Antlers

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

My daughter's beagle/boxer mix Sophie went for her annual check up today and the vet discovered that she has a chipped tooth right in front. They are going to have to extract the tooth unless they can find a specialist that can "cap" it.

Apparently the tooth in question has a huge nerve and it could be infected easily and of course would be quite painful if left unaddressed. The extraction will be quite costly ($600 +), not to mention it will mess up her beautiful smile.

Here's the thing - she asked my son in law if Sophie chews on antlers, when he told her that her Grandma (me) got her an antler for Christmas he was told to throw it away. She told him that they are too hard and just about every dog with chipped teeth are antler chewers. I am torn...has anyone else
had this experience with their dogs? Daisy seems to really love them.

 

:-(

 

UPDATE 2-5-11: Sophie ended up having the tooth extracted....$900!!!!! She is fine and doing well at home, mommy is feeding her soft food by hand and she will be having that for 3 weeks. Sophie is the queen for the month so she is happy...her sister Lily the boxer however is tired of waiting for her to play.

I spoke to my Vet about Antlers....he said as long as Daisy is not an aggressive chewer (she is not) then she can have them. We just have to keep a good eye on her. They are still on the family room floor, she will occasionally pick one up but not often and not long.

[Kris & Brinkley]

WOW, I was just going to order one. I don't seem to mind buying kongs often so I'll be sticking to those & the minty ropes. 

PS On the Minty ropes even the cats like them.

 

I hope they can fix the tooth!!

 

Link

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Kris, what is a Minty Rope? I am always looking for something for Daisy that will hold her interest, and frankly today I know I know the Antlers must stop, I really don't want to chance it.

[Kris & Brinkley]

It's a rope with minty floss like pieces the link is ^ above. :)

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

Do you think Antlers would be okay for a teething puppy?  Ginger loves hers..

[KC]

We got Milo two antlers for christmas, and while he LOVED them, he barely made a dent in them. However, I got him this last week a flat section of moose antler, and it is so much softer, he has already nibbled off a corner. So I think this maybe much softer than the traditional antler, and he certainly is enjoying it a lot more.

Expensive though, about $12.00 for a piece about two inches by four inches. Might be worth it if it is easier on the teeth.

[Christine & Camus]

I bought 3 antlers, one each of Deer, Elk, and Moose, from Grateful Shed for just under $30.00 including shipping.  All three were ~ 8.5 inches long.  You have to call to place your order, but I found it helpful because I was able to ask about the different types, sizes, etc.  And, you can mix and match and still get the 3 for price.  The elk antler we got is much softer than the deer.  The website is  http://antlerchews.com/home/

 

[Cheri & Bonny]

Darn...  I just bought some of the Moose antlers and they appear to be softer than the elk or deer.  Maybe I'll just stick to those.  I need to give her something to chew on -- ropes don't do it, bully sticks give her the runs, rawhide is horrible and she chokes on it, and I don't like the idea of her chewing on plastic nylabones.  Argggg!

[Camilla and Darwin]

OH NO!!!! This is the only thing that Darwin loves to chew that doesn't get destroyed in 30 minutes or less.

[Joan, Louie and Mila]

We JUST got the Antlers from Grateful Shed today....I wonder if anyone knows if the antlers were cut in half length wise with the marrow exposed, whether they would be safer for the dogs to chew. Thoughts??