Anco Roots

[Andrea Ellie]

Hi all

I saw anco roots for dogs in my local pet shop and just wondered if anyone else has tried them and are they a good idea? I don't feed Ellie rawhide as it doesn't agree with her and we do have stag bars but saw these and wondered if they might be good to try.

[panda66]

Stag bars are not as popular as they were as  vets are apparently seeing more fractured teeth due to them.  Lila has Anco root but doesn't really bother with it, prefers coat hangers and dvd cases

[Sasha B]

My two have these but don't bother with them. That said they didn't really bother with stag bars either.

[Andrea Ellie]

Thank you both. Ellie only bothers with her stag bar occasionally but I'm a bit concerned about the fractured teeth. Do you know if anything else that would be a good alternative?

[elaine.e]

I have stag bars and a root chew. William is mildly interested in them and will chew one or the other for a few minutes every so often. I don't worry about him fracturing his teeth on the stag bars because he never chews anything with any real force. I know vets have stated they're a problem and I can see why a very determined and strong chewer might have problems. Interestingly though, the only photos I've seen of teeth fractured by stag bars have been in the mouths of dogs with serious dental disease already.

Louis isn't interested in either and prefers the meaty bones that are part of his raw diet or rawhide chews (Farm Food ones as they're genuine cowhide and not from China, wouldn't buy any others). He's a careful chewer but I still only let him have rawhide under supervision and take the chews away from him when I think they're small enough that he couldswallow them whole, even though he's never tried to.

[Andrea Ellie]

Thank you. I might give them a miss if your boys and girls are not that interested in them. I bought Ellie a new stag bar the other week and she's only chewed it twice.

[linda c]

I tried stag bars and Blue wasn't bothered at all, so gave them to a friend and I don't think hers is that bothered either. Haven't tried Anco Roots so can't say what reaction we'd get. Just get him rice bones from PAH as he loves them, but it doesn't take him that long to get through one.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Charlie likes his, he loved it when he got it but at least once a week he goes for a good chew on it.

[Fluff]

I read this recently about stag bars:

STATEMENT OF PURE DOG LIMITED

Pure Dog Limited (“the Company”) has been supplying natural deer antler in the United Kingdom and Europe for nearly three years. In that period over half a million Stagbars have been supplied.

The Company takes seriously any suggestion that its Stagbar product is harmful to dogs, which is why it keeps strict controls of any formally reported problems. Given recent comments in the media, the Company felt it should issue this Statement, which will hopefully allay any concerns that dog owners, vets or others have about the Stagbar.

To put the situation into perspective, the Company’s reported incidence of any teeth issue being experienced by a dog is 0.000002%. It was not established in that incidence whether or not the dog owner had followed the Company’s clear guidance on its labeling.

There are a myriad of products on the market for a dog to chew. Some market themselves as natural dog chews, something this Company is a great advocate of, others are artificial dog chews. Different dog owners have different views in relation to such products. Some will champion the natural product, some will champion the artificial product and some will champion both. It all depends on what each dog enjoys. The experience of our customers is that their dogs overwhelmingly love the Stagbar. For example, one of our customers wrote to us stating:

“Hello, it's not often that I feel the need to write to someone about their product but yours is certainly worth it. The Stagbar was recommended as a treat for our Rottie as nothing else lasts more than a few minutes, but the added bonus is that her teeth are now beautifully clean! Fred doesn't chew the treat an awful lot and yet all of the brown stains have disappeared. Thank you very much for marketing this amazing treat and I will wholeheartedly recommend to all of our doggie friends.”

In fact, we have many testimonials praising the Stagbar and the positive impact it has had on a dog’s dental health and general well being.

Of the many dog chews and toys available on the market, some are hard and some are soft. Every dog owner has to make a judgment as to which product their dog is best suited to. Clearly, the action of a dog chewing on a hard item, particularly if the dog bears down, could result in the dog damaging its teeth. A dog chewing/bearing down on nylon chews, pressed raw hide, rolled raw hide, roasted bones, raw bones, hard cheeses, pizzles, compacted vegetable chews, rasks and many dog toys could theoretically cause a problem with a dog’s teeth. However, the clear evidence is that Stagbars do not in and of themselves cause a problem for dog’s teeth, just as the other hard chews and toys on the market do not in and of themselves cause a problem for dog’s teeth, so far as we know.

The Company has some concerns about those in the media who appear to have singled out the Stagbar for criticism. If the concern is genuine, then why not express it about all hard chews and not just the Stagbar? In fact, in one incidence a person against the Stagbar was actually supplying deer antler on their own website, which really puts into perspective the integrity of their concern about a dog’s welfare!

Many of the employees of the Company are themselves dog owners and pride themselves on supplying a product which has been instrumental in improving dog’s dental health and general welfare. In the words of one of the vets that has written to us:

“There is a small risk of an occasional chipped tooth but the health benefits outweigh this risk considerably.…”gnawing aids” like antler dog chews – the chewing and gnawing action is far better for the teeth than brushing or other “artificial” teeth cleaning aids – and far more enjoyable for the dog!”

The fact is that different people take different views. Different vets take different views. Different dogs have different experiences. Some commercially sponsored vets champion artificial products, some vets who are not commercially sponsored champion natural product. The Company approaches these matters with an open mind and encourages its customers to do the same.

I've heard the anco roots can break off into bits and be swallowed, not sure if that's the case?

[Andrea Ellie]

 Ellie sort out her stag bar today and chewed it for about 2 mins before she gave up. Has anyone tried Billy and Margot venison Marrowbones?

She also has dried fish skin squares at the moment which take her a little while to chew through as I ordered the wrong size doh!

[jonnytrabant]

Harry loves a good chomp on both his Anco and Stag Bars, don't think any things come off the root and I am sure he's swallowed worse if it had.

[Emilyoliver]

Thank you both. Ellie only bothers with her stag bar occasionally but I'm a bit concerned about the fractured teeth. Do you know if anything else that would be a good alternative?

Cow hooves (empty).  My dogs love them, they last well and they're cheap.  Plus you can stuff them with whatever you choose and then freeze them.  Bull pizzles also good.  I have just ordered (and received) hooves and pizzles from this company - great selection, good prices and very quick service: http://www.natural-treats.co.uk/

Warning - the hooves do smell grim.

[Andrea Ellie]

Thank you very much. I'll take a look and maybe get some pegs for my nose if we try the hooves  

[Emilyoliver]

Thank you very much. I'll take a look and maybe get some pegs for my nose if we try the hooves  

You're welcome 

I think of them as (albeit foul-smelling  ) insurance against my dogs chomping on furniture, etc.  Small price to pay!