Elk Antlers for Dogs: Are They a Safe and Durable Chew Toy?

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Today I started wondering “What About Elk Antlers For Dogs?”

You might ask why are you thinking about elk antlers for dogs?

Well, about a month ago I wrote a short blog post asking the question Are Deer Antlers For Dogs A Good Chew Toy?

Check out the link if you missed the story.

Up until recently I had heard lots of good things about antlers for dogs, but not long ago I had been made aware of some side effects of antlers as a chew toy and I was told by our guide dog school:

“We do not recommend antlers as a chew toy/supplement.”

Since I had not ever purchased deer antlers for my dogs I figured it was not a big deal (being told that we could not give our dogs antlers as a chew toy).

However, I wanted to let everyone here on the blog know that there was a concern and I was hoping to hear your feedback thus I wrote the initial post.

Lucky for me we have an active audience that responded to our deer antlers blog post and left me some wonderful comments, answers, emails, and additional questions.

Here are bits of feedback we received from readers:

“I have had no problem and also purchase for my sons pup who also has no problems.” –C.H.

“GDD where I am raising my puppy from right now, says they are fine for the dogs and they are great chew toys.” –P.E.

‘My dogs love the antler chews, however you have to be very careful about the ones you buy.” –J.A.

“I just read your “deer antler” info and I am wondering if the elk antlers I have been giving my dogs are safe? THEY SIMPLE LOVE THEM AND I HAVE NOT NOTICED ANY SIDE EFFECTS. ” –JoAnna

After reading through comments and several emails I received after posting my deer antlers for a dog’s blog post I began to see a common theme.

First, everyone who responded had mostly positive things to say about the antlers they purchased for their dogs.

Second, it seemed that the most important point was to make sure you purchased your antler chews from a reputable source.

So perhaps down the line, I will buy antlers for my dogs, but I will be sure to do research to find high-quality antlers.

What About Elk Antlers For Dogs?

A second question that came to light were questions about elk antlers for dogs? are they potentially unsafe as well?

Since I have never purchased any kind of antler for my dogs I wasn’t too sure.  I went back to the original emails I received and conducted a little bit of internet research.

As someone who has not purchased, but only heard and researched antlers for dogs it seems to me that the worries from our deer antlers for dogs blog article are the same for all antler chews for dogs (deer, elk, moose, etc).

According to our findings, the majority have found antlers to be a great chew for their dogs as long as you get your dog the right size and purchase a high-quality antler product from a reliable source.

Here’s a nice thread on Elk Antler Chews: http://www.dogforums.com/dog-food-forum/100618-elk-antler-chews.html.

One person even mentions that his dogs love Elk Antlers even more than they love the Deer Antlers (which is a lot)!

I went ahead and dug even deeper into the antler for dogs market and found many different sizes and variations including deer antlers for dogs, elk antlers for dogs, moose antlers for dogs, and reindeer antlers for dogs

Here’s a short list of some of the antler products you can purchase from Chewy.

• Deer Antlers – These are from Heartland Antlers and we’ve used these with our dogs. A few things we like about this product are it’s a product of the USA, not treated with chemicals, and it has a low odor which is the one big negative we have with bully sticks (we’ve been using beef collagen sticks recently as a bully stick alternative because they too are not as stinky).
• Elk Antlers  – The Elk Antlers we recommend are from the same company USA Bones & Chews and have the same pluses we mention with the deer antler product.
• Moose Antlers – Okay folks we wanted to list the moose antlers even though we haven’t tried it yet. It is not as well-reviewed and is from a different company. I highly recommend you read about these before purchasing. We’re considering trying this product with our dogs. Again biggest complaint we see in the review section is the size and how dogs go through it pretty quickly.
• Reindeer Antlers – Reindeer antlers you say? Yep, in fact we love reindeer antlers…not as chews, but to dress up our puppies! It’s one of those things we do with our pups to get them used to being handled and learn to be tolerant.

From all the reviews I read through biggest complaints has to do with the size of the antlers. I was satisfied with my antlers, but as it was mentioned in the description size and shape vary since this is a natural product.

After researching, feedback from friends and family, and finally from reader comments here on the blog I feel much more comfortable about purchasing antlers for my dogs.

Although its something I cannot give to any of my guide dog puppies in training I may try letting my own pet dogs try the antler chews.

If my 2 boys do try the antlers for dogs I’ll make sure to report back to you and give a thorough review telling exactly what we thought about the product.

I know a lot of you have already chimed in through last months article on deer antlers for dogs.

However, now that the new year is upon us and many may have received antlers for our dogs as Christmas gifts what kind of experiences have you had with elk antlers for dogs?

How about any of the other aforementioned antler for dog products?

We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comment section below.

UPDATE: We have used several types of antlers for dogs including Elk and Deer and haven’t had any problems. Our biggest concern is our dogs chipping or cracking a tooth. Antlers are very hard and this could be an issue as we’ve read in some of the comments on our blog.

If you decide Elk/Deer Antlers are right for you be certain to monitor your dogs when chewing on them.

Top Picks For Our Puppies

1. BEST DOG CHEW
   We Like: Beef Collagen Sticks - All of our pups love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Collagen Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.
2. BEST PUPPY TOY
   We Like: Calmeroos Puppy Toy w/ Heartbeat and Heat Packs - Perfect for new puppies. Helps ease anxiety in their new home.
3. BEST DOG TREATS
   We Like: Crazy Dog Train-Me Treats - We use these as our high-value treats for our guide dog puppies.
4. BEST FRESH DOG FOOD
   We Like: The Farmer's Dog - A couple months ago we started feeding Raven fresh dog food and she loves it! Get 50% off your first order of The Farmer's Dog.

Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist.