Antlers?

[Dana]

Had a thought/question about Antlers......

 

 Antlers are shed naturally but what if it came from a sick animal could illness be transfered through chewing & injesting.

 

How are the antlers processed?  Are they processed?

 

Mac is a hard chewer & just loves his antlers. 

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

That's an interesting question because..... I had ordered 1/2'd antlers from a source I always get them from. 3 weeks ago,I gave one to Lucca on a Wed. He had me up twice in the middle of the night to go outside. Unfortunately I had to leave for 5 days and my husband had to deal with vomiting and diarrhea. On Sunday Ben (Golden Reteiver) came to our house and was ill from Monday on with the same symptoms. When I got back Tues I picked up the antler on the floor. Ben had been gnawing on it too. The antler is the only common thing I can think of that made them ill. Or it could have been Doggy Flu. They were tested for everything from xrays, stool samples to blood tests. Over $700 later with vet bills (we have insurance!). I spoke with the vendor and she wanted them returned to possibly test. It could have been a complete fluke but I am very hesitant to do antlers any more which is sad because my dogs loved them. So, maybe if they were from an ill animal they could have been contaminated. But I thought they were boiled and processed to be cleaned. Just a thought...........

[Dana]

Sorry to hear about Lucca & Ben. I hope it was just a fluke & not the antlers.

I only buy the whole antler not the 1/2 - Mac's big brother, Moose (Great Pyrenees) is an extremely hard chewer & I felt the 1/2 wouldn't last as long as the whole.

My boys haven't had any immediate problems so I wasn't even thinking about short term issues - I was wondering what if any long term issues would show up.

Please post when you hear back from the vendor.

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I will let you know. The person I got them from was very accomodating and she was the one that insisted I send them back.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for asking this question and trying to get an answer! Never thought of this!

[Dana]

I think most of us here are no longer feeding lower quality dog food - due to one of the ingredients being - unknown "bone meal". What is a ground down antler - bone meal. Granted we know it's antler bone meal but we don't know anything about the animal it's from.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Is there anything inherently bad about bone meal per se? I don't think so. It's got lots of minerals. I think the reason it's a bad main ingredient in pet food is because of how it's processed, it may have come from sick animals, that it's used as a filler and doesn't have enough protein etc. But the dogs making their own "bone meal" from an antler should be generally good depending on the health of the animal and the processing, if any, the antler has gone through.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Interesting thoughts. I suppose disease could be transmitted this way but I kind of doubt it. My two chew antlers without ill effect. I really like them because they last a very long time, don't splinter and the dogs have never had a problem with them. Cow hooves, commercial bones, pigs ears , tracheas, bully sticks all were problematic. Diarrhea, vomiting up splintered or too large pieces, etc. What is a half? The antlers I have bought have been pieces cut horizontally but not longitudinally, if that makes sense.

[Dana]

Half an antler is one that's cute horizontally. I also have only bought the whole antler but I would think it's easier for the dog to get to the bone marrow in a half antler. I'm don't know but if it's cut in half that perhaps the bone marrow is exposed.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Yes, please keep me posted. We only buy whole antlers, but still. I can try to ask my supplier too, but keep me posted!!!!!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I have read where the marrow may be too rich and cause stomach issues. Yes, the 1/2 is cut horizontally. Mine seemed to like the 1/2's more than the whole.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would think the marrow of a shed antler would be much less rich than the marrow in most beef bones. I guess researching antlers will be my next FG project.

[Dana]

I agree, a kept animal would probably have a richer diet than a wild one.
Sorry, Karen, Didn't mean to give you another job - LOL