Should I give my dog antler chews?

Chew on this!  

Proper chews and gnaw bones are so helpful to busy a pooch during down time, as well as nourish them with important minerals and nutrients. Chef Scot Hill, founder of Woof Creek Nutritious Nature™, actively sought the best dog chew and most natural available for his pup, Lily and Woof Creek’s loyal pet parents and their fur babies.  

The find! Chef Hill sourced naturally shed deer and elk antler chews with high marrow content, split (in half) to expose that softer marrow, which give a perfect nutrient-rich gnaw distraction that channels dogs’ high energy into a healthy chewing past time. Antlers act as a dental chew, too, keeping dogs’ teeth cleaner (and the softer, high-marrow antler specifically sought out by Chef reduces the risk to dogs’ teeth for breakage that harder low marrow/high-calcium antlers might cause: supervision still required.) Also, natural dog antler chews are much longer lasting than rawhide or synthetic chew toys, even longer than raw bones. This is due to the high calcium content of these bone-like natural antlers. 

More to Chew On… 

Deer and elk antler chews contain many of the best nutrients that your dog craves.  They are a great natural source for calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc & manganese:  All this in a compact, odorless (to humans: dogs go nuts over the scent which unique to each antler!) mess-free, all-natural dog gnaw. Lily Lou, Woof Creek’s Chief Tasting Officer and very high-energy poodle pup, finds these deer and elk antlers irresistible, and chills-and-chews for 20-30 minutes sessions. Her first antler has lasted more than a month. 

Being hard antler exposed to the weather, Antler Chews are stronger than raw bones and are of a finer texture.  Antler Dog Chews cut from real, hard antler will not easily break or chip like cooked or raw bones might.  Each dog antler chew is different, as is each dog that loves them, hence, it is hard to predict how a dog will consume them. Your dog’s chewing action and the digestive action of the dog’s own saliva slowly yields delicious morsels of antler for your dog to enjoy.  

Get In the Gnaw 

Antlers are annually renewable, high in animal cartilage and bone tissue, and only generated by members of the deer family. Generally, only males (bulls and bucks) grow antlers every year, however Caribou (Arctic deer) females also grow antlers. All-natural antler dog chews come predominately from Rocky Mountain elk and some other deer species like mule deer, whitetail, red deer, moose and fallow deer.  Hard antler naturally falls off the deer each year, providing a safe, all-natural antler chew treat for your dog.  

NO ANIMALS ARE EVER HARMED.  Elk and deer drop their old, hard antler every year in late winter and start growing new antlers (velvet antlers) each and every spring.  The natural “drops” or antlers are collected from farmed and wild animals: Farmed animals are never given any steroids, unnecessary antibiotics or other growth promoting chemicals.   

Woof Creek’s antler source, a highly-selective Colorado-based antler gathering outfit, specializes in the antlers of American Elk, but also does harvest the antlers of Moose, Red Deer, Fallow Deer, Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer and lastly Caribou (reindeer) antlers as well.  

The hardest portions of deer antler and elk antler are very similar in composition, however, elk antler, being a generally larger antler, has higher marrow content when in the hard antler stage. 

Marrow is the soft inner, blood-enriched core. Oriental medicine has found that the marrow is where the significant health benefits exist, so the more the marrow, the more the health benefits. A dog needing nutritional support for joint health, for example, can benefit greatly from naturally shed elk or deer antler dog gnaws. 

More ‘Dasher, Dancer, & Donner’ Data  

In the Central Colorado Rocky Mountains area, both farmed elk and deer, and literally hundreds of wild elk and deer roam free. All these beautiful animals shed thousands of pounds of antler each year. Renewable, naturally shed antler is well suited for human health products, decoration or crafting furniture and, of course, majorly for making dog chews for dog busy bones, dog dental chews, and dog nutrient-resources. 

Antlers come from a specific genus of herbivore mammal known as Cervidae. Only cervids produce antler and they can come in all sizes. From tiny five-pound deer in equatorial jungles to giant moose weighing over 1500 pounds found in northern climates, all grow and shed antler every year. Usually only males grow antlers, however the northern-most cervids, caribou and the resultant domesticated reindeer, have antlers on females as well. Perhaps antlers are radiators that help these gorgeous beasts survive the transition from a heavy winter coat into the humid and 24-hour oppressive heat occasionally found on the northern tundra. 

