Can Puppies Have Bully Sticks? Why vs Why Not Explained!

You probably know how puppies love chewing household items in their first teething months. So, can puppies have bully sticks?

I am a mum to three fantastic dogs, so you can be sure to get tried and tested information about puppies and mature dogs.

What are Bully Sticks?

A bully stick is a single-ingredient beef muscle treat that is easy to digest. 

Also, besides helping to clean your dog’s teeth and being a powerhouse for several health benefits, bully sticks won’t splinter, unlike other treats.

Are Bully Sticks Safe for Puppies?

Yes, as long as they can chew hard food on their own. The sticks are easy to digest and break down quickly in your puppy’s stomach.

They are also single ingredients and tasty. The stick is a high-protein beef muscle suitable for your dog. Beef provides a consistent source of amino acids to boost your dog’s brain, skin, muscles, and coat.

In addition, bully treats are suitable for your dog in case they have allergies or sensitivity, unlike other goodies containing additives, chemicals, and preservatives.

Promote Dental Health

Bully sticks will do the magic to maintain your dog’s dental health. While you need to brush your dog’s teeth on a specific routine, with bully sticks, you don’t need to, as they help to keep their teeth clean.

It’s also advisable to give your tough puppy chews to maintain healthy teeth and prevent gingival inflammation, with periodontal disease being the most typical, if not well-taken care of.

Bully sticks, toys, and other tough chews promote healthy gums and teeth as your puppy gnaws and chews, scraping away tooth build-up and plaque stuck on the teeth.

Variety of Choice

Despite your puppy’s preference, you can get them a bully stick of their tastes and one that matches their expertise. These sticks are available in different shapes, thicknesses, and sizes.

If you notice your puppy is aggressive and growing to be an intense chewer, you can get them braided bully sticks. 

But if they struggle or chew for long, you need to buy them straight bully sticks. As your puppy grows, you can get ring-like bully sticks to challenge them as they chew.

Lasts long

In one way or another, bully sticks last longer. The sticks can last long as your puppy chews them and has a shelf life of up to three years.

Although bully treats are suitable for your puppy, they may pose some undesirable dangers.

3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Give Your Puppy a Bully Stick

Besides having admirable benefits, bully sticks could pose threats to your dog;

1. Harm Their Teeth

If the bully stick is too hard for your puppy’s teeth, it can lead to teeth injury. But the trick is, if your teeth can indent the bully stick, then it’s not too hard for your puppy.

If possible, it’s good to wait until your puppy grows adult teeth since their baby teeth are delicate, fragile, and brittle.

2. Choking Hazard

From the discussion above, you notice that the bully sticks are easy to digest but can also be a choking hazard. This may happen if your dog is trying to chew the stick downwards, and they feel it’s small enough to swallow it whole.

But unfortunately, it gets stuck to their throat.

For this reason, you need to keep an eye on your puppy as it chews and take the stick away once it becomes small to cause a choking hazard.

3. It Can Be Health Hazard

According to university research on different bully sticks brands, the results showed that some small samples had excess calories, while some small percentages had harmful bacteria. However, these accounted for about 30% of their overall samples.

How Long Should I Allow My Puppy to Chew On a Bully Stick?

So how long should you let your puppy chew on a bully stick? You should allow your puppy to chew their bully stick for about ten minutes or less.

If you leave your puppy to chew the bully stick for a long time, the treat may negatively affect their stomachs.

Bully sticks have high protein levels, and most puppies will struggle to digest them quickly.

In addition, puppies’ digestive systems are underdeveloped until they are about one year old. In case of extended chewing, your puppy might experience frequent bouts of diarrhea and vomiting.

What Is the Ideal Bully Stick Size for My Puppy?

Bully sticks are available in different sizes. With this, you can choose and feed your puppy an appropriate size as they grow into adulthood.

However, you can get bully sticks between six and 12 inches long, with a thickness ranging between 10 to 23 millimeters. It would be best to consider your dog’s weight before buying them bully sticks.

If you buy a large bully stick, it might not be possible to finish in one sitting or may lead to overfeeding, causing stomach distress.

On the other hand, giving a large puppy a small bully stick will reduce the time they are occupied on the stick, reducing its initial benefits. The inappropriate small size also poses a risk of breaking and choking. If the piece gets to their stomach, it might lead to intestinal obstruction. 

Key Takeaways

• Bully sticks are healthy for your puppy in comparison to other treats,
• Bully sticks are easy to digest and healthy for their dental development,
• They are diverse in size, shape, and length. You need to consider your dog’s weight to get them the right bully stick,
• Although bully sticks are healthy, they may pose a choking hazard if they get too small to swallow. Some may contain excess calories and bacteria which are harmful to your puppy’s health,
• You should not allow your puppy to chew on the bully stick for more than ten minutes.