# what exactly is a bully stick



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

So I'm confused some people recommend some don't. I've never seen them in the stores before, but a CA tractor supply just opened in Carson and they have bully sticks. They look exactly like what we used to call rawhide chews which I now understand are bad. So what are they?


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Bull penis.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

RocketDog said:


> Bull penis.


Glad you said it and I didn't have too


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Oh ewww.... :blush: They look like they could have similar problems to rawhide?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

No. they aren't like rawhide. They seem to crunch up nicely! I feed dehydrated trachea's also which are a bit like rawhide when chewed up.



> Oh ewww.... :blush:


Your dogs won't feel that way! :rofl:


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

shepherdmom said:


> Oh ewww.... :blush: They look like they could have similar problems to rawhide?


I used to give all my dogs in the past raw hide, until my oldest(who was the only dog at the time) decided to swallow a somewhat mushy rawhide. She couldn't breath because it was stuck in her throat Scared the heck out of me. The two younger dogs don't even know what a raw hide bone is. They love deer antlers and bully sticks...I prefer the antlers, they last longer!!


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Bully sticks are the foulest smelling things ever! Of course, I am sure that's why Scarlett loves them. I was OK with them until I found out what they were...LOL


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Scarlettsmom said:


> Bully sticks are the foulest smelling things ever! Of course, I am sure that's why Scarlett loves them. I was OK with them until I found out what they were...LOL


I pretend like I don't know what they are...it works most of the time


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

shepherdmom said:


> Oh ewww.... :blush: They look like they could have similar problems to rawhide?


Nope. They are 100% digestible protein.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

shepherdmom said:


> Oh ewww.... :blush: They look like they could have similar problems to rawhide?


"Oh ewww" is definitely my opinion of them LOL!


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

RocketDog said:


> Bull penis.


For real???


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Pizzle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
What are Bully Sticks? - What is a Bully Stick?


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

jang said:


> For real???


Yes for real. You only see part of it over here and they are RIDICULOUS expensive over here too. 

Back in Germany we actually got the full length Bulenziemer/penis (Bully stick) for the dogs and we got them by the dozen. They are LONG. 

I don't have any issues with them at all but maybe that's because I grew up around that stuff. I pulled out Bull/Cow intestines (stomaches etc.) from bins on a daily basis and cut those in pieces as a teenager to feed it to the dogs. So there isn't much I am grossed out with and it was RAW, not cooked. From Guts, to Bowel, to the Stomach... anything and everything, pretty much the leftovers from the butcher, so dried Bully Sticks isn't the worst thing I've ever had in my hands.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

That moment when you find out what a bully stick is made from....


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Smelled like a really nasty public toilet, and gave my poor dog the runs. 

Not a fan.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

It must have been poor quality, then.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

I've purchased cheap ones and expensive ones and they all smell varying degrees of "not good" and gave Shasta the runs. I'm sure she thought it was worth it, though.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

There are odor-free bully sticks if the smell really bothers you.
I wouldn't feed too much at one time if your dog isn't used to it. Wiva came to live with me at 10 months old and had never had a bully stick in her life. I worked up from small pieces to bigger ones. She has no issues now and loves them


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

qbchottu said:


> There are odor-free bully sticks if the smell really bothers you.
> I wouldn't feed too much at one time if your dog isn't used to it.


These were supposed to be odor free. From bestbullysticks.com

I can't imagine what the regular ones must smell like


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Never bothered me! :shrug:
But like MrsK, I am used to gross smells and textures


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

qbchottu said:


> Never bothered me! :shrug:
> But like MrsK, I am used to gross smells and textures


Me neither. I don't even recognize the "gross smell" anymore. Just smells normal to me, whatever normal is. :crazy:


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

haha exactly! 
After dealing with dogs/livestock at home and humans/patients in a clinical setting, there's isn't much that can gross me out!

If bully sticks are gross, I wonder how some people would react if we really got into the nitty gritty of subjects like whelping/breeding/milking


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

qbchottu said:


> haha exactly!
> After dealing with dogs/livestock at home and humans/patients in a clinical setting, there's isn't much that can gross me out!
> 
> If bully sticks are gross, I wonder how some people would react if we really got into the nitty gritty of subjects like whelping/breeding/milking


I can do the whelping and the breeding, but my dogs always manage to lick my face AFTER a visit to the cat box, or after finding some dead thing. I just do not need to add bully stick breath to my dogs, or Susie's face would be off limits permanently. 

