Elk Antlers for Chews – Review
I always have my eye open for new chew toys. If you haven’t noticed by now I love to chew, I was raised on Nylabones so I am always looking for something of equal quality. To me a good chew is something that lasts a while (hours to days+) and of course tastes good! Mom has got both Trey and I rawhide, non-rawhide bones (Dreambones), real bones, bully sticks and other various chews but rarely had something lasted as long as Nylabones. The only thing even close is rawhide which comes with its own dangers. I have to say these Prairie Dog brand Elk Antlers Mom picked up at Petco (they have open bins with them) are right up there with my Nylabones. They are tasty (especially the marrow we try to get out first), they are rock hard, don’t splinter and don’t leave carpet stains (well I leave slobber marks) like rawhide or bullie sticks. So far I think these will last as long as a well loved Dura Chew Nylabone.
Before I was allowed to get an antler Mom did some research. Based on everything she read she looked for a non-bleached whole (not split down middle) antler. She also learned you do NOT want to order them online. If you read all the reviews on Amazon you will get people that loved what they got and others that complain all because of size variations. The antlers seem to be sold by length which doesn’t give the whole picture because something 6 inches could be the width of a dime and something 4 inches could be the width of a silver dollar. With that type of variation it is best to go get them in store and hand pick one that works for you.
Pros:
Taste great
Last as long as Nylabones of equal size
Doesn’t splinter like cooked bones
Helps to keep teeth clean
Cons:
Price
Can cause damage to molars if you try to split in half.
Hit and miss with online ordering
Price:
$15-$30 depending on size from Petco, Petsmart and other local pet stores.
Recommend:
Yes, but under three conditions. First do NOT order online, go in store. Second don’t get one that is split in half exposing all the marrow because we will eat all of that first and fast (will be gone in no time). Finally ONLY if you are not the type of dog that will try to split them in half. With these, Nylabones and other hard chews you do run the risk of breaking molars (choosing a proper size will help with this). If you were raised on Nylabones like me, you know how to work these hard chews down to nubs.
Side Notes:
Like other chews, be sure to dispose when they get down to a size, that they are a choking risk.
There are also deer and moose antlers available, however they say Elk is recommended because of the marrow ratio and the deer antlers are even harder, more likely to cause tooth fractures. Good information can be found on Mountain Dog Chew’s website
Chewing on an elk antler
Chewing on an elk antler
2 Weeks of wear on elk antler
2 Weeks of wear on elk antler
Nylabones or Prison Shanks?
I wanted to show you a collection of what mom calls the best chew toy for me, my Nylabones or as I call them, my prison shanks.
Mine!
I am very hard on my toys unlike my brother Trey, so mom likes to make sure I always have these around. Mom and Dad said, before me they never knew Nylabones actually wore down like these. Prior to my arrival in the family anytime Mom or Dad saw a used Nylabone there was nothing more than a few teeth marks, but I showed them. I have to say I really recommend these for hard chewers like me, they work great for those times when you are really bored, want to play tug-o-war or need to get a human’s attention. I find if you drop that giant Galileo on their feet it wakes them up and if you spend the time to sharpen them to a point, they make a great poking stick as dad calls them prison shanks.
They have different types of Nylabones, for me I get the “Chew” or “Dura Chew”, which are like hard plastic however they are actually made of Nylon (hence the name). They also have edibles and other types rubber ones but Mom doesn’t get those for me. Since they do wear down be sure to toss them when they get small enough to become a choking hazard, I have a feeling at least one of mine will be disappearing soon for that reason.
Pros:
Perfect for hard chewers
Available in different sizes
Available in different flavors (once again BACON!!)
Typically Lasts a Long time
Cons:
Not for everyone, Trey didn’t like these until I came along and he still only chews on them when he knows I want to.
Can become choking hazard once worn down or if you get one that is too small. I personally like the Giant and Souper sizes for my doberman mouth. Although that “Galileo” one is a bit to big.
Recommend:
YES! Well yes for us powerful chewers. My personal recommendation, BACON flavor, although the beef and liver are good too. Now if only Nylabone would come out with a horse hoof flavored ones, that is my 2nd favorite treat made by horses, my 1st favorite I always get yelled at for eating.;)
Where to find:
Nearly any pet store but Amazon has really good prices and mom always puts in an order for me if she is ordering something else. If you are not sure what size is best for you I recommend going to the pet store first to get a real idea of how big they are. To big and they wont get chewed on, too small they might be a choking hazard or chewed up too fast.
My Nylabone Collection
I can’t resist!
