# Bully Sticks and Bacteria



## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

So my Dad phoned me today because he was listening to the Howard Stern show and they were discussing bully sticks and mentioned a few "negative" things about them. They said that they are very high in calories and some have a very high bacteria content and allegedly have been linked to dog deaths. I searched online and this article was the first result. 

Now, I know that they are high in calories, and Odie doesn't eat very much of one at a time. A bully stick usually lasts her a good 2 weeks to a month before it even gets small enough to take away. The article I posted mentions that they're made of penis, which of course I already knew. The thing that worries me is the bacteria content. Is this a real threat? Is this any different from feeding raw? Is a dog digestive system designed to deal with these types of bacteria?

What do you think?


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

I have no idea about the bacteria. But Toby is like Odie and one bully stick lasts weeks, and he's never been sick. So I don't think I will worry about it. But I would like to hear others' opinions. 


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## Evelyn (Oct 14, 2012)

Well the MRSA is what really caught my eye, that is really bad, with us handling them and a dog injesting them, they could get that inside and it would be way to late, it spreads to fast and too easy. My dogs won't get anymore of them, I don't like the smell of them anyway. They lived without them before I heard of them, and I don't give it to them that often at all. Mine are going in they trash.


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

Good link Krystal....interesting.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I suppose there could be a risk, just as there is a risk of bacterial contamination in kibble or any food/treats that are fed to our dogs. 

I store them in the freezer. Take one out, let Brody have it for awhile, then when he loses interest, it goes back in the freezer. If there were bacteria, the freezing process would halt them.

I suppose it is a case of buyer beware and know that there are risks. To me, the risks are less than other comparable treats such as rawhide or compressed corn dental sticks. My favorite chew will always be a fresh raw bone as the safest and best recreational chew.


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

Evelyn said:


> Well the MRSA is what really caught my eye, that is really bad, with us handling them and a dog injesting them, they could get that inside and it would be way to late, it spreads to fast and too easy. My dogs won't get anymore of them, I don't like the smell of them anyway. They lived without them before I heard of them, and I don't give it to them that often at all. Mine are going in they trash.


We dont offer them either, I bought them once and the smell told me there was something not right! :lol: 
We offer other things for chews (my two are not big chewers anyhow)

My dogs really enjoy baby carrots!


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## NewChiDad (Oct 31, 2012)

The stench alone was enough to make me swear off these things for Butterbean, but now I guess I have an "official" excuse, too! She likes pig ears better anyway, and they don't make her breath stink so atrociously.


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## Evelyn (Oct 14, 2012)

KittyD said:


> We dont offer them either, I bought them once and the smell told me there was something not right! :lol:
> We offer other things for chews (my two are not big chewers anyhow)
> 
> My dogs really enjoy baby carrots!


I never thought of carrots, I am going to try them, thanks for the idea.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Brodysmom said:


> I suppose there could be a risk, just as there is a risk of bacterial contamination in kibble or any food/treats that are fed to our dogs.
> 
> I store them in the freezer. Take one out, let Brody have it for awhile, then when he loses interest, it goes back in the freezer. If there were bacteria, the freezing process would halt them.
> 
> I suppose it is a case of buyer beware and know that there are risks. To me, the risks are less than other comparable treats such as rawhide or compressed corn dental sticks. My favorite chew will always be a fresh raw bone as the safest and best recreational chew.


I really like the idea of putting them in the freezer. I've never done that before. Do you have any idea of how long they should be in a freezer for the majority of bacteria to die? 

We give Odie a raw chicken neck 2-3 times per week. I am slowly but surely attempting to get her comfortable with a toothbrush and I'm not giving up, but the most I can do at this point is get the toothpaste in her mouth with the toothbrush and there's definitely no real brushing going on. Just curious... what is your favourite bone to give for chewing? 


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

NewChiDad said:


> The stench alone was enough to make me swear off these things for Butterbean, but now I guess I have an "official" excuse, too! She likes pig ears better anyway, and they don't make her breath stink so atrociously.


See, we don't have a problem with either the bullies or breath smelling. I'm not sure how they process them, but we buy ours locally and they aren't unpleasant at all. Even when you purposely smell them, it's not offensive. I certainly don't want to feed them if there's a high chance that she could get sick from them though, but I do want her to have some sort of chew and she's not that interested in antlers or nylabones and I won't feed rawhide. 


