Are bully sticks unhealthy for Puppies?

[Roy]

Good morning!

Nickie is officially 12 weeks old! I'm trying to decide on what toys to get her. She's not too fond of rubber toys like Kongs and such. She tends to prefer bully sticks. It takes her a few days to go through a 10 inch stick. I figure it wouldn't be too bad to let her munch on one for an hour each day but I'm not too sure about how good they are for Puppies. Are bully sticks unhealthy for Puppies? Any alternatives?

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

That's the website we order from.  I buy fifty at a time for the discount and we share among office co-workers.  Also odor free, extra thick ones that take him awhile to chew down.

I put cream cheese in his Kongs, but you can try other treats, even his kibble, moistened and freeze it.   

[Amy and Annabelle]

My 8 month old pup loves bully sticks. She watches tv for an hour every night right before her bedtime. She sits between us on the couch while laying on her blanket and chewing on her bully. I did buy an "odor free" pretzel one a month ago and it was anything but odor free. It was so offensive, I had to take it away from her and throw it in the garbage.The regular sticks by the same brand have all been fine though. Since she is kind of a heavy chewer, she also has a heavy duty peanut butter flavored nyla bone that she loves. She didn't like the puppy one when she was your pups age, but she loves the current one, probably because it is heavier and flavored. She has her permanent teeth but still chews on her antler. I buy the split, I have heard they are softer and better on the teeth. Not sure if it's true. I bought her antler 3 months ago and she is still chewing on it. I am surprised that she hasn't really chewed it down all that much. She isn't as aggressive with the antler as she is with the bully..

[Katyana & Milo]

I don't know how we would have got through the heavy teething stage without the bully sticks.  The smellier the better in Milo's opinion!  I'll definitely try him on an antler though.  But I've heard they aren't digestible so you need to watch them with the antlers - anyone know?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack has Inflammatory Bowel Disease and elk antlers are the only chew treat he can have. He gnaws on them and wears them down, a little tiny bit at a time. The little bits probably are indigestible, but they pass right out with the stool, just like the inedible Nylabone particles. You have to be sure that the antler is big enough that your dog can't splinter ir or break off large chunks. 

[SoSa]

We use both antlers and bully sticks. He definitly loves the bully sticks way more than the antler. I usually use the bully sticks when I need to keep him occupied for a period of time, like when I am driving and noone else is in the car with me or when I am blow drying him after a bath. I tried one that was supposed to be oderless. While it was oderless before chewing, once Ace started knawing on it, it smelled like fish. It was gross and I was mad because I paid $9 for that one stick. I had to throw it out. I prefer the ones that smell smoked.

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Antlers are wonderful and we also love Benebones. They just came out with a mini version recently that may work better for Nickie depending on her size :)

[Diane Elliott]

A Bully Stick is a Dried Bull Penis.  Some do have bacteria and can cause diarrhea.  I don't let my dogs chew on these although I am sure they might love them.  lol

[Roy]

Nickie is now 8 months old and she devours a foot long braided bully stick in two days. I think I'm going to limit Nickie to two bully sticks a week. I've also trying the Himalayan Chew and she likes that as well. Any recommendations for edible chew items?