Do you give your dog bully sticks?

[Deleted]

I had some in the treat drawer that have been there forever. Gave one to her once a long time ago, she wouldn't touch it.
Gave her one a few weeks ago and it was like she was seeing stars in her eyes, she loved it. It is the first treat she has
ever had that she actually resisted me taking away from her. But they bug me. I don't know. Do you give them to your
dogs? Do you know what they are? (penis)

[SA]

I had no idea what they were before I read this. Then of course, had to google it:
BULLY STICKS


Yes, dehydrated bull penis.

I think I'll stick to Dent A Sticks LOL!

If I wanted something that the dog could have as an extended treat-I'd give him deer antler.

[labbypaws]

I have 5 Labs so 5 bully sticks are too expensive. My old gang loved them.

[Deleted]

Tried them a long time ago and my dogs wouldn't touch them.  They like the occasional Red Barn stuffed cow hoof (other brands stink, literally) or deer antlers.  They like rawhide, but I won't give it to them.  Too many stories about rawhide being indigestible or choking dogs.

[Deleted]

I don't buy them for my dog, but I have ordered them for my aunt to give to a friend. She doesn't use the internet.

[sunsetpainter]

Never tried those.  Our girls get elk antlers from my uncle, the taxidermist!! 

[Deleted]

I have never heard of them before. We have Nylabones for our girls to play with but my Mastiff is a power chewer so I usually have to take them away. Maybe I'll look into those.

[Deleted]

I've given her antlers. She licked it for about 5 minutes and never touched it again.

The reason why I asked about the bully sticks is that they are essentially rawhide and I've
heard that rawhide is not good for dogs. I'm like a first time mother (I am a first time
dog owner), always worried about something. With rawhide I'm afraid of choking.

She is a picky eater and has never liked dry or crunchy food. So it's nice to see her like
something so much that she really has to chew. Good for the teeth.

discountdiva, she chewed through these like her life was dependent on it. Then swallowed a
huge piece.

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2015 17:35:41 GMT @discountdiva said:

I have never heard of them before. We have Nylabones for our girls to play with but my Mastiff is a power chewer so I usually have to take them away. Maybe I'll look into those.

My mastiff doesn't have all that much interest in chew toys but on the rare occasion that she does, she tries to eat them.  I am kind of limited on what I can give my dogs to chew on, because my other dog has food aggression issues and if he thinks she's eating something, he will get snarky.  So it can't smell like food, look like food, or sound like chewing.

Usually I give her a rolled up sock when she wants to chew.  I bought a package of socks just for that purpose.  When she starts to shred it up, I take it away.

[Deleted]

Don't worry too much about giving her something hard and chewy for her teeth. I asked my vet about dry vs wet food. He said there is a such a minimal difference in tooth decay and plaque with dry vs wet there is no reason to feed one over the other. Just choose the one they like the most and feed it in healthy proportions for their weight and activity level. Lack of dental care is what leads to tooth disease, not the food. Mine won't let us brush her teeth but she does go in for regular cleanings.

Our dog has tons of toys but no chew toys, she gets too obsessive with them and chews them until she destroys them but she has stuffed animals and toys she's had for a year and chews on, plays fetch etc without tearing them up.

[Deleted]

I won't buy my dog anymore tennis balls or stuffed animals because he neurotically picks at them until they're finished. I also heard that fiber on tennis balls wears down their teeth. Haven't googled to see if it's true or not. I get him the rubber balls. Tons of rubber style balls. He has one chuck it, but I take that away as soon as the game is over so he can't pick it apart.

[Deleted]

Dantes, that's interesting. My younger Yorkie absolutely loves to play with tennis balls. And he's constantly clicking his teeth as if to remove fibers. He only plays with one stuffed animal, (we call it Dirty Dino) that is 14 years old. It's been washed several hundred times, re-sewn, missing both eyes.

[Deleted]

Okay - googled it. If your dog is an obsessive chewer then the fiber around the ball acts like sandpaper. There's no issue if your dog just carries it around while playing fetch.

[jellybeanscloset412]

I've never heard of them. I don't think my dog would eat them. He is a 150 pound blonde smelly, sometimes slobbering Golden Retriever. He reminds me of a dirty beach bum. You'd figure he would eat just about anything by looking at him but he is quite picky. His eating habits actually remind me of a finicky cat.

We do love him very much even though. He is sitting here next me, thankfully he can't read! LOL!

[Deleted]

Dantes is correct with the tennis balls. If you have a dog that just wants to fetch with them no problem but a chewer it does act like sandpaper to the teeth.

I refuse to give my crew rawhides because....well they just aren't good for dogs.

I do give them bully sticks and raw meaty bones aka RMB. I usually give them the leg bones but scoop out most of the marrow as that can cause runs. I DO NOT get any type of bones at a pet store. I get all bones direct from the butcher. I put the marrow in a bag and back in the freezer...same with the bone(s). Then when it's bone time I put another scoop of marrow back in it.

My rottie ^Lou^ LOVED the knuckle bones. But Dude and Tot not so much.

I can not leave bones laying around because my little Tot considers them to high value and will resource guard them against the dog(s) and cats. So either outside or she is in her x-pen for bones, bully sticks and antlers.

I also do kongs filled with peanut butter or a mash of peanut butter and any meat leftovers mashed up and in the freezer. The crew loves them.

I also make my own pig ears for the crew. These are rare as they are fatty and can give em the runs. For those of you who want to make your own just get the pigs ears at the store and basically dry them like you'd make jerkey in the oven.

[Deleted]

My dog loves bully sticks, but they don't last 2 minutes with him. Buffalo bones and knuckle bones do last. I'll put a smear of peanut butter on them when he gets bored. We tried antlers and nylabones and he didn't show much interest.