Antlers and Bully Sticks

[Sally M]

I read the book "Everything You Need to Know about Goldendoodles". Their suggestions for "chew" items were antlers and bully sticks. I must admit I was rather shocked when I found out what Bully products really are. I won't mention it here. Also, I was very shocked when I saw how expensive antlers were. I haven't bought either one. Penny currently chews on Nyla Bones. Do your Doodles like antlers? Does anyone give their dogs bully sticks (maybe they have the same toxicity as rawhide chews?).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The topic of "bull pizzle", which of course is what bully sticks are, has been discussed many times here. You needn't be shy about mentioning it, lol.

Unlike rawhide, which is basically tanned hide and is indigestible, bull pizzle is completely digestible. It also isn't chemically processed like hide is, so no worries there. That doesn't mean it will agree with every dog, but as long as you purchase products that are sourced in North America (not made in North Ameirca, sourced here) there is no need to worry about toxicity.

Bully sticks don;t last very long for many dogs, so for the amount of chewing time you get, they are very expensive. My guy could polish off a $30 bully stick in under ten minutes.

Antlers on the other hand last for months, so to me are a much better investment. 

There are hundreds and hundreds of DK members giving their dogs both antlers and bullies. 

All of this and much more regarding every type of chew objects for our dogs has been discussed many, many times in The Food Group, along with great recommendations for where to order antlers at a good price if you want to try them. 

[Sally M]

Thank you. I didn't realize chew items fell under the "Food Group". I will definitely look there.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

An antler may be an investment up front, but the safety and longevity of them is worth every penny.  Yes there will be a dog or two who has broken off pieces or chipped a tooth, but they can certainly do that on nylabones as well. My two tend to get the nylabones so ragged that they get bleeding gums from the sharpness of the plastic. This does happen with antlers but not nearly as much.  As far as a good chew, I would invest in an antler. I also give raw bones from a butcher if you want to look into that as well.

I give Bully sticks as a quick treat, certainly not to entertain them for very long.  Karen said it....I could easily watch $30 worth go down their throats in 10 minutes!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with your comments about antlers 100%. They have been a Godsend for us.

Jack has inflammatory bowel disease. Prior to his diagnosis, he loved to chew on beef tendons, beef tracheas, and beef marrow bones. After IBD, he could not have any of those, nor any other chew object made from beef, pork, lamb, you name it, as they could all trigger flares. 

Then I took a leap of faith and got him an elk antler. Elk being a "novel" protein for him, did not cause any allergic immune response. And he was not able to break off any pieces from the huge whole antlers I got him. He basically just gnawed and scraped at them, so he wasn't really ingesting much of anything. 

I have read all the warnings about dogs breaking teeth from chewing on hard objects, but I have had to weigh benefits against risks for many years when it comes to Jack. Quality of life has to factor into the equation. He has had to give up so much, and adapt to so much that is unpleasant at best, that the risk of his breaking a tooth is one I am more than willing to accept in exchange for the very real pleasure he gets from his antlers. I will add that he never gets them unless I am able to be nearby and supervise. 

[Nancy]

I agree with the above.  I have found that antlerpantry.com is very good for antlers and bestbullysticks.com for bullysticks.  I would suggest only the Odor free bullysticks which are made in the USA.  They are not completely odor free but much better than the ones that are not :)

[Sally M]

Bully sticks have an odor? OK, if my original thought about bully sticks wasn't bad enough, now I'm totally grossed out.

[Patty, Duffy & Oliver]

I have a question about deer antlers. What about wild deer antlers?  I have a lot of friends that hunt during buck season that I'm sure would be willing to hand over antlers to me.  I hesitate because I wasn't sure this would be the same thing as the store bought antlers or if I would be running into a health risk? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is a risk of Chronic Wasting Disease, a contagious fatal prion disease of both deer and elk. The CDC has found it present in the antler velvet. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/15/5/08-1458_article

 I would not take a chance on any antlers that were not purchased through a reputable company. Lots of online resources in The Food Group, as mentioned above. 

[Patty, Duffy & Oliver]

Thanks Karen! My instincts served me well, I was wondering about this! Glad I didn't take up any offers on local antlers!  I also just found and joined the food group. I'm just figuring out how to navigate around the group. Thank you! 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

When each of the doodles were puppies, I bought bully sticks by the case. It is protein and digestible and puppies need to chew on something.  I would rather it be that than the legs on my furniture! LOL Now that they are older, they seldom get bully sticks.  When we have lots of company, I will give them each a bully stick, and it gives them something to concentrate on rather than looking for attention from everyone in the room! I have purchased several antlers over the last couple of years - Charlie Brown will not touch an antler; Beau on the other hand will and when he is needing something to chew, he will go to the antler basket and pick one out.  I do not think antlers are that expensive considering they last a very long time.  I do soak them in water occasionally because they get a little brittle.  Also beware of antlers, I believe several members have posted that their doodles have broken a tooth.  Neither of my doodles are heavy chewers, so when they do get a six inch medium size bully stick, it takes them at least an hour to get them down half way.  The first antler I bought 2 years ago, is still in the antler basket  and that is usually the one Beau chooses.

Regarding Nylabones, just be aware that they are not intended for consumption.  The components of nylabones are difficult for dogs to digest & can cause problems if they do ingest parts of it.  Having to go to the vet for a foreign body ingestion and blockage can run $1000 & then some.

[Sally M]

Thanks, Linda. She barely "indents" a Nylabone. You can see some teethmarks on the Nylabones but she's not digesting anything. She just gnaws on them lightly. However, we found red string in her poop. She was pulling apart a red rope with fringe on the end. It was apparently a cheap one. Regardless, I threw out all the ropes with the fringes. Who knew she was swallowing that? Imagine my surprise when I saw little pieces of red string in her doo-doo. Had no clue until I happened upon her stool! No more ropes for Penny.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I know Sally - getting a puppy is full of surprises! LOL My boys are five and three and I am still checking doo doo - haha.