Antlers and tooth damage

[Heather Martinez]

Teddy absolutely loves chewing antlers that have been cut in half that I get from Antler Pantry. He also enjoys the white Nylabone Dura (the hardest one available). He's such a strong chewer that he can go through a bully stick in 5 minutes, which is why I am so happy with the antlers and how long they last.

Note that Teddy never eats any fragments of bone that break off, so I have no other concerns with him having antlers/bones, but I still never let him chew on them unsupervised.

However, I took him to the vet on Saturday and, while his teeth are perfect and have no tarter, she recommended only giving him a bone that is soft enough to indent with a fingernail. The Nylabone definitely is not that soft and the outside of the antler isn't either. The vet said that he could break his molar on them (the farthest one at the back of his mouth) and it would have to be removed. I've taken away the bones for now until I can decide if it's safe for Teddy to have them.

I know that a lot of people on DK use antlers as this is where I learned about them. Has anyone experienced tooth breakage from a bone/antler? Or does anyone have a vet with a different opinion? Any recommendations for softer bones that still last a long time? Thank you!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

My Daisy has a couple of  antlers but she is NOT an aggressive chewer and she rarely picks one up, my Grand dog however is an aggressive chewer and broke one her teeth (front canine) and had to have surgery as it had root damage. Nobody knows when it happened...it breaks my heart that she may have suffered. It was over $1000 to have it done.

I now give Daisy raw bones from the butcher, they do not splinter. She chewed one this weekend, it lasted around 5 hours the first day, then I washed it off and put it in the fridge, she chewed it again on Sunday for a couple of hours.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

what type of bones do you ask for?  I had one meat department tell me that they don't sell bones and another one just look at me like i was crazy and just tell me "no".  Maybe I'm not asking for the right thing.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Hi Amy, we actually buy 1/4 cow and get the marrow bones from the processor. My girlfriend gets her bones from the freezer case at the grocery store...they are packaged as soup bones and they are from the meat counter. So maybe ask for "soup bones".

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

do you take off the meat on it and wash before you give it to them?  

[Buster and Kathy]

My Pomeranian broke a molar and she was not a big chewer.  She never saw an antler and refused nylabones. I have no idea when or how it broke. I just had to pay to have it removed.

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

Bella is such an aggressive and consistent chewer that if she didn't have these "controlled substances" like nylabones and antler, she'd chew anything she could get ahold of. And I'd be more worried about the consequences of that. Like rocks, sticks, electrical sockets, door stops, any fabric she can get ahold of, kids toys, and the list goes on and on. She is less interested in other objects when she has her own chews around.
. I will have to take the lesser of two evils and give her dog appropriate chews to save her and my house from worse damage.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

This post really has me bummed out.  These are the only things that last for my doodles - well, these & knucklebones.  I will continue to give antlers unless something happens.  Hopefully, it doesn't happen that often!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned had a slab fracture of the of the upper left rear molar.  He chews on bones, nylabones, antlers.  I do not know if that is why he got this; if it was a fluke or if his teeth aren't as strong. My other dogs chew the same things and Ned is the first dog we have had that has broken a tooth. Now my DIL's whippet has suffered the same fracture and he doesn't chew on anything but stuffies, so......

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Actually, Maggie has already had surgery (when she was with the breeder before I got her) because she ate a stuffy toy, swallowed the squeaker, and then it got stuck.  She was really sick & needed it removed to save her life.  I think I'll take the risk of a broken tooth with the antlers!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

How do you know if a tooth is broken? Is it painful for them? What if they don't tell you and you don't know? Are there signs I should be watching for? Do I have to look at all their teeth on a regular basis?

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

we check Daisy's teeth when we brush them, rather when we "attempt" to brush them.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Checking them periodically is a good idea but easier said than done. I also plan to make sure the vet looks thoroughly later this month when we go in.