Bully Sticks - alternate eating method

[Milopup]

Hi,

With all the suggestions I have read about bully sticks, I bought a couple today for my power chewer to try. Well there is good news and bad news. The good news it that it did occupy his attention for the 3 hours it took him to finish one (3 hours - I thought it would last for days!), the bad news is my pup decided that he could eat it faster if he started ripping strips off of it versus chewing the ends.

Not sure whether to be happy he is smart, or upset that even the legendary bully stick doesn't last long in our house.

MP

[kayharley]

That's exactly how I felt when I paid mucho bucks for 2 of them and they were devoured by my girls in record time. Only memories of the bully sticks was my receipt from Petco. Hoping to save money, I just ordered a dozen of them online and I think it's a better price even with shipping.

I'm sure I'm not the only Cairn owner who feels frustrated that there are really no excellent, long-lasting ,SAFE chews around.

Ever wonder what our forefathers did with their dogs to keep them occupied? Hunt vermin, haul wood....I can't imagine either of my girls "working for a living" unless it meant bringing home the chipmunks for dinner!

[Eliz222]

Bully Sticks ARE expensive! At $2.99 a piece, they went way too fast!!!!!! I ordered a box of 50 off Ebay and, with shipping, they were about $1 each. I can handle that price. I still wish they lasted longer than a few hours though.

MP, my 6 month old puppy does this with her Bully Sticks too. It's quite comical to watch her try to shred it. It still lasts about 3 hours......sigh.

[bradl]

What size do you buy? We get the 12" - they last days. We take them away when they get down to a swallowable size. It seems we have lazy chewers!

[Eliz222]

Brad, I bought the 6 inch ones. I thought the 12 inch would be too long... I might have to try the longer ones next time.....my goal is to have something they can chew for a long, long, long! time!

[CathyAnn]

We buy the 6 inch and I have thought about the longer ones, as well. Piper eats his in about 2 hours!

Shoe....can you PM the name of the person you bought from on EBay?

Cathy

[toomanypaws]

My youngest cairn, Hannah is the only one that can keep her bully stick around for days, if not weeks. The others just don't understand how she does this.

[Eliz222]

Cathy, I think this is who I bought from.bullly sticks

[Milopup]

Is there a difference between all the different brands of bully sticks? Are any better, last longer, healthier, etc.? I thought they were all made of the same thing (ahem) but I guess not?

I have bought the Red Barn 7-inch ones and they cost almost $4.00 each at Petco - very expensive for something that lasts less than 3 hours.

[Milopup]

Sorry for a double post, but I do have another question.

If your pup eats a whole bully stick, how much do you decrease his food by to compensate for the extra calories/fat from the bully stick? Sorry if this is a weird question, but I really want to make sure I am not making my pup sick.

[Milopup]

I feel foolish for posting 3 times in a row here so I hope people don't mind.

How often do you feed bully sticks to your pups? Is everyday too excessive? And do you reduce food when they do eat them (my pup can now finish a 7-inch bully stick in 1 hour!), since they are full of fat and protein?

[bradl]

We use chews as a treat more than as a babysitter. As such, we tend to limit bones or bully sticks to about one hour - 90 minutes tops. We probably offer a bully stick 3 or 4 nights a week, during "TV time". We don't adjust food specifically for days they have sticks. We DO monitor weight carefully (by eye as much as anything) -- we weigh every single meal and adjust up or down on a trend basis if we're trying to add or remove weight.

[CathyAnn]

Thanks, Shoe.

Yes, I have ordered from them previously and been very satisfied.

Cathy

[CarCarDawn]

Hi! I give Riley the bully sticks about once a week - - I use the longer ones so they last for a couple days. He will chew on one for a couple hours and then leave it and go back to it later. It usually takes him a while to chew it up and I also take it away from him when it gets too small.

[laura]

Sophie enjoys a bully stick in the evening when we are winding down from the day. We take it away when it is bed time or she buries it for later. I usually offer her one about every week. Sometimes she buries it right away, preferably inside the house, and other times she finishes the entire thing.

I found bully sticks as an expensive, but healthier alternative to other chews. She doesn't throw them up like cheap raw hide chews, which she isn't fed anymore.

[wheezie23]

Tucker loves his bully sticks -- to hide them, that is! I have given him three now, and I just found them under my bed!!

Thela