The boutique where I used to shop for Nilla's chews is no longer an option for me, so I'm looking for some alternatives. I did a search on American made and resourced bully sticks online and came across an article that says that bullies are super germy (which I guess DOES make sense considering what they are derived from) and fatty, so that made me feel a bit leery about buying bullies, sadly, because I do know that Nilla likes them.
The boutique had a nice selection of chews -- I called it the 'body parts bar' -- bullies, tendon, jerky sticks, trachea, gullet strips, cow's ears, elk antlers, dry roasted duck feet, etc. Nilla really, really liked the gullet the best, but she also likes bullies, and sometimes would take to a trachea or duck foot. I recently went to an outdoor flea market in our area and a man was selling these Yeti Dog Chews (the rest of the treats he was selling had terrible ingredients), so I got a little tube just to try. She didn't want it at first, but when I held it so she could chew on it for a minute, and then she started going at it, chewing, and grunting like a little piggy. xD She seems to like it pretty well now, and I really like having rawhide alternatives for her to chew on for one reason being she loves them and I know chewing for dogs releases endorphins and makes them feel safe and happy, and also to keep down the tartar / plaque.
So
I guess I'm looking for some nice chew alternatives -- I will
not give her rawhide or anything containing rawhide --
that are preferably made and resourced either in the U.S.A. or somewhere with good quality food standards (nothing from China and whatnot!). Tell me what you guys use and prefer -- even if it's a nice bully stick! ^^ Thanks much!