Hey how do you guys feel about cow hooves and lamb hooves as chews? I mean, good quality ones, not funky Chinese ones.

I've never tried them. I typically give my dogs antlers as chews and they love them. I wonder if hooves would be similar

Our dogs get the whole lower leg portion of any hooved (including the hoof) animal we've harvested or know who has.

And you're quite right; I'd stay away from anything sold in the pet stores. I've picked those up, felt them, smelled them. There's something artificial, hardening/preserving stuff maybe, that makes them feel and smell completely unnatural.

If you've got access to fresh hooves, I'd scoop them up.

I give my two smaller dogs hooves to chew, and the larger dogs get the whole lower leg portion, including, hoof to chew.

My dogs love them and I find they don't splinter, just slowly wear down.

One thing I HATE is the smell...think cow poop....as they are chewing them and their breath after! Gross!

The things we put up with so our dogs are happy....LOL

Keep in mind that the leg bone is the hardest bone in the hoofed animal's body. If the dog is inclined to try and crack crack bones it's a fast short cut to cracked teeth.
If the dog is just a chewer it's not so much a problem.
I agree about the smell of hooves when wet. Those suckers can gag a maggot.

I hate the smell of the hooves too, yucky!

But I sure wish I could find something that Kasey could safely chew - and I mean chew without it being something that just gets eaten. Something that lasts a long time if they are strong chewers. He's not the hard chomping type that breaks teeth (yet), but he's not a soft little chewer either.

Does anything exist?

The elk antlers I've given my dogs seem to last a while, don't smell at all, and you can very the durability by how you select them... it seems to me that the antler sections with a more robust/thicker outer shell last quite a while longer than those with a thinner shell. Inside the shell there's a much softer material. For very weak chewers you can often find them cut lengthwise so the inner material is more accessible. There's a few companies out there that sell dropped antlers that they find out in the forest. I've generally bought mine from my trainer who bulk orders them

Totally agree with the toughness of the bone and you have to be careful when you give it and what kind of chewer you have.

However, it’s not the upper thigh bone which is a bit bigger. And depending on the animal it's coming from (sheep, goats, deer versus cattle, moose, bison), there vary in size greatly. And of course the age of the animal plays a big factor in there too.

When you give them the entire bottom portion, hair, somewhat meaty outer area and fresh, more pliable bone, they tend to take it slower, getting all the choice pieces off first.

My guys seem to know they're working on a tougher bone.

The larger ones are good for a few chews before they get tossed but the smaller animals are usually consumed in one longer sitting.

And the smell, well I must be immune to it. Definitely an outdoor treat but tripe doesn't really bother me too bad either. Mind you, I think they should bottle the smell of horses and a well used barn. I'd buy that perfume.

On the other hand, have you smelled their breath right after a good chew on a bully stick? Now that's yucky.

 Quote: Bob Scott

Keep in mind that the leg bone is the hardest bone in the hoofed animal's body. If the dog is inclined to try and crack crack bones it's a fast short cut to cracked teeth.
If the dog is just a chewer it's not so much a problem.
I agree about the smell of hooves when wet. Those suckers can gag a maggot.

I have to agree, as good as they are at cleaning the teeth, be careful about tooth cracks.
I recently discovered my female has a chip off her big back molar, that happened from chewing some kind of bone, either an elk antler or a beef knee cap. More likely it was the elk antler.

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those suckers can gag a maggot.

very true!

Thanks for the info everybody. My 1.5 yr old puppy loves to chew so I'm looking for new things for her to try. She loves the antlers and they last a long time - I get those frequently. Bully sticks and treat balls are good, but don't last very long. Raw bones are great but they're messy in the house. I think I'll try a hoof, and maybe a Castor and Pollux unbleached rawhide for some variety.