When giving a bully stick to your dog, you’re usually doing so to make your dog happy, give them some protein, and likely to keep them busying for a little while. It seems like an easy choice to make. It’s a perfectly healthy snack and provides enrichment, focus and dogs generally calm down with it, but there’s more to it.
Are bully sticks dangerous?
All of this is well and good, except there is a real risk in letting them chew on bully sticks. This is especially true if you have a dog who eats quickly. It’s the last bit at the end that’s the problem. The last piece is, generally, bigger than a dog should swallow. And, it’s especially dangerous for small dogs. Many dogs will, inevitably, swallow it whole. Bully sticks are consistently touted as highly digestible, but their diameter is just about the size of a dog’s intestines. It may cause a blockage. It did with mine.
Cali is a very speedy eater, like she’s in a race. She loves these slender dog chews, and I used to give them to her without a holder. Just the bully stick, which she’d gnaw and chew down to the last piece, and I remember feeling weary about that final inch or two. Was she going to chew it, and if she did, would she chew down enough to be safe?
Many times, she did. Watching her closely, I noticed, several times that she didn’t. I caught her swallowing a piece whole. It scared me, but all I could do was wait for symptoms of a blockage would show up in the next 24 hours. The next morning, Cali vomited up the entire piece. We were lucky. This was the last straw for me. I needed to either stop giving them to her or find a solution to minimize the risk.
Reducing the Risk of Bully Sticks
I didn’t stop giving them to her, but instead, started searching out solutions to prevent Cali from potentially choking on the end pieces. I found several! The problem was Cali could always pull them out of the holders, no matter which one I used. She’s a clever girl.
Finding the Chewise Bully Stick Holder
It was months later I came across the Chewise bully stick holder. This holder is very different from the others I’ve come across. The most significant difference is the part directly gripping the dog chew. It has metal teeth to hold the stick in place. This is a game changer!
Why it’s the Best Bully Stick Holder
The metal teeth installed in this thing is the most significant part of it, and what reduces the risk of a dog swallowing the last piece whole. This reduces my fears and keep my dog safe. On top of that, this Chewise bully stick holder can also hold a decent-sizes bully stick, up to an inch in diameter. And, it’s appropriate and safe for aggressive chewers, as it’s both durable and BPA-free (food-grade).
It’s So Easy to Use & Clean
All you have to do is slide the bully stick into the Chewise device, then twist it until it’s tight enough for the metal teeth to get a good grip on the stick. Once you have it nice and tight, hand it over to your dog. This holder can be used for both short and long bully sticks. We use 12″ bully sticks, so we tighten them in the middle, but a short one is tightened at the end of the piece to give dogs the most access to their dog chew.
Once finished, take the holder from them or replace with another treat if you have a resource guarding dog. Take the last bully chew piece our to the holder and throw it away. Then, wash the holder with mild soap and water, rinse it well and let it air dry.
I’m happy to say this product was just what I was looking for, but didn’t know it at the time.
