# (Article) Chewing: Ditch the rawhide, grab the antler!



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Hey guys,

I recently wrote an article for my blog, K9 Instinct, about chewing and which chews/items are ideal for dogs. A lot of people said they learned a lot from it, stopped using rawhide chews and tried something like an antler or bully stick. 

Thought I would share it with you all! 

Happy chewing!

K9 Instinct - Dog training, raw diet, raw feeding, dog health care, minimal vaccines: K9 Health: Ditch the rawhide, grab an antler! (Chewing for Dogs)


----------



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I switched to antlers and bully sticks back in December, all three love them


----------



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

llombardo said:


> I switched to antlers and bully sticks back in December, all three love them


Awesome! The antlers are zero mess, zero odour and super safe. The bully sticks are 100% pure beef protein so you really can't go wrong. Great choices!

Hunter loves both. He gets a bully stick almost every day, and chews his antler daily.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i give my dog bully sticks (organic) as a treat because
they don't last long. center cut femur bones (beef)
last for a while but elk antlers last for months.


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

:-( Seems like nothing is truly safe. I have heard of antlers, nylabones, andd femurs breaking teeth. Bully sticks gve my dogs diarrhea. Rawhide is a choking hazard.


----------



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> i give my dog bully sticks (organic) as a treat because
> they don't last long. center cut femur bones (beef)
> last for a while but elk antlers last for months.


Yeah, bully sticks aren't significantly long lasting like an antler or raw knuckle bone... but they can indeed last a nice duration... just depends on what kind of chewer you've got!

How long does it take your dog to get through an antler on average?


----------



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Emoore said:


> :-( Seems like nothing is truly safe. I have heard of antlers, nylabones, andd femurs breaking teeth. Bully sticks gve my dogs diarrhea. Rawhide is a choking hazard.


Seems like it, but the chances of injury with something like an antler as pretty slim... especially if you're keeping the antler large. Try one of those? Again, no odour/mess/no splintering. Lots of minerals too.

If bully sticks give your babies diarrhea, try beef tendon. Same idea, less rich. You can probably get them anywhere you find bully sticks.

EDIT: I think the antlers breaking teeth depends entirely on the type of chewer your dog is. Plus, I haven't heard of it happening personally and I work in a natural pet food store (and worked in a vet clinic for over a year). That would be a special scenario where you're want to avoid hard treats and stick to softer chews.


----------



## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Joey has an elk antler that he enjoys from time to time.

We give him marrow bones, which he goes crazy over.

He got very sick on rawhide.


----------



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Cheerful1 said:


> Joey has an elk antler that he enjoys from time to time.
> 
> We give him marrow bones, which he goes crazy over.
> 
> He got very sick on rawhide.


Yeah, I have honestly heard pretty bad things about rawhide. The more research I do, the more I wonder how it's even available. Granted, some dogs manage to go injury free but I can't help but wonder how long it will last.

Marrow bones (raw) are Hunter's favourite.


----------



## TCAP1 (Mar 28, 2012)

With all the options available now rawhide is out.
Bully sticks often (the ones that don't smell), Marrow bones on occasion, cow ears sometimes, antlers are the favorite for them and me. relatively cheap, last and no mess.
tried hooves awile ago with previous dog - what a stink !

Last antler i picked up was not hard - watched Zach go thru it like a bullystick. had to take it away because he actually chewed thru half of it over the course of an afternoon. Compared the weight to an older one and it was much lighter. didn't think there was any harm other than it was getting to small for him. 
not sure what the actual terminology for a growing antler but i guess this one was still developing. 

There is no harm in those and they do not purposely sell them do they ? 

Wild Wolf - good blog - thanks for the info


----------



## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

TCAP1 said:


> With all the options available now rawhide is out.
> Bully sticks often (the ones that don't smell), Marrow bones on occasion, cow ears sometimes, antlers are the favorite for them and me. relatively cheap, last and no mess.
> tried hooves awile ago with previous dog - what a stink !
> 
> ...


It was likely a manufacturing mistake. Elk antlers are a better option, they are larger and harder.

Thank you very much for the compliment! I love to share everything I know.


----------

