Dogs love treats, and one popular treat is bully sticks. So, what is a bully stick? These chewy sticks are actually made from steer or bull penises. It may sound shocking but it is 100 percent all-natural bull or steer penis.
They are normally hormone free and chemical free, so could be a good healthy treat to chew on for dogs. Plus they have lots of vitamins, minerals, and high protein content. Other dog treats are made from waste and thrown out parts of the animals like hooves, but not bully sticks.
And if you are worried about a dog swallowing a bully stick, they don’t splinter or crack and fall apart like a bone or a rawhide stick can do. Plus they are great for keeping a dog’s teeth clean. They are dried and made into sticks for the dogs to chew on in various lengths. Chewing is very relaxing for dogs, so it’s a great stress reducer product for your pet.
Table of Contents
- Can Bully Sticks Harm Dogs
- Bully Sticks Side Effects
- Will My Puppy Be Safe Chewing a Bully Stick
- Bully Stick Blockage
- Solving the Bully Stick Problem
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs:
- Are bully sticks digestible if swallowed?
- Can a puppy digest a bully stick?
- How to keep dog from swallowing bully stick?
- Can bully sticks cause intestinal blockage?
- Can bully sticks cause vomiting?
- Do bully sticks dissolve if swallowed?
- What happen if Puppy swallowed 3 inch bully stick?
- How to keep dog from swallowing bully stick?
Can Bully Sticks Harm Dogs
Dog owners may wonder can bully sticks harm dogs? The answer is it depends on what you mean by harm.
As long as you buy bully sticks from a reputable company they shouldn’t have any bad bacterial contamination and would have been produced in a clean factory and processed according to existing rules for pet food products.
However, the bully sticks might have some bacteria on them still yet since they are all-natural. So even if they shouldn’t hurt your dog to chew them, you should wash your hands after giving one to your dog as the bacteria could impact a person if they have a bad immune system or other compromising issue.
Bully sticks can, however, sometimes get stuck in a dog’s throat and make them choke. So, to avoid a dog choking on a bully stick you should take it away when it gets small enough to swallow to avoid this from occurring.
Otherwise, if a dog is overweight, they shouldn’t eat a lot of bully sticks since they have a lot of calories and could make them get fat.
Bully Sticks Side Effects
When it comes to bully sticks side effects, the only real issue is what we have talked about already. They are very high in calories so if fed a lot, they could make your dog end up overweight.
Or they could choke if they swallow one, so be careful not to let them have a tiny piece of one and take away when it is around an inch or so long to be safe.
The rest of the bully sticks side effects are great for the dog since it helps clean the teeth and produces calming endorphins as they chew them, so it is great to help relax your dog. It can give them something to do and make them happier.
Will My Puppy Be Safe Chewing a Bully Stick
People with puppies want their pets to have nice treats too, so they may ask, will my puppy be safe chewing on a bully stick?
The answer is they should be safe as long as you are with them as they chew it and as long as you don’t give them small pieces, and instead feed them long bully sticks, then take away when it gets tiny as stated earlier.
Related Post: How to Stop a Dog From Chewing Himself
Bully Stick Blockage
A bully stick is very digestible, but some dog owners worry about a possible bully stick blockage. The risk of the bully stick blocking their esophagus or their digestive tract is actually pretty low, but it could happen in some cases.
But as long as you supervise your pet as they chew it and as stated earlier take away any small pieces, they should not cause a bully stick blockage.
Solving the Bully Stick Problem
So when solving the bully stick problem of a possible blockage, as long as you give your dog a long piece of bully stick to chew, supervise them as they chew it, and take away the small pieces, then your dog should be fine.
Just follow your veterinarian’s recommendations of how often your dog should eat them so they won’t get too many calories and end up overweight.
Final Thoughts
All in all, bully sticks are great all protein and all-natural snacks for your dog. Although there is a small risk of a bully stick blockage, as long as you supervise them and take it away when it gets small, your dog will love these as part of his treat supply.
It can bring on good endorphins and relax your pet and make them happy. Just buy from a reputable pet supply source and you and your dog will both be glad you got your pet some bully stick snacks.
FAQs:
Are bully sticks digestible if swallowed?
Bully sticks are digestible if swallowed, but be careful how much of it your dog swallows so they don’t eat a piece that is big enough to stick in their esophagus or digestive tract. They are normally around twelve to eighteen inches in length and if a dog ate the whole thing, it would take three or four hours for it to totally digest.
Can a puppy digest a bully stick?
Yes, a puppy can digest a bully stick. One stick should last them a long time, but they can digest them in just three or four hours.
Just be sure to supervise them so they don’t choke on one. Puppies should have smaller sticks of around six inches in length, and when they get older they can have the ones up to 18 inches.
How to keep dog from swallowing bully stick?
The best way to keep a dog from swallowing a bully stick is to monitor them while they are chewing it and take it away when it gets to about an inch or so in size. Also, be sure to give them a stick based on how big the dog is, i.e. smaller sticks for puppies and bigger ones for adult dogs.
Can bully sticks cause intestinal blockage?
Bully sticks can cause intestinal blockage if the dog swallows a large piece of one. So, be sure to not let them have the stick after it gets to around an inch or so in size as that likely won’t fit through their esophagus or digestive tract.
Can bully sticks cause vomiting?
The only way bully sticks cause vomiting is if they somehow were contaminated with bad bacteria. So, be sure to buy them from a reputable pet company and watch out for any recalls of bully sticks in the news.
Do bully sticks dissolve if swallowed?
As long as the dog only swallows very tiny pieces less than an inch or two in size, then yes bully sticks dissolve if swallowed.
What happen if Puppy swallowed 3 inch bully stick?
If a puppy swallows a 3-inch bully stick whole, then likely it is going to cause them to choke. You should always monitor a puppy while it is chewing a bully stick so this will not happen.
How to keep dog from swallowing bully stick?
If you want to keep a dog from swallowing a bully stick, then you can actually buy special bully stick holders, and that way they can’t eat it anymore after it gets to around two inches in length. Otherwise, without such a holder you should monitor the dog and take it from them when it gets to around an inch or two in length so they can’t swallow it.
Further Reading:
References
- https://www.naturalfarmpet.com/blogs/all/what-are-bully-sticks-made-from
- Dog Swallowed Bully Stick: (Should You Be Worried)? – Pet Spruce
- How long does it take a bully stick to digest? – Dogsmentor.com
- The Truth About Bully Sticks for Dogs (by Jo the Vet) (kipandtwiggys.com)
- Are Bully Sticks Digestible If Swallowed – Is It Safe for Dogs? (dogsfoodplanet.com)
- Can bully sticks cause blockage in puppies? I decided to give my puppies Bully sticks for them to chew. One of them chew (justanswer.com)
- Are Bully Sticks Safe for Puppies? Satisfy Your Puppy’s Need to Chew – Bow Wow Labs
- https://doghint.com/do-bully-sticks-cause-diarrhea-in-dogs/
