Bully sticks: A lesson to chew on - NOT
 

:( Buster has always loved his bully sticks. He does not eat anything else hard as he never liked the antler chews or the Himalayan dog chews so bully sticks must be the culprit. I made sure to use Free Range Eco Natural Bully sticks which are free from antibiotics, steroids, harmful additives or hormones and always the thin ones. Well I have learned a hard lesson and Buster Brown is the one who has paid the greatest price. He lost the crowns on three teeth just behind his canine teeth, they were literally cracked off with the roots exposed. Buster had to have the left over parts and roots removed and the holes sutured. Plus 2 back molars had to be removed because they were loose. So Buster lost five teeth and I am out just under 1800.00 because of chewing on Bully sticks. I feel so bad that I put him through so much pain.

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry that happened! How is he feeling?

Oh no, poor Buster! I hope he is feeling better, don't feel bad, you were just giving him a treat that I'm sure he loved. Tink sends kisses

Not your fault - you weren't to know!!


I'm sorry it happened but I'm glad it was something which could be fixed.


I've never used bully sticks but thanks for letting us know what can happen...I'll warn my mom, too.


Sorry you had to go through this x

I tend to check M/Z's teeth often to make sure there's nothing going on and luckily, I haven't had any issues. They both chew on bully sticks and it has helped with keeping their teeth clean.

With that said, I don't think I'd give bully sticks to Zoey if it was just her. And she only takes bully sticks that Magnus's been chewing on. It's already soft so maybe that's why I haven't come across any issues?

Poor Buster.... I hope he recovers quickly.

I am so sorry that happened, the poor little guy, did this happen all at one time or was it something that progressed. I am so conflicted on this, but I remember Taylor posting that Callie broke a tooth on a bully also. What did the vet say, what condition did he think the other teeth were in. It makes me wonder if it would have happened with lot of other hard things, like even milk bones some I have given Lola to chew are quite hard. In one respect hard things to chew on is good for keeping their teeth clean and Lola is the only yorkie that I have had that will chew on things like milk bones or bully sticks and her teeth are in great shape while my other pups were always getting their teeth cleaned and teeth pulled. I hate hearing this because now I am even more conflicted then before.

I've been saying and saying for a long time on this forum that this stuff cracks teeth. I'm sorry that he went through it, but glad you had the $ to get him cleaned up. He will hopefully enjoy good oral health in the future.

I'm sorry. I have been trying to warn people about them since Callie broke her tooth.

I think they are too hard for small jaws. The dentistry clinic I take my dogs to actually say bully sticks are fine for chewing. I think some of them are very hard. Here is their view, Frozen Carrots as a Doggie Chew Treat?

I don't use bully sticks, but I do use knuckle bones for the big dogs. Do you know why Frozen Carrots. I use unfrozen carrots and broccoli and even cauliflower for treats. Green Beans and sweet potatoes too.

Thanks for posting this. Good info. Im sure it will help others.

Frozen large carrots as a chew as opposed to a treat. I tried it and my carrot was not big enough so I was nervous about choking. I asked about that and he told me it has to be a big thick sort of carrot the the dog could gnaw on. One of mine is a real strong chewer so I would not do it with him but Teddy and Winston liked the idea of frozen carrots and frozen sweet potatoes. They kind of nibbled like rabbits. The vet dentist is also a fan of crunchy treats to get saliva flowing.

Thanks Cathy. Makes Sense. I could use the big carrots frozen for my wee one, but not my biggies.

Ouch!! Thank you for the info.

I'm sure sorry to hear your poor Buster had to have such pain and surgery for broken teeth! That's awful that that happened but when we see them enjoying something so much, it's hard to know what's the right thing to do or what is harmful and what isn't. Ever since Callie broke her tooth, I've vowed to stay away from Bully sticks even if I think Tibbe's tummy could take them, which I doubt it could. I'm sure sorry this happened but so thankful you shared this thread as a warning.

