Few things can show your pooch you care as much as a well-deserved treat—and there are plenty of ways to do it.
From chew toys and raw bones to jerky, chew strips, pigs ears and rawhide bones, treats are an easy way to say ‘I love you’ to your furry friend, but if you’re looking to change it up with a little something special that your pooch hasn’t had before, you might be considering if deer antlers make a good treat idea.
While we’re sure you’ll make up your own mind about whether you want to add deer antlers to your doggo’s treat menu, we’re convinced they’ll make a great addition. Here’s why…
They’re great for keeping teeth clean
While there are plenty of dental dog treats on the market that do a good job helping to keep plaque in-check to prevent dental disease, deer antlers for dogs are like the holy grail of dental treats.
If your dog is the type that will easily destroy a new chew toy in a matter of hours, deer antlers are ideal.
They’re much harder to chew through than most dog treats and chew toys. It can even take a couple of months for a dog to work their way through a decent sized antler—now that’s a lot of chewing, and we all know how good that is for our doggo’s teeth! In fact, all that extra chewing means deer antlers can scrape away tartar build-up by a whopping 70%.
They’re rich with good stuff
Just like bones, deer antlers are jam-packed with super-nutritious ingredients like calcium and phosphorous—two ingredients which are crucial for building strong and healthy bones.
It’s particularly important that your dog receives enough calcium in their diet, as a deficiency can impact everything from digestion and nerve function, to muscular contractions (including of the heart) and blood coagulation. It can also commonly lead to rickets, a condition where the bones become extremely brittle and fragile.
While both bones and deer antlers contain calcium and phosphorous, there is one key difference between the two—deer antlers are significantly less likely to splinter compared to bones, making them the safer alternative.
