Proponents of antlers argue that chewing on the antler can help clean your dog’s teeth by scraping the tartar off. (If you’ve ever had a root abscess in your tooth, you know that it’s excruciatingly painful and can become very serious.) Even if an abscess hasn’t formed yet, chewing on a fractured tooth with an exposed nerve is still extremely painful for your dear dog. Without the enamel, infection can wick up the tooth and into the roots. A dog tooth root abscess which may rupture through the side of your dog’s faceĪ broken tooth is trouble in the making because it removes the enamel-the natural sealant that protects the tooth from infection.Pain (now the root endings are directly exposed).Slab fractures can be diagnosed by your veterinarian at a wellness visit.Ī slab fracture of your dog’s tooth can cause This is a common problem typically caused when a dog chews on something that’s too hard. The side of the tooth breaks off and you’re left with a raw, exposed flat side. Now picture a slab of that iceberg falling into the ocean. That’s the kind of fracture that happens to a dog’s tooth. Picture your dog’s fourth premolar like a big iceberg. (If you lift up your dog’s top lip from the side and retract that lip gently up and back, you’ll see on the top arcade a big tooth-it’s also called the carnassial tooth. While any tooth in the mouth can fracture, become loose or damaged, or have associated gum problems, the most common tooth to fracture is the fourth premolar. As an integrative veterinarian for over 20 years, it’s not uncommon for me to discover a cracked or broken tooth incidentally during a routine head-to-tail physical examination. In fact, a study found that one in four animals presented for a dental cleaning have a traumatic dental injury and 50% of those injuries are fractured or broken teeth. Still unsure? Let’s dive into each of these three very real hazards for dogs.ĭogs don't have a lot of enamel on their teeth and they can fracture them easily. Ingested pieces of antler chews can cause an obstruction, which may require surgery.Smaller antler pieces could pose a choking hazard.Antlers can cause painful fractured teeth.Here’s why antlers are NOT safe for dogs: Antlers, regardless of how they are cut or what animal they come from, pose a hazard for dogs for three reasons: Read on to learn why I (and countless other veterinarians) are vehemently opposed to giving dogs antlers as a chew toy. And you can’t argue that they aren’t sustainable since deer, elk, and moose naturally periodically shed their antlers. Sure, they are natural, since they are from an animal. The marketing hype surrounding antlers would have us believe that since these types of chew toys are natural dog “treats” that means they are safe for dogs. While deer antlers, elk antlers, nylon bones, and non-processed large bones may look enticing to dogs, they can break teeth. Then learn safer alternatives and how to determine whether a dog chew toy is too hard for your dog to chew. Please learn from my own moment of weakness and “chews” no to antlers for dogs! Let me explain why my stance on this subject is so clear by diving into the types of antler chews, why they are on my list of chew toys to avoid at all costs, and how antlers can fracture (break) a dog’s teeth. As an integrative veterinarian, I know what every pet owner knows to be true: What brings my dog satisfaction isn’t necessarily what’s best for him-even if trade magazines, product popularity, or social media would suggest we think otherwise. Like many dog moms, it brings me great satisfaction to give my dogs something that they enjoy. And, from the look on his face, he’d probably have answered the question, “Are antlers safe for dogs to chew?” with a happy grin. rex in his ancestral heritage, was more than happy to chomp the antler. A client had given me the antler because her dog wouldn’t go near it. Have you ever had one of those moments where what you know and what you actually do in real life don’t align? That’s what happened to me the day I gave my dog, Luke, a deer antler to chew.
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