What's the best/safest chew sticks and where do you get the mailorder?

[montdoug]

Our local big box pet store is frequently out of the 12 to 14 inch American made chew stick I like to get for the little Guster, plus I think they might be over priced. I've heard horror stories about how some chew sticks are produced especially those not USA made. As I live in a small rural town a long long way from a big urban town what to do?

[Tracy A.]

I order from Dr Fosters & Smith for flea meds, they offer chewies too- They have great customer service so I'd call and ask if it doesn't state where something was made.

Also UPCO is another place I have ordered from (grooming supplies and such) and I'd also call Customer service if it isn't staed on the website.

Last week I was in Walmart and I saw that they had expanded the dog section, you might want to try there if you have one close by.

[bradl]

We pay top dollar for bully sticks and other edibles at sitstay online and have no complaints at all. I don't know what passes for bully sticks elsewhere, but when I read of someone saying their dog chomped through one with one bite I'm pretty sure they must be getting something entirely different. Before I decided that I preferred (well, more importantly, the dogs preferred) the 12" size, I was cutting down 18" ones into 6" pieces and having to use a powered miter saw to do it.

[goforette]

We've ordered some bones/sticks from Merrick dog food company. And I am going to hunt out the "thicker" bully sticks as brad mentioned because the ones I have are thin and can be chomped through in one bite - I have seen the thicker and braided ones even - and I think they would be safer for Hollie who is all jaws....

[mrskti]

Brad, I also buy the longer ones and take them down to the bandsaw.... How thick do bullysticks go up to? I've only seen the tiny skinny ones and I know ellie would gag herself trying to swallow the whole darn thing at once.

can some links to these be posted for the rest of us?

[toomanypaws]

Besides bully sticks, Sam's Yams, sweet potato dog chews is a new favorite around here. My dh brought some home from the animal hospital and the dogs loved them. They're basically a vegetable rawhide chew.

The chews are made from orange fleshed, sweet potato and are highly nutritious and excellent for your dog

[toomanypaws]

We pay top dollar for bully sticks and other edibles at sitstay online and have no complaints at all. I don't know what passes for bully sticks elsewhere, but when I read of someone saying their dog chomped through one with one bite I'm pretty sure they must be getting something entirely different. Before I decided that I preferred (well, more importantly, the dogs preferred) the 12" size, I was cutting down 18" ones into 6" pieces and having to use a powered miter saw to do it.

The Cairns also love those Texas Toothpicks from sitstay. These treats are made from beef tails, and they are smoked deep in the heart of Texas. They are all natural, no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

[bradl]

How thick do bullysticks go up to? I've only seen the tiny skinny ones and I know ellie would gag herself trying to swallow the whole darn thing at once.

The "Macho Sticks" we get vary in thickness - I'd say between 1-2 inches. They are very fibrous and sturdy. (We 'check for floss" when the dogs are done chewing). I toss them when they get below about 3" long. Peggy lets the more careful, less greedy chewers keep them down to about 2".

[Anna_525]

Alfie loves the Target pork-flavored chews and it only costs $5.99 for a 3-lb bag. One chew lasts him longer than the Bully Stix, too. However, it's not available online. Target offers beef tendons online which Alfie also likes although it costs more.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-...asin=B000BY50BY

[Tracy A.]

Before I decided that I preferred (well, more importantly, the dogs preferred) the 12" size, I was cutting down 18" ones into 6" pieces and having to use a powered miter saw to do it.

I too buy the 12" and use a hacksaw to cut them in half, never thought about using the power tools.... LOL

[Cairn Luvr]

I'm a believer in real food for dogs in a balanced diet. So with that said, about once a week - usually a Sunday afternoon, I give the each a raw beef shortrib with the fat cut off. Never cook the bones, because then the dogs can splinter them. This is their favorite of all favorites. They last about 4 hours, and that of course includes time to bury and dig-up a few times!

[bradl]

Try just giving them the 12". If you throw them away at 3", a 12" cut in half gives them only 6" of chewing satisfaction per stick and 6" waste, vs 9/3. Significant cost reduction at the price of those things. I also find the longer pieces give them something to manipulate with their paws. I think they get exercise and satisfaction from 'working' for their food/treats a bit.

[kjwarnold]

Do the bully sticks smell bad? We had a pig ear or something here once that someone gave Packy and it smelled horrible -- couldn't stand to have it in the house.

Whoa! Just checked the Macho Sticks and those babies aren't cheap! How long do they last? Packy is a VERY strong chewer and we can't seem to find much of anything that lasts. Right now he's stuck with those boiled clean white bones that we get at Petco. He does like them (especially when there's a liver treat or soem peanut butter stuck inside), but it would be nice to give him some variety.

[brin145]

We give Gus and Crunch the bully sticks also, but the sticks are so expensive (and gone so quickly) that we limit that treat. We give them hooves sometimes, but they smell horrible. They really like the hooves a lot. The hooves tend to run around a buck apiece and last forever.

[maggie]

Besides bully sticks, Sam's Yams, sweet potato dog chews is a new favorite around here. My dh brought some home from the animal hospital and the dogs loved them. They're basically a vegetable rawhide chew.

Kai-lee & Keegan especially, love these too!

[Eliz222]

I'm going to have to check out the Sams Yams for Scout and Finch.

I have bought bully sticks on Ebay and they come out to about .95 each, although I haven't bought any for almost a year. They were the 6 inch ones....and they do smell, but not as much as the pig ears! We gave pig ears to our dog, who loved them, but they really stunk! I have been making "ice cream" for my two and they love it!

[Sarah]

I have been making "ice cream" for my two and they love it!

Do you mind posting the recipe or pointing me to it?

[Eliz222]

Sarah, I take a 32 oz container of either plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 banana (I keep mine in the freezer), 2 tbs of peanut butter, and 2 tablespoons of honey (I use pancake syrup).

Put all in a blender and blend until smooth. I bought some stainless steel cups at the dollar store (4 for a dollar). I fill 24 cups of ice cream and place them on a tray and put in the freezer. When frozen, I pop them into a freezer bag and keep in the freezer.

[kayharley]

We love the Sams Yams too although they don't last very long. The Solid Gold garlic bagels are another favorite but again, it's more like a treat than a chew.

At the pet/feed store where I buy their food/Canidae they have bins with different chews and various size bully sticks but they just don't seem to be "quality". What I've bought from Sitstay makes those little "weinies" look inferior (no pun intended)

I keep them in our freezer with labels so the family/boys don't think it's for them. All three of my Cairns enjoy it differently so I have to watch them but we get a good hour at least of premium chew time.

[bradl]

We find the sitstay macho sticks last in the range of 3-5 hours. Those are 12" sticks, given about one hour at a time, and tossed at roughly 3".

[jodi0553]

Does anyone have experience with BOTH the sweet potatoes and the bully sticks? I'm wondering how they are in relative time to completion. Also, those who give sweet potatoes, do you take them away at the end as you would with a bully stick or rawhide? Currey can't have bully sticks - they are just about the only thing I've ever given him that upsets his stomach. But oh did he LOVE the bully stick!!! We've also tried beef achilles tendons, which are available at the check-out counters of two local little stores for $1/each. Lately when he gets a tendon he just sorta runs around the house with it and "romps" and then does the crying thing as he tries to find a place to stash it, but he never chews it!

[montdoug]

Great info and we will for sure try some of these, thanks.

When I said we felt we were being over charged that didn't mean we aren't willing to pay up for a worthy product, little Gus is priceless to us but I don't want to pay a premium price for an inferior product. Most especially our concern is how it's produced and is it healthy.

Thanks again.