What Is a Bully/Pizzle Stick?
To get straight to the point and not beat around the bush, bully sticks are made from bull penises. What that really means is that they are a single-ingredient, easily digestible, tasty treat made from beef muscle. Beef muscle contains all of the essential amino acids, so that makes bully sticks a more nutritious option than a lot of other chews.
Why Do Dogs Love Them So Much?
Taste
Bully sticks have a natural beef flavour that many dogs find irresistible. The taste of the bully stick stimulates the dog’s taste buds and makes the chewing experience enjoyable and satisfying.
Texture
The texture of bully sticks is tough and chewy, making it an ideal chewing experience for dogs. The act of chewing helps to clean their teeth, massage their gums, and relieve stress and anxiety.
Durability
Bully sticks are a long-lasting chewy treat, taking most dogs several hours or even days to consume. Dogs love to get their canines into things that they know will keep them occupied for long periods of time.
Benefits of a Bully/Pizzle Stick
To make matters even better, most bully stick brands are free from other additives, chemicals, and preservatives. Unlike other chews on the market, bully sticks are also highly digestible and don’t splinter. This makes them a great and healthy option for sensitive and allergy-prone dogs.
Compared to other chews on the market, like rawhide, bully sticks are the best, safest, and healthiest option. Rawhide contains a lot of artificial ingredients and chemicals. In addition, rawhide is known for breaking off into small, sharp pieces. These sharp pieces can actually cause internal organ damage. Thanks to better options like bully sticks being on the market, there really is no need anymore to buy a more dangerous product like rawhide.
Bully sticks are also an excellent option for maintaining dental health. As your dog chews on the bully stick, that chewing action promotes good dental hygiene. Although it’s still important to brush your dog’s teeth, giving them a chew like a bully stick is a great option. The chewing and gnawing help support healthy teeth and gums because it helps to scrape away plaque and tartar before they can harden.
What Dogs Can Have Bully Sticks?
The good news is that bully sticks are perfect for most dogs! Dogs absolutely love the taste. Any dog of any breed, age, or size can have a bully stick.
Since bully sticks are so popular, there are a ton of different types to choose from. You can pick the option that suits your dog best. There are different sizes, thicknesses, and shapes. They even make odourless ones that the humans in the household may appreciate more. Even the odourless ones are still tasty and interesting to dogs!
In addition to odourless bully sticks, there are also braided bully sticks. These are great for aggressive chewers since the braided ones are thicker. If you have a smaller dog, a shorter bully stick may be a good option. If you need to really challenge your dog, a circle shaped bully stick may keep your dog entertained longer.
Whenever you give your dog a chew like a bully stick, it is important to give it to your dog when you can supervise them. Even though bully sticks are highly digestible and don’t splinter, it’s still important to watch your dog carefully. When your dog finishes the bully stick down to the last little bit, they can still be a choking hazard.
If you are worried about your dog, you can put the bully stick inside a bully grip. This is specifically designed to hold the bully stick securely so that your dog can’t chew on the last little piece. There are different styles of bully grips available, so you can find the one that works best for your dog.
When To Give Bully Sticks To Your Dog
As healthy as bully sticks are, they do still have a lot of calories. Bully sticks should be more of an occasional treat for your dog, rather than an everyday occurrence.
If you have a teething puppy, offering a bully stick is a wonderful way for your puppy to be able to chew to their heart’s content to soothe their mouth. Since bully sticks are long lasting, it’s also good to give them to your dog when you need to occupy them while you’re busy. If you’re working remotely from home and have to be on a conference call, giving your dog a bully stick next to you to keep him quiet is a good option.
If there are loud noises going on outside, like a thunderstorm, offering your dog a bully stick may give him something to distract him from the loud noise outside. Chewing on the bully stick may actually make him more calm and comfortable.
Can Bully Sticks Be Harmful to Dogs?
Bully sticks are often marketed as a safe and healthy treat for dogs, but it’s important to be aware of the potential dangers that come with giving them to your furry friend.
Choking Hazard
Bully sticks can pose a choking hazard if they break into small pieces and become lodged in a dog’s throat. This can be especially dangerous for smaller dogs or dogs with a tendency to chew and swallow things whole. To minimize the risk of choking, it’s important to supervise your dog while they are chewing a bully stick and to remove it if it begins to break into smaller pieces.
Contamination
The processing and storage of bully sticks can sometimes lead to contamination with harmful bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella. This can be dangerous for both dogs and humans and can cause serious health issues. To minimize the risk of contamination, it’s important to choose bully sticks from reputable suppliers and to store them properly.
Digestive Issues
Some dogs may have digestive issues when consuming bully sticks, such as upset stomach, diarrhoea, or vomiting. This can be due to the high protein and fat content of the bully sticks, which can be difficult for some dogs to digest. If your dog experiences digestive issues after eating a bully stick, it’s best to stop giving them and consult with your veterinarian.
Conclusion
Bully sticks are, without a doubt, one of the best chew options on the market. They’re great to give teething puppies, and they’re also wonderful just to give your dog as a special treat. In addition to the teeth cleaning benefits, they’re also a long-lasting chew. These will occupy your dog for some time, so you have more time to get things done without having a dog under your feet pleading for attention.
Bully sticks are one of the safest, most natural, and healthiest long-lasting chews on the market. They don’t pose as many risks to your dogs as other chews do, like rawhides. Even though bully sticks are a great option to give your dog, you should still supervise your dog with them. You can also consider using a bully grip to make sure your dog is safe with the last small piece of the bully stick.
