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November 10, 2014

The Disappearing Antler

A little over two years ago, Eko and I spent the week on a friend’s farm in Montana. Eko loved romping in the wide open fields and he even found a keepsake to take home. Eko discovered this big antler in the field two years ago and
A little over two years ago, Eko and I spent the week on a friend’s farm in Montana. Eko loved romping in the wide open fields and he even found a keepsake to take home. 10.1

Eko discovered this big antler in the field two years ago and has been munching on it ever since

10.2

A few weeks after discovery, the antler looked just about the same as it did when Eko found it

I remember thinking it would take Eko around 600 years to chew down that antler. But it turns out Old Eko needed far less than that.

10.3

Last year I checked in, and Eko had whittled away both points

And what does the antler look like now?

10.4

It’s practically disappeared!

10.5

Pretty impressive, but Eko had hired another employee to help with the work

10.6

The team seems to work in shifts around the clock

10.7

This is how Penny lets Eko know she’d like him to clock out so she can have a turn

10.8

The results of dogged determination

Two years of solid interest with no smell and no mess. Like any bone, an antler could potentially cause cracked teeth in an overly-aggressive chewer, but if your pup is good with bones I highly recommend you try out an antler. It’s held Eko and Penny’s interest much longer than anything else I’ve bought for them.

Speaking of which, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the antler is the best dog toy I never bought. The impending problem is this antler is almost all gone so I’ll have to pony up for a new one. Unfortunately Eko can’t pick his next antler au naturale in Chicago. Does anyone have a favorite type/brand of antler they buy?

Comments for The Disappearing Antler

  1. dogs are unbelievable, they only need two years to shred an antler… think humans would need a lifetime :o) I would like to buy Easy an antler, but he acts like a doofus with such things, even a simple rawhide bone can lead to a diy- stomach-pumping :o(

  2. Victoria says:

    well i got mine at petco – they are not cheap – might be cheaper for you to go back and visit your friend in Montana and find another free one!

  3. Kyla says:

    None in Chicago? You might try the Moose Lodge.

  4. meANXIETYme says:

    From what I understand, the best way to get them is fresh (like you did the first time) because the older the antler, the more likely it is to splinter and cause an issue. And sadly, a lot of the ones in the stores or online end up being old. A quick search online will let you know how to judge an antler if you’re buying it in a store in person (color, cracks, etc). Good luck. I’d love to give our dogs antlers but Le Moo came to us with worn down teeth (the vet said probably chewing at a metal crate to get out or worn down PURPOSEFULLY! by the owner for a “soft” bite on birds), so I can’t give her anything hard to gnaw on. And if Le Moo can’t have it, we won’t give it to Butthead either…doesn’t seem fair. 😉

  5. Pat Sieloff says:

    We may have had the only 3 RR’s in the world who did not like antlers, but given how expensive they can be a free antler would be a great way to start. They love bones so they each got an antler for Xmas a few years ago. They each sniffed their antler, gave it a taste, dropped it and never picked it up again. I ended up giving $30+ worth of antlers to my carpet layer for his Pits who destroyed them in less than a week! Live and learn….

  6. scarlybobs says:

    We love antlers here too! 🙂

    Do you get Stagbars over there? That’s the brand we’ve always used. We did buy some antlers cheap off ebay, but Kasper managed to break huge chunks off them. They were fine with Zoey chewing them, but after that we stuck with the Stagbars!

  7. coastingnz says:

    They sound the perfect doggy treat but unfortunately not something I’ve ever seen available here – unless I know some hunters, which unfortunately again, I do not. Our boys love pigs ears. They only last a few minutes though so they are very short term treats.

  8. Elyse says:

    Duncan has serious GI issues and so we haven’t been able to give him many chew bones of any type that are digestible. So the antlers are a god send because there is hardly any marrow in them. We have an elk and had a moose antler — the moose was highly favored but he went through it much faster.

    I will be looking for deer antlers in the woods though, because these things are not cheap (unless you compare them to a bag of rawhide …)

  9. It’s deer season here in Missouri, if you want to come and get your own!

  10. Mona sigal says:

    I purchase mine at onlynaturalpet.com

  11. pawedblog says:

    Oooh I keep meaning to try the pups with antlers… well, Myfie specifically as he loves a good gnaw and chew but they are in quite short supply here, as far as I am aware, too!! Think I would have to order online … might just be worth it thought!!
    Hugs, Carrie & Pups x

  12. Emmadog says:

    We have Best Elk Antlers. They are awesome. They lie around all the time and occasionally get worked on. When they start getting to small or thin, Mom tosses them out so we don’t swallow them. Antlers saved our home from Bailie’s puppy chewing time. Sadly, she still chews them, but also other things like beds and pillows.

  13. raisingdaisy says:

    Daisy is a crazy-tough chewer. I just saw antlers in a small boutique pet shop we were in, but we’ve never tried them. Daisy’s chew toy of choice is Nylabones. Being that she has such a sensitive tummy, we have to be very careful with what we give her and when we find something that doesn’t bother her, we stick with it. Sounds like you found the perfect toy for your two buddies. 🙂

  14. Awesome work, E. That is some serious chomping. I only play with stuffed animals, so we have no insight about antlers. I even have a stuffed stick. Mom says I’m more of a kitten than an actual dog.

    Love and licks,
    Cupcake

  15. That is awesome that it lasted that long and one found out in the wide open spaces, how cool is that.

  16. Ogee says:

    Careful when they get small. A friend’s dog just underwent a costly and dangerous surgery to remove one with a very pointy end.

  17. Alisa says:

    Samson loved his first antler, which a friend brought for us from the States as we don’t have them here in Africa. My sister brought one for us on her visit at about the time we got Roo, but somehow it has somehow gotten lost in our house 🙁 I’ve looked everywhere so these dogs must habe gotten very creative with the hiding spot.

  18. Wow, that is dedication. I’ve gotten antlers for Jack, but he loses interest after a day or two. They are too hard for Maggie. Neither of them are big chewers…maybe it’s the senior teeth.

  19. Those things are pure paw-adise for Sam which is incredibly remarkable since that ADHD dog NEVER has the attention span to go stick with things. I got his first in February and it’s only half gone. And boy are his pearly whites (and gums) in great shape too! Best.investment.ever! 🙂

  20. I will send you a couple I have picked up on walks if you send me your addy Will. Just let me know if you are interested and I will give you my e-mail so I can get your snail mail.
    Marty’s Mom

  21. Oh my double attack and they succeeded LOL

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