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Originally Posted by ladyjane  A couple of links about bully sticks and other chews. I realize that bully sticks are popular with a lot of people on YT, but they do concern me. They absolutely should not be used unless under very close supervision. Of course there are also scares regarding Nylabones. I just think the hard ones that are not digestible are better than all of the digestible treats. I had a pup almost choke many years ago on a Greenie..that was long before the bad press about those things. I stopped using them immediately...scared the heck out of me. Bully Stick Dangers for Dogs | eHow.com Rawhide, Nylabone,Cow hooves, Pig ears-The hidden dangers |
Oh, I understand there's dangers with EVERY chew, and agree with you, and taking precautions is always necessary of course. I don't really find the reasoning's on that link to be different than any other thing we eat or feed our dogs though. I'm not going to give my dog zero chews because 1) he would be bored and bother me more! LOL 2) dogs have a natural desire to CHEW, and they need to work that jaw 3) Jackson loves them! Also, I don't think Greenies have ever stated they were 100% digestible.
Salmonella poisoning: For one thing, salmonella affects dog kibbles way more than bully sticks and people are still feeding their dogs kibble. It stated
It has issued at least one official warning for bully sticks. One is not enough for me to not feed it, especially when there are recalls on kibbles all the time for this and dogs immune systems are alot different than humans and often DON'T usually get sick from salmonella like a human would. Of course I don't WANT salmonella in my dogs kibble, lol, and I stay away from recalled food as best as possible, but I trust where I get my bully sticks from.
Contamination to humans: lots of things seem to be able to contaminate us. Even going into a public bathroom we can pick up disgusting things. Bully sticks are the least of my worries.
Choking hazard: Yeah, there is definitely a hazard, as with ANY chew. Another thing that's not going to stop me from feeding them lol. The only reason I don't feed rawhides is because of the internal blockages it can cause.
Odor and staining: I buy the non odor ones and have never had one stain.