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!

[Pattty Oehrlein]

I got the same advice from my vet regarding antlers- she said I don't recommend them due to the possibility of the tooth damage. For now I have switched to Snooks sweet potato chips- you can buy direct a 5lb bag of seconds or on the hemp rope. These work to satisfy that I have got chew something up urge. She will work on for a while, and it gets all soft an gummy. other than that lots of chew plastic thingys and plushies with noise.