Saturday, October 10, 2009

Deer Antlers

With a 7 month old and 1 yr old who both posses razor sharp teeth we are constantly on the search for durable chew toys. I won't tell you how much money we've spent on toys, because such things are best not remembered, but none of them have ever lasted more than a few minutes at the paws of my two pups. Joe and I now look down with disdain at toys that are labeled for strong chewers. They might be good enough for a "strong chewer", but what about for two young pups that would give a T-Rex a run for his money? My wallet and I can tell you that most things do not pass the Dottie and Alven test. Then a couple of weeks ago I was talking to my co-worker and she told me about deer antlers. At first I thought she was talking crazy, but after I did some research on the internet I discovered that these antlers might just be the answer to my prayers. Here is what I found:

- Antler chews are natural, healthy, odor-free and long lasting chew toys.
- Chew antlers contain many beneficial nutrients
and nothing artificial.
- Antler chews for dogs are from free-ranging North American deer or elk. Some of the antlers are naturally shed and some of the antlers are harvested from animals that have been hunted for sport or food (and not for their antlers!).
(This is true of the company I researched, but I'm not sure about all companies, so you'd have to do some research on that)

Then today when we went to the dog boutique where we get Flash his food (his very VIP like that) we started chatting with the lady that runs the store and she said she had some antlers from the same company I had been researching. She says her dog has had the same piece of antler for like a month and he is also a big chewer. A chew toy that will last for a month, is good for your dog and we could get it right now without waiting for it to be shipped??? Pack up three of those babies right now!!! I got three but I didn't really think Flash was going to be that into it. He isn't into the toy thing, and is a minus zero on the need to chew things. But we figured what the hell, he might like it and if it's good for this teeth even better. We went home hoping that at least Dottie would like it and our socks, pillows, couch cushions and carpet could get a break.

At home the first thing we did was bust open those antlers and hand them out. And guess what! I think Flash actually liked them even more than the other two combined. He went to town on his antler, after finding a very remote and secure location to enjoy it (by the front door). Dottie and Alven also enjoyed their antlers, and after a half hour had barely made a dent. The doggies had a great time and the parents jumped for joy at finally finding a great chew toy for their domesticated dinosaurs.

4 comments:

  1. Dachshunds are so tenacious. Our older miniature longhair will work hard to find the weak point...then it's fiberfill all over the place. Like you, we have bought/received toys labeled as indestructible...only to find that they are no match for our girls, Sam and Charlie.
    Love the blog, Flash, Dottie and Alven. Whenever I need a smile, I turn to your stories and photos. Your mom and dad are lucky to have you.

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  2. Hi Cousins! Maria here, and I told my mom and dad to get me antlers too! so far they have only complied with the "request" for bully sticks, which I love! don't you?! anyway, thanks for posting about how "good" antlers are for a dogs health, that gets them every time! :)

    Doggy licks and sniffs,
    Maria

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  3. Grant idea, especially if Flash in getting a piece of the fun.

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  4. We're going to get some antlers to try too! Thanks for writing about them. Yippee!

    Cooper, Ruby, Gretel, Fern, Doogan

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