Bully sticks for dogs are chew toys made from bull penises. Other names for bully sticks include pizzle sticks, steer sticks and beef sticks. These chew toys are made from pure beef and are not only safe for all dogs, but offer a number of benefits. Let's look at the facts about bully sticks for dogs.
What Bully Sticks Are
Bully sticks are chew toys for dogs made from bull penises. Manufacturers may refer to them as "dried muscles" or "tendons," however, to avoid offending public sensibilities.
Bully sticks are made by cleaning and draining the fluids from bull penises. The penises may then be stretched, twisted, or braided into different sized chew toys for different sized dogs. Many bully sticks are smoked for enhanced flavor.
Bully sticks are sold in several different sizes to suit the needs of all dogs. The smallest bully sticks are typically about four inches long. Bully sticks for larger dogs may be as long as 12 inches. Bully sticks may be up to four inches wide.
Bully Sticks Help Prevent Gum Disease
The production of bully sticks is regulated by the USDA, so you know that they're made with the best ingredients. Bully sticks are typically made from 100% natural ingredients, and often contain no pesticides, chemicals or dyes. Because they're made from pure meat, they're easy for your dog to digest.
Like other chew toys, bully sticks can help maintain your dog's dental health. They can stop plaque and tartar from accumulating on your dog's teeth, to prevent tooth decay. As a result, bully sticks are also an effective way to stave off gingivitis and periodontal disease. These diseases can cause inflammation, mouth pain, tooth decay, and life-threatening bacterial infection in the liver, heart, joints and kidneys.
Bully Sticks May Be Safer than Traditional Chew Toys
Bully sticks are a low-fat dog treat, so they can be safely enjoyed even by overweight and obese animals. They provide your dog with calcium, magnesium, and other minerals and vitamins necessary to canine health. Bully sticks contain large amounts of protein, to help maintain the health of your dog's muscles and organs. They also contain taurine, an amino acid that can help maintain your dog's healthy throughout his life.
Rawhide and other traditional dog chew toys can be dangerous to dogs. Dogs can easily break rawhide chews into small fragments that may lodge in the windpipe and present a choking hazard. Bully sticks for dogs, however, are far more difficult to break into pieces, especially if you choose a thicker bully stick (bully sticks may be up to four inches thick). This means they're less likely than other chew toys to present a choking hazard to your dog, but, just to be on the safe side, you should take your dog's bully stick away and replace it with a new one when it becomes small enough to possible lodge in his throat.