Just wondered if anyone can tell me if my 7 month old puppie's teeth could be damaged by too much chewing. She is not interested in any of the Nylabones I have bought for her. The only things she likes are sticks (which I am told can splinter and should be taken away from her - Ahhhhh) and Antler chews (which are very expensive but which she absolutely loves). I don't know if its a problem but she chews for hours on them. There doesn't seem to be any damage so far but is this normal? She has loads of exercise and is rarely left any length of time on her own. She is very laid back and extremely content.
Re: Antler chews Puzzle who is 4 1/2 months old has a stag bar, but she has an "easy" one which is cut in half so the middle stuff is exposed. Other things you could try would be something like a stuffed kong
Re: Antler chews There are quite a few discussions on the forum about these and similar - you should be able to find them using the search (or someone might remember a post a link). From all the discussions we've had, I conclude the following (which is not, of course, necessarily the same conclusions as others may draw! There is a real risk of teeth damage for some dogs in chewing items that are hard - hard = you can't make a dent in with your thumb nail. This risk does not seem to arise for bones (eg chicken) which are fed as part of a meal with meat. Not all dogs are at risk using nylabones and antlers etc, it depends on how your dog chews - some dogs bite down harder and harder and those are the ones really at risk of teeth damage. Other dogs are much more sensible. So, it depends.... My boy is a chewer and seems to regard anything hard as a real challenge - and he doesn't give up. So he doesn't get antlers, bones or nylabones etc. I mainly use kongs, pizzles, and occasionally rawhide strips (supervised and removed before they are small enough to become a choke hazard). Other people feel very comfortable feeding bones on their own, and allowing their dogs nylabones and antlers etc. I think this is very consistent with the risk varying depending on how the dog chews these things.
Re: Antler chews Murphy loves the antlers and is 5.5 months old. The one he has is half of one cut down the middle so the stuff inside is exposed like the one puppy pal said. It's one of the only things apart from kongs that he spends lots of time on. I don't know if there is an issue with it damaging his teeth but like with most things there are always advice for and against things. I just keep an eye on him and he doesn't have it every days they are expensive! Don't know if that was much help lol
Re: Antler chews Hi Ceri, I brought a small antler that is cut in the middle. Harley is 3 months old and it has really helped her stop biting everything else. I monitor her when she has it. Harley isn't a chomper - she tries to eat the inside stuff rather than chew the bone. Personally, I am really glad I got it for her. The other thing I use is a stuffed teething kong
Re: Antler chews Holly only seems to go for her antler when we're all sat down together. She'll lie by our feet, have a chew, then doze off. The rest of the time she just carries it around. They're expensive, but seem to last very well.
Re: Antler chews Lola did have a puppy one to start with (the cut in half one with the inside exposed) and she loved that too, but it didn't last as long. Thanks for all the replies, I will continue to let her have her antlers and just keep an eye on her. Think she is a bit like Holly and likes to chew when we are sitting nearby. She loves her filled Kong too but these were fine in the summer when she was outside most of the day but now that she has got the hang of dropping it to help get the inside out, it makes a terrible mess in the house! Never heard of pizzles, will look them up.
Re: Antler chews Have fun with that one Ceri! (not my favorite dog trat - the ones I had smelled so bad I kept them in the shed )
