Antlers...Oh Deer!

A while back, Martha recommended deer antlers for Cabana. But I couldn't find any stores that carried them. Whenever I'd ask for them at a pet store, they'd say, "We only carry those at Christmas time." So I'd explain, "Not the kind that you put on your dog's head as a costume. I want the kind that dogs can chew on." Then they'd look at me like I was a lunatic.

But today, I stopped at a fun little pet store called The Pet Cottage, and woo hoo, they had antlers!

close up of my daughter's hand with 5 inch deer antler, which just looks like a little brown stick, in her palm, this is in focus, but you can see blurry head of cabana in the background looking at the antler like hey what's thisThis wasn't at all what I expected, but it said deer antler on the package. This one is a "medium" which is only about 5" long, but they didn't have a larger size.

antler on the ground with cabana nosing it"Hmmm, what's this little stick?"

cabana chewing on antler with it wedged neatly between her front pawsCabana has been chewing non-stop since I sat down to write this post. I'm always looking for good chew toys for Cabana, and I'm usually quite disappointed with how poorly most toys hold up. But now I'm sold on deer antlers--they are completely natural, odorless, don't splinter, and Cabana obviously loves them! (And the antlers are naturally shed from the deer, so no deer are harmed.)

same pose of cabana but this time with her tongue stuck out licking the antlerNext time, I'll definitely get a large size--but Cabana seems to have mastered the technique for holding this little stump! If anyone knows of a good source with good prices for these, please let me know!

FYI - This antler did stain my carpet a little, even though they're not supposed to.

Martha G  – (February 4, 2010 at 5:26 PM)  

I'll send you some. I have a great source, but they don't do mail order. I'll be dropping off one of my dogs tomorrow at the daycare there and I'll see if they have a good stock of them in right now. The big ones go fast.

Infrequent Flyers  – (February 4, 2010 at 6:08 PM)  

That would be fantastic, Martha! Let me know how much and I'll send you a check. How exciting!

Sierra Rose  – (February 4, 2010 at 6:34 PM)  

Hmmmmmm! Wow. Good stuff.
Do the doggies eat the antlers completely, or just chew on them?
What town is Pet Cottage in?
SR LOVES bully sticks, and pork rolls...so we buy in bulk...but, one a day is probably maximum for her digestive system.

Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
Sierra Rose and mom

Erin  – (February 4, 2010 at 6:36 PM)  

What's funny is Deer Antlers has been a hot topic on my GDF email lists, and I've been thinking about trying them out! Guess I'll have to now!!

Heather and Kelly  – (February 4, 2010 at 6:43 PM)  

Wow--that is a pretty small antler! Mine is much much larger, and I haven't seen my pet store carry any of the size you bought.
Glad Cabana liked it though!

About the staining of the carpet--yours looks a little bloody in the picture, I have never seen one like that but I'm guessing it would stain more and the dog would like the taste/smell more. Trade-offs...

Lisa and pups  – (February 4, 2010 at 6:54 PM)  

I've been looking for a local source for those for awhile now. We haven't found any, but the search will continue. Good to know about the carpet.

JacksDad  – (February 4, 2010 at 6:55 PM)  

Ah, I'll have to try that as well. I wonder if PetSmart carries them!

Kari in Alaska  – (February 4, 2010 at 6:56 PM)  

man we have been thinking about getting those for a while!

L^2  – (February 4, 2010 at 7:30 PM)  

A friend who recently got her second guide dog from GDF was just talking about how her trainer recommended deer antlers since her dog is a heavy chewer. Let me look on her blog... she says www.cherrybrook.com has them at fairly reasonable prices. I haven't gotten any for my dogs yet, but I might have to buy one for them to try sometime.

Brandon - The dog with a blog  – (February 4, 2010 at 7:43 PM)  

I have never heard of deer antlers being a chew toy!

Toby wants me to find him some now:)

Cassie & The Dogs  – (February 4, 2010 at 8:02 PM)  

Oh Deer!! Unfortunately, we end up saying that a lot on our in and out of town :( I'm not sure why the thought of antlers as a chew toy grosses me out, but I must admit that it does! Glad that Cabana enjoyed it!

Becky Andrews  – (February 4, 2010 at 8:22 PM)  

Interesting - I had no idea. When I read your title I thought of the herd of deer that we had to stop for on our way to work this morning. They have come down to our park often.

Martha G  – (February 4, 2010 at 9:24 PM)  

The ones I'm going to send you are whole antlers and they don't stain.

Denise  – (February 5, 2010 at 9:00 AM)  

A bunch of GDA puppy raisers buy them on ebay by the lb. then split the cost.

Ms. ~K  – (February 5, 2010 at 4:44 PM)  

Wrooo wrooo,
We've got our mom checking on line for some!!! Thanks for the info!
Licks and sniffs,
Zack, Sassy and Buddy

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