I felt bad when I put my cat down, real bad. He was my first pet after moving out on my own. But I wasted no time putting the litter box on the tree lawn. No more indoor kitties for me.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

selzer said:


> I just do not need to add bully stick breath to my dogs, or Susie's face would be off limits permanently.


:rofl:


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

my dogs adore bully sticks. Never had any problems with them here.


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Scarlett LOVES them. She will hide them from us, presumably because she fears we will eat them. Her favorite hiding spot is under OUR bed pillows. MMMMmmmmm...crawling into bed and finding a stinking bully stick under my pillow. 

Fortunately they don't give her any digestive issues, but they smell so vile that I can't deal with them in the house anymore. They are an outside treat exclusively now.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

They are really quite good for your dog.... What is good for your dog, is what you want, not whats good for you.


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## glinny (Sep 14, 2011)

We buy ours at Farm and Fleet. They are individually shrink wrapped, cost about $5 for a 10 inch piece and have no smell at all. The Farm and Fleet tracheae also have no smell. I could get one to last about a month when Effie was a puppy but now maybe only a couple of hours. She likes to bury the tracheae and save them for a week or two. They are pretty gross when she finally gets around to them.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> They are really quite good for your dog.... What is good for your dog, is what you want, not whats good for you.


Actually, my dogs are not going to die without the dried flesh of penis. There is no reason why that particular bit of muscle/flesh is better for them than any other bit. I don't think it has any special powers being of the male member, but I am sure there are guys who think it has.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I just can't do it and I doubt I ever will. No bully sticks for my dogs


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

I have found the petco brand of bully sticks do not stink.  There are some stinky brands out there. My dogs love them and I've never had a problem.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Wait, 3 toes says that they are good for your dog, does it matter if they stink or not stink? I mean if they do not stink, maybe they have been bleached or have gone through some cancer-causing treatment/preservative process. So tell us 3toes, do they have to smell like urine to be healthier or are they healthier without the stink?


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Shade said:


> I just can't do it and I doubt I ever will. No bully sticks for my dogs


 
At some point I know I said this. Then some well meaning co-worker offered one to Scarlett. The rest, as they say, is history.  

Seriously though...they don't hurt her and she REALLY likes them. So they stink a wee bit. I am NOT the one eating them, and now they are relegated to being an outside treat. No harm...No foul. 

But if those stinky things end up under my pillow...they will be declared OFF LIMITS (like twinkies for my kids).  

There are, in fact, worse things in life I suppose.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

NO WAY; NO HOW!! hehe


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## NWHeather (Oct 29, 2010)

I'm curious about how they "preserve" it as well. 
I won't buy the preserved knuckle bones at the pet store, because who knows what chemicals were used in that process. I buy the fresh, raw bones in the butcher section of the grocery store.

My dogs have never had them & probably never will.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

selzer said:


> Wait, 3 toes says that they are good for your dog, does it matter if they stink or not stink? I mean if they do not stink, maybe they have been bleached or have gone through some cancer-causing treatment/preservative process. So tell us 3toes, do they have to smell like urine to be healthier or are they healthier without the stink?



I guess you wouldn't fed tripe, because it stinks. LOL, as I have posed MANY TIMES BEFORE. I get the majority of my dogs food from a butcher, which includes pig ears and bully. But good try on your childish stab. You need to grow up and *act* like an all grown up adult.

http://www.google.com/search?q=bull...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Verivus said:


> I have found the petco brand of bully sticks do not stink.  There are some stinky brands out there. My dogs love them and I've never had a problem.


That's funny, I've found the Petco ones to stink the worst, by far! Must be a regional thing. The ones at my local mom n pop petstore have hardly any smell at all.

My understanding is the stinky ones are not dried long enough. I remember reading something about that... That it isn't a matter of preservatives, just a drying process.

Bully sticks are very high in protein. That's too much for some dogs. All my dogs adore them, but are given very, very, very sparingly.

I don't understand the gross out factor, really. At least they're dried and not in their, er, original condition.


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Yeah, I am not sure I could have them in my house at all if they were in their original condition. I'm all for natural, but even I have a limit.  Still, Scarlett would think they were FAB!


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## NWHeather (Oct 29, 2010)

Scarlettsmom said:


> Yeah, I am not sure I could have them in my house at all if they were in their original condition. I'm all for natural, but even I have a limit.  Still, Scarlett would think they were FAB!


 Don't dogs always think the smelliest, grossest things are the best?