Tibbe chews a bit on his flat rectangular chewies but he's not a hardcore chewer as my tiny Jilly was. She demanded things to chew on and chew she did! If left alone with one, she would work on one until it was gone - all in her. I had to remove them after a half hour to keep her from making her gums sore after one time finding blood on one of her chew sticks! After that I gave her limited chewing time and softer toys and she totally destroyed the toys with her teeth, working on them as if she were duty bound to rip them apart. Thankfully Tibbe enjoys playing with and hiding his chewies much more than chewing on them, which he only occasionally does. Now I'm for sure keeping him away from all Bully sticks!

I am not sure when it happened. This may have happened within the last two years as Buster did not get a dental last year because his allergies were so bad and he was having breathing issues and I did not want to put him under so I was waiting and then got caught up with my mother's health so we missed out. I did take him into a place for a non anesthetic cleaning during that time period but they never mentioned noticing any lost teeth. His Vet dentist did not notice on his initial exam before the cleaning until she saw his digital ex-rays. The teeth he has left seem to be fine, but we have to monitor the one tooth root. Now I am wondering if some of his stuffiness could have been from a dental issues and not just the food and environmental intolerance/insensitivity/allergies issues he has. I like the idea of frozen carrots and am considering getting a dehydrator to see if I can make him chewy sticks from meat and veggies as he just loved having a chew. He seemed fine last night and this morning. We go back next week for a recheck. Poor baby I can't believe I missed seeing the missing teeth! Taylor I am sorry about Callie's tooth our poor yorkies.

Buster and I thank you all for your kind wishes.

dog
 

Poor little buster? I hope he gets relief. Don't feel bad you thought you were doing something good for him. Now you wiki help all people reading this. Bless little buster. Dogs seem to bounce back.

Dehydrator is great! I make my two chicken jerkies from time to time along with other veggies/fruits. We sort of share the fruits and veggies. lol

I know there are really nice dehydrators out there but the prices were bit too high. I ended up getting one from costco that was only $40. Does what I need so very happy with it. :)

So sorry lil Buster lost teeth due to a treat all dogs love, poor lil guy. Thank you for sharing this information on the bully sticks. Hoping lil Buster makes a fast full recovery.

Poor little guy! I am at the point I dont give her anything but toys to chew on. I do give her the kong with goodies inside and that does help with her chewing need.

Poor Buster! I'm glad his mouth is taken care of, but sorry he had to lose some teeth. Hope he is doing well.

The good news is he is his usual feisty self. I do think his stuffiness is much better so I am thankful for that.

Awww, I feel bad for both of you...please do NOT blame yourself...most dogs will do just fine w/ bullies, so how could you know that Buster would have an issue? No way to predict that one, my friend; so please don't beat yourself up over this.

As far as the stuffiness...yup, dogs can def get stuffy noses / nasal issues from dental issues, especially shorter snouted dogs.

And in a pinch, Buster Brown can don his Count Dracula fangs!

You take wonderful care of Buster, so please don't beat yourself up about this. I'm thrilled to hear his nasal congestion is much improved.

Gracie is going to be 5 years old in May and has been chewing on Bully Sticks since she was a puppy with no ill effects. She has lovely white teeth that have never had to be cleaned. She is on a raw diet though. I have never let her eat processed food.

I should mention that she did have a problem with the softer bully sticks that she could chew very quickly. They caused some digestive upset. When I started buying them from Best Bully . com we had no further problems.

She does not chew as much as when she was a puppy but we like to have them on hand for when she does feel the need to chew.

That's good to know. I give emma these but typically small ones .

Glad to hear he's recovering well!

I'm new at offering Zippy Bully Sticks. These are the only ones I've tried: Redbarn Bully Sticks 5" Dog Treats, 5-in chew, 1 count
Redbarn Bully Sticks 5" Dog Treats

The first 2 I gave him lasted a long time and were nearly full length when i threw them away. The third one I gave him only lasted a couple days before he chewed it short and I threw the stub away.

Be careful with the stubs. Buster used to try and swallow the stubs so we would have to take them away.