Bully for You!

Are you feeding your dog bully sticks as a treat? Do you know what they are? More importantly, do you know how these treats fit into a healthy diet?

Bully sticks are a popular treat for dogs but few people know what they’re made of. They are actually the uncooked, dried penises (Penii? Penes?) from bulls and steers. You read that right! You’re feeding your dog a dried penis.

If that makes you squeamish, go wash your hands and then consider the fact that dogs are notorious for eating nasty things and rolling in dead animals, not to mention licking their own “privates” as a hobby.  So the fact that a dog readily eats a bull’s dried penis is not that incredulous. What is amazing is the amount of calories packed into those 6 inches of deliciousness (yuck!).

Researchers from the University of Guelph and the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuffs University recently published a study in the Canadian Veterinary Journal that states bully sticks are not a skinny treat, despite all appearances. In testing over 26 different sticks purchased in the US and Canada, the average product contained 8 to 22 calories per inch of treat, amounting up to 88 calories per 6-inch stick.

Although this was a very small (ahem) study of just 26 treats,  veterinarians and pet food stores cannot guarantee that bully sticks are a healthy treat for your pet.  Regardless of the joy experienced in these 6-inch treats, they really pack a dense punch:  9 percent of a 50-pound dog’s daily caloric requirement and a whopping 30% of a 10 pound dog’s daily calorie needs in just one stick. The pleasure may not be worth the pain, especially considering the wide-spread incidence of obesity.

The study also looked at bacterial contaminants present in these types of treats. They found that of the 26 sticks tested, one stick contained Clostridium difficile and another, the dreaded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (known as MRSA).  If these contaminants sound bizarre, perhaps you’re more familiar with e-coli. Several dried penis treats contained e-coli, with more than one being resistant to tetracycline; an antibiotic commonly used in both human and veterinary medicine.

A safer bet would be to “abstain” from the bully sticks and offer your dog a veterinarian-approved low calorie cookie that has been produced in strict accordance with health and safety guidelines. Ask your veterinarian about safe treats that are still fun to eat.

 

By: Jennifer Cates, AHT