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## rooandtree (May 13, 2012)

i want to thank this forum!! this week alone ive learned on this site that female hyena's have a penis...and now today i learned that a bull penis used to make bully sticks is 22-25 inches long..and after its been dried its 30to 40 inches long!!! LOL.
What Are Bully Sticks? | eHow.com
:wild:


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Glad to get the bull on the bully! Stella loves them. Some stink more than others but it is worth the odor to get Stella to settle down. Too bad they don't last as long as they used to....I used to get the 3 footers or so and they would last for days and days when she was younger. Now she can eat one of those in 1 night....
I remember when I first found out what they were....ewwww..Stella you liitle ****!


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Oh yeah, big fan of them here. All of my dogs go crazy for them.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> I guess you wouldn't fed tripe, because it stinks. LOL, as I have posed MANY TIMES BEFORE. I get the majority of my dogs food from a butcher, which includes pig ears and bully. But good try on your childish stab. You need to grow up and *act* like an all grown up adult.
> 
> bullysticks.com - Google Search


No problem with pigs' ears. I just don't like the bully sticks. Hooves are nasty too. But I wouldn't mind feeding antlers. No tripe here sorry. But then any of these are just treats. They like oranges, eggs, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and marrow bones. They do not need the bully stick to have a good life. But thanks for the love letter anyway.


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## pfitzpa1 (Apr 26, 2011)

My girl loves them. I never feed her any hide based product. However I only give them to her as a special treat and boy does she love to get one in her mouth. They do smell a bit and they are a bit more expensive than I would like, but as I say she's gotta earn it. So maybe after a really good day tracking or a good performance at the club she will get one. She knows when she is getting one too, she will sit and wait by the cupboard, when she gets it it's off outside , tail wagging to her cool/shady spot in the garden.


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## pfitzpa1 (Apr 26, 2011)

selzer said:


> Actually, my dogs are not going to die without the dried flesh of penis. *There is no reason why that particular bit of muscle/flesh is better for them than any other bit.* I don't think it has any special powers being of the male member, but I am sure there are guys who think it has.


I'm sorry but there is. Dogs cannot properly digest hide. Bully sticks are 100% protein and fully digestible. It's just meat don't get "hung" up on the penis bit.
Feed your dogs what you like, but don't spread disinformation, please.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

chelle said:


> That's funny, I've found the Petco ones to stink the worst, by far! Must be a regional thing. The ones at my local mom n pop petstore have hardly any smell at all.


I guess it is a regional thing because all the ones I've bought here don't stink. There's another brand I typically buy that doesn't stink either, but I can't recall the brand right now. I've given some stinky bully sticks before... boy do they smell bad. Smelly ones are outside only. I hate bully breath.


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Verivus said:


> II hate bully breath.


That's just one of the issues...

I did not know that all of the Bully Stick was digestible. That makes the stench a little easier to deal with.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

selzer said:


> No problem with pigs' ears. I just don't like the bully sticks. Hooves are nasty too. But I wouldn't mind feeding antlers. No tripe here sorry. But then any of these are just treats. They like oranges, eggs, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and marrow bones. They do not need the bully stick to have a good life. *But thanks for the love letter anyway*.


:rofl:


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks for all the great info everyone.  So they are good for them, but they stink. Got it. I think I will get some and let my dogs decide if they like them and if I can stand the smell.  Maybe an outside only treat?


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

shepherdmom said:


> Thanks for all the great info everyone.  *So they are good for them*, but they stink. Got it. I think I will get some and let my dogs decide if they like them and if I can stand the smell.  Maybe an outside only treat?


Provided they can handle that much protein. I have a dog that has a hard time with this.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

pfitzpa1 said:


> I'm sorry but there is. Dogs cannot properly digest hide. Bully sticks are 100% protein and fully digestible. It's just meat don't get "hung" up on the penis bit.
> Feed your dogs what you like, but don't spread disinformation, please.


I did not think we were talking about hide. Sorry. Just muscle/flesh. I have never heard that penis meat was better than other meat for dogs. I was not spreading disinformation. 

It's just meat. So when our buddy 3toes tried to make us feel like we were thinking of ourselves rather than our dogs if we don't feed them bully sticks, well, sorry, I don't think its me that is spreading disinformation. You can give your dog a chicken leg quarter for a whole lot less money, and it won't be treated in any way to preserve or smoke or cook or de-stink it. The dog will not have bully breath, and your dog is getting at least as good protein as in the bully stick. With the bones, probably getting better nutrients. 

I have given the bully sticks that came with Gretta to her, and so I have given them, and I have gotten some runny poo from them. I do not get runny poo from chicken leg quarters.


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