# Bully sticks and pig ears



## mrudderman24 (Sep 5, 2011)

Are these safe to give to a 10 month a few times a week? I purchased some pig ears from my local pet store and I ordered a couple of 24" bullysticks online. He goes through the bullystick in about an hour

Just want to make sure this won't be hard on his digestive system. He gets fed Orijen adult food twice daily and always has fresh water available.


----------



## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

I've given them to my dogs quite regularly without any problems. Much better than rawhides IMO...


----------



## Salix (Feb 13, 2011)

Pardon I'm not used to that term here. If you mean bullystick like this:
http://www.bestbullysticks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/bestbullysticks1.jpg

then I avoid them with Denver. I used to think these were better than rawhides but discovered that it lacerated his gums and caused gum bleeding. While in puppy school at the time, I asked the trainer and said the only change in his routine was that I started giving him these. The trainer said that it was common for bones to splinter and cut gums. I immediately stopped giving him these sticks and all gum bleeding stopped. 

It was quite bad. He would have blood stains all over his soft toys because of those sticks. I give him pressed raw hide now and he does very well with those.


----------



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I haven't given the pup any pigs ears at this point. They're just so greasy. My other dog would sometimes get runny poop out of too many pigs ears so now they're more of a high quality reward only once a month or two.


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Every once in a while I'll give Stosh a pig's ear but he mostly carries them around the property trying to find the right place to bury them, then forgets about them for months. The bully sticks have never caused the problems Salix described. Have you tried Himalayan Chews?


----------



## mrudderman24 (Sep 5, 2011)

Salix said:


> Pardon I'm not used to that term here. If you mean bullystick like this:
> http://www.bestbullysticks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/bestbullysticks1.jpg
> 
> then I avoid them with Denver. I used to think these were better than rawhides but discovered that it lacerated his gums and caused gum bleeding. While in puppy school at the time, I asked the trainer and said the only change in his routine was that I started giving him these. The trainer said that it was common for bones to splinter and cut gums. I immediately stopped giving him these sticks and all gum bleeding stopped.
> ...


 
Now that you mention it, I have seen his gums bleeding a few times in the past. I chalked it up to him teething, but now his adult teeth are in. hmmm. Maybe I will just save them for special occasions. They really help keep me sane

THanks for the info on pig's ears guys. Glad to know they are relatively ok. He had some soft stool yesterday, but that could have also been from the training treats....


----------



## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I avoid pig's ears like the plague. Not so much a problem with a baby but as the dog gets older; my last dog would just crunch them up like potato chips. I had heard horror stories about them splintering in the stomach so I didn't even try with Alice.

I used when she was ten weeks old, big nlyabones (you can boil them in a low sodium chicken broth and let them cool for a few hours) baked off huge hock or knuckles.
Now, she gets primal raw bones. I just pick them up and throw them away when she's done.
I take out her bedding and do the raw bones in her crate.
Never used rawhide because someone told me once that dogs sometimes have a problem distinguishing their "leather" from mine. As, I have leather purses, boots, jacket...that made sense to me and just never did rawhide. I don't think it digests well now that I think about it.
Oh, and we still like the "chill pill" even now. That's a pill shaped thingy that opens up and you put kibble in it and it's open on the ends so they have to work to get the kibble out.


----------

