Antlers and fallow straps

[NikkiandKane]

I am interested in opinions on these for puppies.

as many of you know our precious puppy Kane had a penchant for eating inedibles, he swallowed rocks whole and chewed rocks and bricks. He did have an antlers which he enjoyed chewing. He had a fractured tooth at a young age and I’m not sure if it was from some thing he shouldn’t have chewed or the antler.

in my opinion, a chewers gotta chew, so I need to choose the best safest option.

i read that fallow straps were the best antler options for puppy teeth, since they are from 

the softest part of the antler and I ordered 2 online, one soaked in beef and apple cider and a plain one. They don’t seem very soft but I haven’t had a chew 

so just interested in people thoughts.

Chase will be arriving after a long journey on Tuesday the 8th September.

Edited August 26, 2020 by NikkiandKane

[sandgrubber]

Hard to say.  Here's a decent article :

https://www.thelabradorsite.com/antlers-for-dogs/

 

For a few months I can't see a problem.  Young pups don't have the jaw strength needed to break a tooth, and their teeth will be falling out soon, anyway. 

[Dogsfevr]

I would never give my dog antlers there too hard & cause teeth breakage young & old .
You need to select correct weight bearing bones for the dogs age & ability  & most importantly teeth quality through the ages ,
Antlers also dont allow for chewing more scraping .
The point of bones is either part of diet content or for teeth cleaning ,bones dont stop a chewer,rock eating .
I would suggest asking your pups breeder what they use & why .
Also be mindful of all the added flavours there not natural .
You have a breed that can have skin issues so being mindful off all the added stuff is important

Edited August 27, 2020 by Dogsfevr

[persephone]

Why not provide Chase with bones he can chew and eat ? provide his food in interactive 'toys' , or as meaty bones/fresh real food he needs to work at , and let him use his jaws/mind that way ? there are also snuffle mats- brilliant things for puppies ..gets them using their noses and brains 
PICA ..the eating of non- food items , including rocks, is a compulsion ,  regardless of what else is given to chew on .It is caused by many things...and providing chewtoys  mostly won't alter the underlying caus/es.  
I think folks like antlers because they are natural , and aesthetically pleasing . 
Things dogs would absolutely have a ball with, like a half raw sheep's head -or fish heads  well, most people wouldn't be so keen  ;) 
Our dogs at the moment, because we live in the bush , are finding young rabbits dead of various things (NOT BAITS) and scoffing the whole lot- fur, innards & all ! Pudden had 2 for 'breakfast the other morning ...and he's all Koolie- no labrador LOL 
Give him a Denta-chew , and he looks at me like I am slightly weird! 
Whatever you choose for your gorgeous boy, I KNOW he will be snaffling a huge chunk of your heart from that first hour ..and I can't wait to see photos and read of his adventures ! 
Thank you for sharing your journey  

. 

[NikkiandKane]

37 minutes ago, persephone said:

Why not provide Chase with bones he can chew and eat ? provide his food in interactive 'toys' , or as meaty bones/fresh real food he needs to work at , and let him use his jaws/mind that way ? there are also snuffle mats- brilliant things for puppies ..gets them using their noses and brains 
PICA ..the eating of non- food items , including rocks, is a compulsion ,  regardless of what else is given to chew on .It is caused by many things...and providing chewtoys  mostly won't alter the underlying caus/es.  
I think folks like antlers because they are natural , and aesthetically pleasing . 
Things dogs would absolutely have a ball with, like a half raw sheep's head -or fish heads  well, most people wouldn't be so keen  ;) 
Our dogs at the moment, because we live in the bush , are finding young rabbits dead of various things (NOT BAITS) and scoffing the whole lot- fur, innards & all ! Pudden had 2 for 'breakfast the other morning ...and he's all Koolie- no labrador LOL 
Give him a Denta-chew , and he looks at me like I am slightly weird! 
Whatever you choose for your gorgeous boy, I KNOW he will be snaffling a huge chunk of your heart from that first hour ..and I can't wait to see photos and read of his adventures ! 
Thank you for sharing your journey  

. 

Yes, I already have a lickimat for him

and a puzzle type treat toy. I am happy to give raw meaty bones on occasion but the smelly, messiness of them means that he would probably need bathing and certainly can’t have them on the carpet in my office while I work.

so they’re an outside or in the crate treat some days.

I do know that Kane’s Pica was not normal and regardless of what he had to chew he felt the need to eat other things he shouldn’t. 
I loved the antlers because they weren’t smelly or messy and provided hours of calm chewing. From what I have read fallow straps are much softer.

I will do some research on those.

[Rebanne]

I've never ever had to wash a dog after its eaten. Sometimes baby puppies get into a mess but Mum is happy to clean them. Most I've seen is some red coloration on the paws. The dogs soon clean that up.

[sheena]

Not sure if it is any softer than an antler, but when my guy was younger, I gave him goats' horns, which lasted for a long time.  Both my dogs get turkey necks (frozen in summer) & frozen stuffed kongs

[Papillon Kisses]

My dog’s veterinary dentist would give a resounding no. Too many fractured teeth.