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

KittyD said:


> We dont offer them either, I bought them once and the smell told me there was something not right! :lol:
> We offer other things for chews (my two are not big chewers anyhow)
> 
> My dogs really enjoy baby carrots!


Just wondering what you offer other than carrots? Looking for some ideas.  


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

KrystalLeigh said:


> I really like the idea of putting them in the freezer. I've never done that before. Do you have any idea of how long they should be in a freezer for the majority of bacteria to die?
> 
> We give Odie a raw chicken neck 2-3 times per week. I am slowly but surely attempting to get her comfortable with a toothbrush and I'm not giving up, but the most I can do at this point is get the toothpaste in her mouth with the toothbrush and there's definitely no real brushing going on. Just curious... what is your favourite bone to give for chewing?
> 
> ...


I don't want to mislead anyone... putting them in the freezer won't make them 100% safe. Bacteria are nasty and hardy little creatures. They can live in the arctic.  So putting them in the freezer will halt them, but won't kill them. However, to me it is safer than leaving them out 24/7, especially after they have been chewed and the ends are all wet and slimy, which is a perfect environment for bacteria.

For raw meaty bones for dental health and recreation... I like chicken necks, chicken wings, beef or pork ribs, pork neck, ox tail (the longer ones, not the little discs). Try to avoid sawed bones like t-bones or pork chops, as they can have sharp edges.

Edit: Another chew that's great for dental health is the himalayan dog chew. Brody has one that he has worked on for weeks and its barely got a dent in it.  They don't get wet or gummy like bully sticks. Oh, and antlers are sort of the same way. They stay hard, so they won't harbor bacteria if that's a big concern. 

I would definitely stay away from rawhide, and any of the dental chews like greenies.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

Hosh posh! I think they're perfectly fine. I do leave the bag in the freezer but when I do let them have some I let them stay out so they cam go back to them whenever they please. Nome of them has ever gotten sick from bacteria , all its been doin is keepin their teeth clean and preventin them from chewin things they're not supposed to. Dex is a huge antler fan but KC not so much...altho she loooovvesss her piggy ears :albino:


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## fizzy n kirbys mum (Jan 17, 2005)

Brodysmom said:


> I store them in the freezer. Take one out, let Brody have it for awhile, then when he loses interest, it goes back in the freezer.


Same here - I always freeze them first


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Ooh I might have to look into the himalayan dog chew! Odie has a local elk antler chew that she's had since she was a puppy and there's only a tiny dent made in it. It just doesn't keep her interested. I've heard a lot of people have had success with the ziwipeak antlers so I may try one of those. 

I'm not going to completely give up on bully sticks, but I definitely want to investigate a little bit more before I can give them without too much concern. I do try to keep her raw meat in the freezer for a couple of weeks before I feed it, so I don't see why I couldn't do that with bully sticks. I found another article about the study with some more info, HERE. 

One thing I did not know was that I should treat a bully stick the same as raw meat in regards to clean-up, etc. I'm going to email the local company that produces them and see what they have to say about this study. Just curious what kind of testing their products go through.


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## Missygal (May 19, 2011)

I was told they didn't have a lot of calories and have never heard anything about bacteria! Mine would chew on them forever if I let them. They chew for about 30 min then I put them away. 

I'm confused...


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

KrystalLeigh said:


> Just wondering what you offer other than carrots? Looking for some ideas.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


We let the dogs have small rawhide twists supervised, that's however not popular or trendy here. :lol: I know my dogs well enough to know what they can handle and what they cannot and that's key. I don't have zealous chewers so rawhide is totally acceptable here, other dogs may or may not eat the whole thing... so you need to know your dog and be careful.

I've used pig ears as well with other dogs I have owned in the past but have not tried them with my current two yet, I think Mimi would like it, not sure Bijou would his mouth is sooo small.


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

Just put it in the freezer overnight..it wont freeze, but it will kill the bacteria..


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## AnnHelen (Nov 29, 2010)

See someone allready told about the freezer..hihi..get to freezing


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## Pumpernickel (Apr 5, 2012)

Thanks for this post Krystal! Max loves his bully sticks and most of the time they last him weeks at a time. He usually has 2 or 3 different natural chews on the go at any time to give him a bit of variety and bully sticks are always one of them. The one he has at the moment has lasted particularly long so I am going to throw it away.

