Bully Sticks are a very popular dog treat on the market right now. Do you know exactly what bully sticks are made from and if they are healthy to feed your dog? New research uncovers the caloric content of bully sticks as well as bacteria that may be present on the treats.
So what are bully sticks actually made of anyways? Bull penises. The entire penis itself is what makes up a bully stick. According to the bully sticks website they are made from 100% all natural bull penis. The website also includes an analysis of the treats that says that the treats are not comprised of more than 2% ash. Ash probably doesn't sound very pleasing to most pet owners.
It's also interesting that most pet owners avoid feeding their pets food that contain byproducts. A bull penis is, in fact, an animal byproduct.
According to an article published by Veterinary Practice News, tests were run by researchers at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Guelph to uncover the amount of calories found in a bully stick. The researchers found that the average 6 inch bully stick contained an average of 88 calories. That's equal to 9% of a 50 pound dog's recommended daily caloric intake and 30% of a 10 pound dog's recommended daily caloric intake.
What this means for dog owners who feed their canine bully sticks is that they need to take into consideration treats they feed throughout the day when calculating the amount of food to feed at meal time. Doing this can help prevent obesity in dogs. Calorie information is not required on dog treats.
The study also found several strains of bacteria on the bully sticks. Among the types of bacteria found were Staphylococcus aureus (aka MRSA), Clostridium, and Escherichia coli.
More testing needs to be performed in order to get a better idea of results from the calorie and bacteria tests run on the bully sticks. Only 26 bully sticks from different manufacturers in the United States and Canada were used in the study.
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