Dog Tested and Approved Chews

I think Tashi is getting the hang of sniffing out the good stuff to review; he was pretty excited today with the items coming out of the box, especially when he discovered it was all for him.  This kind of thing usually happens only at Christmas around here! So let’s dive into the dog tested and approved chews.

First, we’ll look at the Buckarooz! deer antler chew which I had wanted Tashi to try ever since I saw them at the Backer Pet Products Christmas show.  As I read the packaging, a bolded statement screamed ”Not for human consumption!” No kidding, really? Then I saw the single ingredient, renewable resource, no added hormones, antibiotics, animal by-products, steroids or preservatives list and laughed. Someone’s got a sense of humor!  Not much room for the usual chemicals that de-nature nature in this product. I used to pick up antlers shed annually around the property when I lived in the country but never gave a thought to using them as dog chews!  

Tashi doesn’t have canines, so I’m careful about what we choose to chew and I was excited to see his reaction to something out of his range of experience;)

He sniffed both ends, and gave it a couple of thoughtful, tentative licks. The antler was the 6-7 inch size, but it was really heavy, too heavy for him to carry around in his mouth.  He held it for a little while, explored it, sniffed it everywhere, and put it between his paws and tried to chew it.  For Tashi, it was just too strange an experience.  Accustomed to cookies and chews with give, it was too different for him–he didn’t get it. That’s not say it he was happy with it disappearing out the door.  Nevermind,  what Tashi can’t review, foster dogs can! 

Shadow, a now year-old lab mix nearly fully recovered after an eight-month illness and recovery period with neurological stage distemper, has a lovely new  taste-tested antler chew which he intermittently tosses and sends clattering across the wood floor of his apartment (I think he likes to attack and chase things when they move). Shadow knew exactly what to do with his antler chew and now it’s his new favorite!  They price out from $6.79 to $27.99 according to size.  You can go to Free Range Dog Chews website for more information. 

Have you tried Buckarooz! deer antlers yet? What do you think of them and how long do they last?  Their products don’t seem to  produce offensive odors and I wondered, since this is the most natural product with the least amount of processing, does this one have a distinctive, discernable odor?