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Are bully sticks, rawhide, antlers, or Nylabone safe for dog teeth?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Question on bones and chews: Which can harm teeth (canines mainly) Bully sticks Retriever Rawhide (no knots at ends) Antlers (chew with back teeth and rarely) Nylabone Petsafe Wood Chew

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 19th, 2018

I never recommend antlers because they do break teeth, and rawhides pose a chocking and intestinal blockage risk. Bully sticks are fine as long as you watch your dog when he eats it, and the Nylabone Petsafe Wood Chew is fine too. I hope this helps!

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Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What kind of chew bone can dogs eat that is safe for digesting example:Deer horns, Cow Horns, Pig Ears, or Rawhide.
My personal preference is compressed rawhide (not regular rawhide). Pig ears and Nylabones are OK too. Any of these types of treats you give them should only be given supervised. Antlers are not recommended - they are too hard and often break their teeth. Same with cow hooves. https://www.petsupplies.com/dog-supplies/rawhide-bones/pressed-rawhide/9398/
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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What type of bones are recommended to keep dog's teeth healthy and clean? What are your thoughts on rawhide? My small dog will any brand bone without a problem but my big dog will swallow big pieces and ends up eating them in 3 seconds.
I don't recommend giving bones to dogs. They can break teeth when dogs chew on them, and if the dog swallows a big enough piece, it can cause a GI obstruction. I'm also not a fan of rawhide, and don't recommend them. If you want something to help with their teeth, I recommend dental chews. CET is a good brand of dental chews that are safe for them to chew on. You can also give them Hill's t/d as a treat. It's a dental food. Best of luck, I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 7 month old amstaff mix who loves to chew. I'm at a loss as to what to give her. I've been told antlers and nylon bones will break or wear away teeth. However, she destroys chew toys that are pliable/able to be indented with a finger nail in
You are correct that antlers and nylon bones will break teeth, but they can also cause obstructions and/or perforations in the GI tract. I recommend a Kong toy. Those are very tough chew toys that are hard to dogs to destroy. You can also fill them with treats. I'd recommend, as an occasional treat, filling it with peanut butter and freezing it overnight in the freezer. That will keep her occupied for a while.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Are elk antlers safe for dogs? I know deer antlers can break teeth but I've heard elk antlers aren't quite as hard. What about Himilayan Yak Chews? Goat Horns? Ruff roots?
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! I don't know about the various chews that you are describing but I will tell you what veterinary dentists tell their clients. Never give a dog or puppy anything to chew that is extremely hard and doesn't soften when they chew it. Deer antlers are too hard and they don't soften up. So you want to look for things that are hard at first but soften with chewing such as rawhides and other chew treats. Extremely hard chews can damage and cause fractures of the teeth and roots. Good luck
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is it okay for my dog to play with the Nylabone? And if he eats the ends off is it safe ?
The nylabone is generally safe to play with and is difficult to chew, so the little bits that could get ingested are not toxic or enough to cause problems. If a bigger piece was somehow ingested, then this would be a problem. Veterinary dentists warn that nylabones are too hard and can lead to tooth fractures, so it's not commonly recommended anymore. The recommendation is to not get chews that are hard enough that they would hurt if you were hit in the kneecap with it. Kongs are usually a safe choice. Here is a link to some more helpful information about nylabones: https://www.caninejournal.com/nylabone-warning/ I hope that helps and all is well with Wolverine.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog always wants to bite and chew cloths and paper but she dosent like dog toys, if i get her a new dog toys she chew it and get bored of it after 2 or 3 days. She find books and cloths then destroy it. I can get her chew sticks out i saw on youtu
Hi there. Yes, I would definitely recommend giving Lirril some things to chew on. It's normal for puppies and adolescents to be very mouthy and want to chew constantly at this age. I normally recommend things like all-natural sturdy rawhide chews, bully sticks, and puzzle toys such as a frozen Kong stuffed with peanut butter. These do not cause cancer, and are generally safe for dogs to chew on.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I recently purchased a Nylabone flexi chew, and dental chew for small dogs. After coming home i began researching and i saw some bad reviews saying these products are unsafe. But others saying it wasn't. Do you recommend these?
I wouldn't let Steel chew on the Nylabone or the chews unsupervised, but if you watch him use them to keep him from eating huge chunks of the chews or parts of the Nylabone, it's fine for him to have them :-)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My black lab mix is an aggressive powerful chewer. We have tried multiple bones. We were told to try raw bones? Is this good for our dog? What type of raw bone should we try? We don't want to deal with the splinters either. Rawhides he gets sick from
I would not recommend bones of any kind for your dog. There is danger of breaking teeth, as well as ingesting pieces of the bone which could cause a gastroinestinal foreign body or perforation. With any raw meat product we also run the risk of bacterial infection such as e.coli or salmonella (this is a risk not only to the pet but also to people living in the house). For strong chewers I recommend the heavier duty nylabones and kongs (they come in a few different "chewing strengths" so look for ones made for the heaviest chewers.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is it safe to give my dog bones to chew on?
No! Dogs should NEVER be given raw or cooked animal bones for several reasons. Raw bones run the risk of transmitting harmful bacteria, including Salmonella or Campylobacter, both to your dog and any exposed people. These bacteria can be transmitted through a dog’s stool and saliva. Bones can also pose hazards for foreign body obstruction in the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. Poultry bones are inherently filled with air and cooked bones become more brittle, both of which can splinter leading to perforation of the stomach or intestines. Bones and antlers are also quite hard and can lead to tooth fractures. Instead of offering bones, alternative products such as Nylabones, Kongs, or the dental treats approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (www.vohc.org) are safer and more effective alternatives for dogs that like to chew.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 1 1/2 year old wants to chew ... I am worried about fixing bones as they can damage teeth ... bully sticks last only minutes what else can you recommend
Kong toys with frozen peanut butter or other frozen treats can provide hours of entertainment without the added risk of breaking teeth on hard bones. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

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