I bought antlers for the first time and need to know.....

[The Food Group]

I know there are a lot of discussion on antlers but I cant seem to find any information on how dogs are supposed to chew them safely.Do they just make dents in them every where and not consume any antler? Do they actually eat the whole antler over time?I ask this because Dakota has shark teeth and is a very aggressive chewer.I bought her an antler that is 10 inches long yesterday and she has already eaten one inch of it from one end.Is this normal or safe?If not what is the safe way they should chew on an antler?

[Susan and Sasha]

Hi Jared...

It sounds like you bought Dakota a split antler...which is what I buy for Sasha.

That way she can get to the marrow...which is what they can eat and is inside the antler itself.

Sasha is a hearty chewer also...and she loves the antlers.

She will chew on them and eat the marrow over time...but does not eat the hard outter part of the antler.

It's not uncommon to eat  one inch of it at a time (the marrow)...but then it may be less the next time. 

When the marrow is gone or close to it...I throw the antler away and give her a new one.

You can also buy antlers that are not split...and they will last a lot longer...but your Doodle will only be able to get to the marrow on  the ends.  That's your choice.

I hope this is helpful...

[F, Calla & Luca]

But even with whole antlers, the dogs gnaw away at the end little by little. Yet the antlers seem to last forever. If it were too short I'd throw it away.

[Anne G.]

We got Murphy a smaller antler once and it splintered after awhile. Fortunately I was able to get the splinter and throw it away. After that we got her a bigger antler and that has been much better.

[Margaret & Pebbles]

Pebbles loves elk antlers.  They are about 7 inches long to start.  She chews and chews them.  My non doodle likes when Pebbles has been chewing them for awhile, then she takes over.  They have three of them right now going at the same time.  I know some people take them from their dog after 15-20 minutes because of the workout on their teeth.  I throw them away when it reaches about 3 to 4 inches.  They last a long time especially the thick ones.  My vet always comments on how white their teeth are, I think they help with the cleaning.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

yes, they eat the whole thing.  They are safe.

I take them away when they get down to 3-4 inches also.  But Peri is a mini; I might take them away slightly sooner with a standard (and buy a 10" to start).

[Barb Metcalf]

I'm new to DK and am a new mother of an ALD red mini, Lucy Scarlett.   When I went to Leaps and Bones, I saw them for the first time and inquired about their safety, etc.  Since L&B only carries natural products and tests all of their products, they assured me that the antlers were entirely safe, even for my little one of 12 weeks, who is an active chewer.  I bought an 8" elk antler (no split) and Lucy has eaten it for the last week, eating away about an inch on each end.  She LOVES it, and always looks for her favorite treat.  Next time I'll get her one of the split antlers to try it out.  I was afraid she might poke her eye out if she got it in the right position.  Anyone ever had a problem with that?

Thanks for all comments!