Antlers and bones

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

Sorry if I am asking a questiont that has already been asking a millions times.  I know the answer will be to look at the forums but I just dont have time to read through them all right now.

 

Cocoa we think is have food issues and can not have any treats or anything... she loves rawhides but I wont let her have anymore because of her tummy issues.

So I went on the online hunt I found made in USA bones and they came today but most of them are with some meet on them or flavors stuffed in them that I am saving for when she is bigger and may be able to tollerate them and we figure out what her poo problems really are.

But I ordered a $14.00 Elk antler and I got this small little cut of an antler... i was expecting much more but its a huge hit she has been chewing on it now for 20 minutes solid... I was even able to step out of the room with out her barking for me, I dont think she even noticed I left.

Any way my husband is going to freak that I spent that much on a 5 inch sliver of elk antler. So my guestion is can you just use antlers from deer or other things that you personaly hunt?  His family and friends are huge hunters and I could get deer/antilope and other antler creatures antlers for free that are huge compaired to this. 

 

 

One of the other bones in the pack is just a plain bone wiith no meet and not stuffed would you say this is ok to give her and that it should not upset her tummy? 

 

 

Thanks for putting up with all my problems and questions these last couple months as I adjust to being a new doddle mommy.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Daisy has been chewing her 3 antlers for over a year....she is not an aggressive chewer but seriously it is a great bargain. Maybe next time you get a little bigger one and I would recommend getting them from The Antler Pantry, here is the link.

http://antlerpantry.com/

$14 is well worth it, though not sure how small you are talking about.

[Donna K & Quincy]

If you have access to free antlers I don't see the problem. I guess the reason you can only buy antlers that have been shed is because you can't just go killing animals for their antlers. If the meat is safe for human consumption the antlers should be safe for your dog.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My doodles love the elk antlers.  I unknowingly bought a bag of them for $60.00... there was about 15 in there which will last me until the next ice age.  Oliver has gone thru two already... it took him about 6 months to do this and he is a agressive chewer.

 

I would assume the antlers you can get from your hunter family/friends would be OK... its really the same but I do not know the process they go thru to make them ready for resale, maybe you can look on line.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Also... you can get some really great bones from your local food store for a verly low price.  I can get 3 huge bones for less than $3.00.  Of course you have to keep an eye on the doodles while they are enjoying them.  They love to get the bone marrow and it keeps them busy for a couple of hours.  If they don't finish the bone, I wash them off, put them in a baggie and put them in the freezer for next time.

[Lee Seidman]

I would think the commercial antlers are sanitised  or treated to insure their safety. I don't believe they just harvest the antlers, cut them to size and sell them.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I gave my dogs a found antler and I think it should be fine.

[Christine & Camus]

I put antlers along with all of Camus' non-stuffed toys in the dishwasher at least once a month.  All come out fine. So, if you are concerned about "found antlers" I would stick them in the dishwasher before giving them to Cocoa.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

My concern about bones is that they can splinter and cause shards that Cocoa might swallow. Antlers don't splinter like that.

We have purchased deer and elk antlers, so I think found or harvested antlers from either of those animals would be fine. I would be concerned that antelope antlers might be a little sharp and small--but, then, my total experience with antelope is the mounted horns that my grandfather brought back from West Africa more than 50 years ago!

Cosmo enjoys his antlers. His favorite right now is an elk antler that was sliced in half horizontally--so that the marrow is exposed. This might be too hard to do yourself, but a perpendicular slice across the antler, so that you end up with a disk with a ring of antler surrounding a center of marrow, can accomplish the same purpose.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I got Riley five antlers for $50 dollars about eight months ago and he has hardly made a dent in them, they seem to last forever so I think they are really good value.  If you really want value go to your local butcher and ask for some beef marrow bones.  They should be free you should boil them for about twenty minutes to half an hour.  They provide safe chewing for at least an hour and you can use the remaining water in the saucepan ( you can reduce it some more with carrot added ) to go with the kibble for a no cost topper.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think you don't really want to cook the bones so about 10 minutes of boiling should do it. Then remove most of the marrow, which is really fatty.

[Diane and Alma]

I saw this post a while back.  The antler is amazing in the photo.  Might be worth ordering from them.

 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/hattie-will-appear-in-antl...

[Barbara McMillan]

I have used elk, and deer and Lacy loves them.  But I think the ones you buy are processed somehow.  Don't know if you can use "FRESH" ?!

I think plain bones would be OK, but she may not be as interested.