I don't think I will stop giving bully sticks as he enjoys them so much, but I think I will be more careful about the way I feed them in future. I plan to take it up when he has finished with it and will put it in the freezer as Brody's Mom mentioned. I suppose this way it will become more of a treat than something he can have whenever he wants.

It has got me thinking though, another of Max's favourites is his dried beef gullet. I wonder if the same will apply to that?


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

Tracy, if freezing it only halts the bacteria, then in the long run, wouldn't the dog still be ingesting whatever bacteria was present?

What about broiling or baking the bully stick for 5-7 minutes? Would that do any good for killing?


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

KrystalLeigh said:


> One thing I did not know was that I should treat a bully stick the same as raw meat in regards to clean-up, etc. I'm going to email the local company that produces them and see what they have to say about this study. Just curious what kind of testing their products go through.


would you please update me on what their response is? Miya is a bully stick lover.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

teetee said:


> would you please update me on what their response is? Miya is a bully stick lover.


Yep! Will do. I'm going to contact the company that makes the one that Miya got from Odie for secret santa. 


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## rubia (Jul 3, 2008)

teetee said:


> Tracy, if freezing it only halts the bacteria, then in the long run, wouldn't the dog still be ingesting whatever bacteria was present?
> 
> What about broiling or baking the bully stick for 5-7 minutes? Would that do any good for killing?


that would cook the things then....would change the consistnecy from a chewy treat to a cooked brittle treat and your house wiouls stink like...well bull pizzle....


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

KrystalLeigh said:


> Yep! Will do. I'm going to contact the company that makes the one that Miya got from Odie for secret santa.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


cool. ty. that one is long gone haha. how sweet is your dad, too? he must really love odie


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

rubia said:


> that would cook the things then....would change the consistnecy from a chewy treat to a cooked brittle treat and your house wiouls stink like...well bull pizzle....


DELICIOUS. lol just kidding!


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

rubia said:


> that would cook the things then....would change the consistnecy from a chewy treat to a cooked brittle treat and your house wiouls stink like...well bull pizzle....


hmmm. Good point. I wonder if there is something we can do in addition to freezing.


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## BlueJax (Jun 25, 2012)

Bacteria is everywhere and when you think about it dogs are constantly coming into contact with worse sources of bacteria than bully sticks. Plus I consider 9-22 calories per inch to be very reasonable for a treat. 

Percy would also be very depressed if he couldn't have his bullys. He's a bit obsessed.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

teetee said:


> cool. ty. that one is long gone haha. how sweet is your dad, too? he must really love odie


Haha yes, both my parents call themselves Odie's grandparents. My Dad wanted me to call him immediately because he was so worried after he heard this news.


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## catz4m8z (Aug 28, 2008)

My lot love their bullystick and there would be a revolution if I took them away! I dont think the calorie count is that high either as they probably expend more calories in the act of chewing then they consume!
I def dont worry about bacteria either. Dogs have a much shorter digestive tract then us so they can eat all sorts of icky things that would give us a serious stomach upset. In fact my last raw food order was half defrosted and smelled off when I got it....but not off enough to affect a dog! They will happily eat it even though to my nose its not right (and dont worry, I have complained to the company and wont be using them again!!).
When I think of the things they pick up off the street to eat too???
*shudder*


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## miuccias (Aug 22, 2012)

KrystalLeigh said:


> Haha yes, both my parents call themselves Odie's grandparents. My Dad wanted me to call him immediately because he was so worried after he heard this news.


lol, that's cool!!! My in-laws want grandchildren and when hubby tells them they have 2 (karma & laska) they roll their eyes 😤 is very annoying.


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## Ruffio N Reinas (Oct 30, 2012)

Brodysmom said:


> I suppose there could be a risk, just as there is a risk of bacterial contamination in kibble or any food/treats that are fed to our dogs.
> 
> I store them in the freezer. Take one out, let Brody have it for awhile, then when he loses interest, it goes back in the freezer. If there were bacteria, the freezing process would halt them.
> 
> I suppose it is a case of buyer beware and know that there are risks. To me, the risks are less than other comparable treats such as rawhide or compressed corn dental sticks. My favorite chew will always be a fresh raw bone as the safest and best recreational chew.


Keeping them in the freezer is a good idea! I will start keeping mine in there.


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