SICK FROM ' BULLY STICKS' ?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Has anyone experienced vomiting from Bully Sticks? The dogs of course, not us owners who want to puke because of the odor.

I have heard the rave for Bully Sticks and finally purchased some on Monday. He loves them and has been chewing ever since. I thought I had found the perfect chew. On Tuesday ( 24hours later) he became sick to his stomach. He has been sick several times again today. This has been his only change.

I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this, has he had too much, or should I be looking for something else?

Thanks Joanne

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Thanks Michelle
I used to purchase raw bones at the grocer also; the round ones with the marrow inside. I would boil the bones before giving them to the dogs. Now I can no longer find them at any of the stores where we shop. I assume I should go to the butcher. He still loves a good chew and this sounds like a good old fashion original alternative to Bully Sticks or raw hides.

He is still vomiting and it's been a week. He eats and drinks normally and keeps food down and has grown an inch but then all of the sudden he projectiles. Sometimes food and other times clear fluid. His energy level and good moods have no change--he still acts like a puppy. Time to visit a vet--AGAIN.

I appreciate everyones input on Bully Sticks. I would certainly love to give them to him again, but I think this sensitive pup's diet is going to be brittle.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I used to give Quincy the real bones too, they were the only thing he couldn't destroy in 2 mins. I had to stop giving them because he cracked a couple of small pieces off his front teeth.

[Tricia, Shiloh, Fenway & Tessie]

Do you have to ask a butcher for these? And not to seem terribly ignorant....but do you just say that you want a "marrow bone" for a dog?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You will sometimes find them in the meat section at the grocery store, as they are used for making soup and stock. If I don't see them, I ask the butcher. Depending on the size of the dog, you may want to have the butcher cut them for you. You'll find them in lengths from about 4 inches to very long ones.
I used to boil them, but now I just microwave them for a couple of minutes until the marrow is soft enough to push out with a butter knife. If you give it to the dog with the cooked marrow inside, it will make a real mess. I push the marrow through the bone into Jack's bowl & then give the bone to him after it's cool enough.
You can also just give them the bones raw, but the marrow will become rancid if the bones are left around unrefrigerated. Once they're cooked, you can leave them around forever. You can also buy pre-sterilized marrow bones in the pet supply store, usually filled with some kind of fake meat, chicken, cheese, etc., but I don't trust the ingredients in that stuff. I know a lot of people use them, though, and their dogs seem to be fine. Buying the fresh bones is cheaper.
Marrow bones are cow's leg bones, and are the hardest bones there are. Your dog can't break them, but they can get a lot of fine bone fragments from the inside part. it is also not unheard of for a dog to break a tooth on one. So you will want to monitor your dogs the first few times you give these, until you know what your dog's bone-chewing habits are, lol.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Almost forgot...yes, just ask for "marrow bones."

[Camilla and Darwin]

Darwin gets diarrhea if he eats bully sticks. He eats one in about 30 minutes... I don't know if that has anything to do with it. And it makes his breath smell super bad. We are currently investigating antlers...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's funny how this discussion suddenly came back to life! It's almost a year old!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My pet store has a "pet nutritionist" on staff (not the real thing, but she sure knows a lot). She told me that any dog with a sensitive stomach (like Guinness) should not have the bully sticks. As a matter of fact she advised me to stick with only the deer antlers as "chews". She thought I would be taking a risk with anything else. I do feel bad because I think he gets pretty sick of the antlers, but for now that's all I'm comfortable giving him.

Joanne, I sure hope he is feeling better. I hate when they're sick.

[Natasha]

We give Rouser bully sticks but he only gets them for a short period of time - maybe 20 minutes or so. We also don't let him finish them. I like to make sure that he doesn't swallow a large piece - something he's done in the past.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I didn't even notice that this discussion was from so long ago... how funny!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Yes, this discussion was from long ago, but we still go easy when giving bully sticks. Now that I have two I doubt I can afford bully sticks : )

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I only give them when I really need Peri to focus for about 20 minutes (if she is out of control). hehe. T can't have them due to digestion.