Unlike horns (like goat horns) or tusks (elongated teeth), every year antlers are shed and regrown. Generally, in the USA, antlers fall off in February thru April and are fully regrown by the Fall mating season from August thru December. Antler falls where the animal stands and lies there slowly deteriorating with the weather. Knowing where the animals Winter can give the harvester a picker's advantage. 

Thousands of pounds of antler are sold as chews for dogs every year. Some small amount goes to crafts and decoration, but, by far, the largest quantity goes for antler dog chew toys. Woof Creek’s trusted antler source in Colorado, harvests thousands of pounds of prospective antler chews from the mountains and valleys. Biological surveys suggest that only about 10% to 12% of the available antler “crop” is harvested every year by pickers.  

Although the recent antler craze has hit the dog chew market by storm, using antler for dog chews is nothing new. Probably ever since man domesticated the first dog, if antler was around, the dog would have chewed on it. So, while cavemen made arrow and spear tips or knives from selected pieces of antler, also called “gog,” the dog probably got the chewy antler scraps: Dog antler chews are just a natural occurrence that has been rediscovered by modern man and his faithful companion. Antler is in fact, one of the fastest growing tissues in the animal kingdom, weighing over 50 lbs. in large elk or moose bulls in about 100-days’ time. That fast growth and abundance makes antler for dogs a logical choice for an all-natural, even “organic” treat most dogs love. 

Why Dogs Dig ‘em 

The reason dogs like naturally shed antler chews is simple: Dogs are carnivores and need meat and calcium and all the other minerals found in antler. The antler’s outside is a hard calcium, phosphorous and magnesium shell found almost exactly in the same ratio and in a bio-available form that active dogs need and crave. As a bonus, the antler core is essentially a high energy form of bone marrow (meat) supercharged with red blood cells and super nutrients that promote healing and growth. No artificial ingredients, just nature-made, bone-afide bliss for dogs!  

Deer antler chew toys are longer lasting, tasty and safe for your dog, however, always use caution when first offering your dog an antler chew treat.  Supervise their activity so they do not attempt to swallow or break the antler.   

Dog antler chews come in several sizes: Just simply match  the size of the antler chew stick to your dog’s size.  Always buy antler chews approximately proportionate to your dog’s body size, and start your pupper off with a split (cut in half) antler, with the marrow exposed, before offering a harder, unsplit antler. 

Every deer and elk are different, therefore each of our antler chews is different. That difference may be why dogs find them irresistible: Antler chews for dogs are all-natural products right off the animal. The only processing of Woof Creek’s sourced antlers is that the whole antler gets power-washed with clean, natural mountain well water to remove excess dirt and miscellaneous organic material, and then is cut into manageable sizes. Some are sliced in half for those pet parents with light to medium chewers and first-time antler gnawers.  Also, each dog chew antler is hand-sanded to round the points and eliminate any sharp edges that might injure your pet. 

Slicing reveals the antler chew’s marrow, which dogs love, but in turn reduces the time it takes for a doggy to consume the dog chew. 

A must-have for Woof Creek’s founder, Chef Scot Hill and his poodle pup, the elk and deer antler gnaw toy is a year-round staple in his house. Get your dog’s holiday gift list checked off: Deer antler chews makes the perfect stocking stuffer! Your beloved barker deserves a nutrient rich, healthy distraction that is also renewable, naturally shed and long lasting: Nutritious Nature Chews, naturally shed deer and elk antler dog gnaw toys! 

Please use caution:   

 * Like for any new chew toy, ALWAYS supervise your dog when giving antler chew sticks or buttons. 

* Do not allow your dog to swallow them or break them into pieces.  

* These natural antler chews are very hard and can break teeth if too aggressively chewed.   

* Some dogs get overly possessive of antler dog chews: Use caution when taking an antler chew toy away from your dog.  

* Dispose of any dog chew which represents a risk of swallowing by your pet. 

Woof Creek Nutritious Nature™ disclaims any liability for pet problems due to natural instincts, failure to supervise or aggressive behavior.