Issues with Bully Sticks

[buddyb]

Hi all! We have discovered the magic of bully sticks but let our 6 month old have them all the time. Has any one found that these chews give diarrhea?

[Jac]

Hi Buddyb, welcome!
Bully sticks are great chewies for your dog! My dogs love them...and I have not noticed any diarrhea. Of course, it is always possible that adding anything or changing his diet in any way could cause temporary upset.
A little canned pumpkin (not pie mix, just plain pumpkin, a couple of tablespoons) sometimes helps.
Just keep an eye on things to be sure that it doesn't continue or get worse, it could be caused by something else so if it doesn't clear up, you might want to check it out with your vet.

[KMO20057]

Has anyone had concerns with them swallowing the ends of the bullysticks? I have not given these to Sammy yet, but I have heard from others that when they get any smaller than 4 inches you shoudl take them away because they can be prone to swallowing them whole whenn they get that small.

[gracielou]

Anytime they get small I take them away not all dogs will swallow but I won't take any chances.

[buddyb]

Thanks so much for the replies, has anyone tried rice for diarrhea for dogs?

[Jac]

Hi again everyone...

About the bully sticks, I try to take them away when they are smaller, but my dogs bury them so I don't always get to them...but I have seen them swallow some big pieces...scared me to death! But, they do digest...which is a good thing about bully sticks, rawhide doesn't digest so big pieces of rawhide can be more problematic.

It is very wise to take them away when they are smaller though.

I have not tried rice for loose bowels...but I know that in humans that is a good thing...I have not studied rice for dogs though.

When my dogs get "out of sorts" digestively speaking... I give a little PeptoBismol. It works every time (but remember that the poop will be black after a dose!) I have only had to give one dose to clear things up.

The pumpkin really does work...I don't know why, but it does. I can't get my dogs to eat it though, so I don't try it often. (I would have to treat it like medicne.)

My first and major concern with bowel problems and/or vomiting is when it lasts more than a day or so...then I worry about parasites or giarrdia (sp?)...so if this has gone on for a while, a vet visit is in order.

Be sure to see that your pup is drinking. Watch his intake and output...because if he can't keep things down or if he stops eating/drinking for very long, especially if he isn't drinking and still has loose bowels (dehydration possible)...it is definately reason to go to the vet.

Sorry to keep pushing the vet visits...I know it is expensive (my vet makes a very good living...thanks to me!) But I believe it is best to get treatment, if necessary, early on...makes things much easier to treat.

Good luck, hope your pup is better today.

[keywee]

So far I have not found *anything* that gets digested that has not caused diarrhea or vomitting in my dog, Sawyer. Poor guy just has that extra sensitive stomach. For chewing I give him rubber toys and bones and sometimes put peanut butter on them, which he seems to tolerate okay.

The canned pumpkin worked last time he had an issue. I think it has something to do with the astringent properties of pumkin (like sweet potato). I have tried rice and I found that it does not work as well.

[KMO20057]

Do you have a puppy kong? The adult ones are red, but they make softer ones for puppies that are white with pink or blue marbeling. They can be filled with yummy treats (I put a little PB in the bottom as a plug, then fill with plain yogurt and freeze!). Sammy loves her kong, full or empty!

[H&Q]

My 6 month old puppy was enjoying bully sticks daily at one point. They are a project for her and keep her very engaged. She developed diarrhea while we were out of town that lasted about a week. We're not certain if the bully sticks were the cause or if it was a parasite...we took her to the vet and he prescribed Flagyl and the prescription food. She seemed to recover and then developed diarrhea again as we switched back to her normal food. Our usual vet gave her Panacur and she seems to be doing better. In any case, regardless of whether or not the bully sticks contributed to the illness, The out of town vet's opinion was that there are preservatives in the bully sticks that aren't good for the dogs, and should be avoided. I'd like to here any other opinions out there.

[lindamarie]

Bogart doesn't seem to get diarrhea from bully sticks.
I also have the fear of them getting too small and him choking on it, so I do throw them away at about 2 inches.
Preservatives.....hmmmmmm......good question.

Your pup just may have a sensitive tummy. Maya can't tolerate anything like bully sticks, tank bones, etc. They give her diarrhea. When she had diarrhea that lasted more than a few days she went on a rice and boiled hamburger diet with some pineapple or pumpkin or sweet potato. Now that she is older I don't give her those things anymore. She is now on a RAW diet so she gets "processed" treats on rare occasions (she loves her ziggies too much not to give her one every few weeks). I also give her the jerky treats from Wellness.

[annieG]

We have found some great, super hard, bully sticks and Tanner doesn't have a problem with them because he only can chew off a tiny bit. With the regular ones he got diarrhea from ingesting too much.

[Jac]

Originally Posted by H&Q

My 6 month old puppy was enjoying bully sticks daily at one point. They are a project for her and keep her very engaged. She developed diarrhea while we were out of town that lasted about a week. We're not certain if the bully sticks were the cause or if it was a parasite...we took her to the vet and he prescribed Flagyl and the prescription food. She seemed to recover and then developed diarrhea again as we switched back to her normal food. Our usual vet gave her Panacur and she seems to be doing better. In any case, regardless of whether or not the bully sticks contributed to the illness, The out of town vet's opinion was that there are preservatives in the bully sticks that aren't good for the dogs, and should be avoided. I'd like to here any other opinions out there.

I think that, as with all treats, you need to read the ingredients and (most importantly) be SURE that it was MADE in the USA...not manufatured. Many treats "manufactured" in the USA are products of China...a known disaster for dog food and treats.

I have fed bully sticks and have no problem at all with intestinal problems, but then my dogs seem to have iron stomachs!

I think that since your dog had a reoccurrance of the problem that was 'cured' by using Panacur, likely that was the problem initially...parasites.

If you feed bully sticks again, now that your dog has been treated, you will have a better idea as to whether or not it was caused by the bully stick or parasites...but if you are not comfortable feeding them, by all means don't...there are many treats out there, it's just that bully sticks last a long time and are good for chewing...

[M&Tdoodles]

No issues ever with the bully sticks, but if we did and they had diarrhea we would feed them a bowl of homemade food that contained brown minute rice, ( easy to make only takes 5 mins but then you have to let it cool to be able to feed to the dogs) hamburger ( coocked) and a 1/2 cup pumpkin and one egg. This seems to make our dogs poops firm.

When Kelsey is pregnant this is a staple dish of food I make for her and I also will add cooked vegetables ( carrots , green beans,celery,swet potatoe,peas) mashed in a food processor, one vegetable per feeding per day is used, not all mixed together. i try and keep the meat protein similar per day also. I wont mix chicken with beef , its either or per day. This way if there is a dietary malfunction Il know what the culprit is or Ill be bale to narrow it down a little.

jac you can try adding pumpin the your dogs diets but maybee a tsp at a time mixed in with their reg food until they will gobble it up. It is useful in case of diarrhea moments.

[lmtoth2]

Just another comment about pumpkin...Kirby won't touch it if it's just pumpkin, but if we mix it with yogurt and freeze it, both dogs love it. We were giving it as a daily treat, but have gotten lazy and haven't made it in awhile.