to them just like any other food.

For treats they get duck or chicken feet (which oddly they chew more than a poultry neck), bully sticks, raw (frozen) or dried tracheas.

Occasionally they get venison neck as part of their meal. It's a lot of bone so I include it as their bone, not a treat.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Chris1N1A said:


> Turkey necks are definitely better to start with. But even with them you need to hold on to it and make the dog pull / gnaw / chew on it to get it.
> 
> If you don't raw feed and give kibble (which I do as well) your puppy doesn't really know how to chew on food like this. I know it sounds weird but its true. He has to learn to chew his food.


 I don't feed raw regularly, but I give raw chicken leg quarters to the dogs occasionally, and as early as 4-5 weeks (usually thighs or drums for them, the dam usually takes care of the bones, but they do work on them). 

I rarely get explosive diarrhea from anything but kibble. They can put down raw meat, brussel sprouts, oranges, cooked meat, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, ice cream, left over anything, and never have a digestive issue. Open a new bag of dog food???? Yep, that is when I sometimes see issues. Since I open a bag pretty much every other day, they are getting used to variances in the formula as well.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

mine has been good with an antler. She actually likes a burr. She ignore her nylabone. I guess you need to watch how your dog chews, especially while teething. Mine liked to rip cloth..grrr. You can also try rinsed juice bottles and large cardboard boxes..just make sure there are no staples and see if your pup is attracted to the tape. You don't want them trying to eat the tape.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

For teething puppies, knotted cotton rope, soaked in water and then frozen can keep a puppy busy for a while.


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## Meika the German Shepherd (Feb 24, 2016)

We spent a ton of money on all kinds of chews for our little bite monster, who is currently almost 11 weeks. Then I made a her a few homemade toys out of socks, and they are her absolute favourite! Who would have guessed? Take one longish sock, stuff it with a few more socks, then tie some very hard knots into it. Attach a ring shaped toy if you'd like. Take another one, fill it with dry treats, then knot it together. Like I said, nothing has made our puppy happier than these sock toys. I actually put one in her mouth as soon as I greet her, as she is SO bad for mouthing right now. If I give her something like a chew stick instead when she is greeting me, she still wants to go for my hand or somewhere on my body. The sock toy stops her - I read they like stuff they can sink their teeth into, so the sock must be a close second to my skin!!!


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