German Shepherds Forum banner

Pup swallowed 3" of bully stick

1 reading
87K views 21 replies 19 participants last post by  selzer  
#1 ·
Well, Saber apparently swallowed the last 3 inch piece of her bully stick, whole. I buy the 12" ones, the "thick" kind. They are pretty darn hard. Should I be worried about this? Or will it just digest and pass through? She is acting normal.

Related... if you give bully sticks do you just let them eat the end when they get to it like that, or toss it when it gets small enough to swallow?
 
#3 ·
I let them eat the whole thing, I usually give them when their in their crates, when I leave and I know i'm going to be gone all day, normally I wouldn't do this but since they end up breaking down they'll pass them or they should at least.
 
#4 ·
I had to always supervise Jake with his bully sticks because he too, would swallow the last 3 inches whole. He always managed to vomit it back up 24 hours later. I could set a clock by it, and it would be 24 hours on the dot.

I did start taking them away when they got that small because of him swallowing them whole.
 
#5 ·
Lucy does this all the time. She gets the 12" thick ones too and when it gets down to the bottom 3", she tries to swallow them too.

When it gets to the point where she's just trying to swallow, I usually take them away at that point.

Sometimes she gets them down, sometimes I get them away from her in time. No need to worry if it's already swallowed. I'm sure she's happily letting it digest away in her stomach right now.
 
#6 ·
Once it's small enough to consider swallowing, most of our dogs will give it at try. So we usually take them away at that point. Though we've also taught the younger dogs to bring them to us and let us hold the end, which we'll do, and then they can still gnaw away to their heart's delight but they can't swallow the whole thing because we're holding the end. Sort of a nice trust exercise too.

It will probably be alright. Good chance it will be vomited back up. Also possible it will digest and pass. The few times our dogs have swallowed something bigger than they should have, it worked out alright. But I do consider that pretty lucky and would certainly be on the look out for signs of an intestinal blockage as that is a possibility as well.
 
#7 ·
I LOVE bully sticks for puppies because they can chew on it for a week (whereas an adult will eat like $25 worth of bully stick in 10 minutes). When they get real short, I give them to an adult and let them eat the rest.
 
#8 ·
My dog would swallow the last piece of the bully stick too when she was a puppy. And she would also end up throwing the last piece back up. LOL So I would always take the last little piece away from her. Now that she is an adult...I cut the 12" in half and only give her half at a time and she chews it up pretty good before swallowing the last piece. I agree...she will either digest it or throw it back up.
 
#9 ·
Update for anyone interested...

nothing unusual, no vomiting and the poops are normal so I guess it digested and passed!
I wish someone made a "treat holder" that you could clamp onto the small piece of bully stick or bone or whatever so they could chew and not swallow it. I tried holding a 3" piece of bully stick for Saber to chew today and I got a nice puncture wound in my finger from a canine tooth. Yowch.
 
#12 ·
I wish someone made a "treat holder" that you could clamp onto the small piece of bully stick or bone or whatever so they could chew and not swallow it. I tried holding a 3" piece of bully stick for Saber to chew today and I got a nice puncture wound in my finger from a canine tooth. Yowch.
They do!! A bully stick could fit in the end of the Kong bone:

Image


or a Busy Buddy Football:

Image
 
#10 ·
Stark did that twice when he was Saber's age.

Once he vomited back up a few hours later and the other time it must of got digested because I never saw it again. He was fine both times.

I usually tossed them away but I got busy and forgot about it and he got to it before I did. Now he'll treat it as a treat and chew them until they are gone.
 
#13 ·
lol .. I'm glad our Baron isn't the only one swallowing these things.

When he first did it we didn't realize he swallowed the bullystick. We were searching all around the house asking him what he did with his chewy and just wrote it off as it some how got carried outside and lost.

He has yet to have any ill effects from swallowing it whole. Hasn't puked or had any digestive issues. He probably ate 2-3 of them that way before we realized what was happening. He now gets the chew less often and for less time, other wise he will eat the 6inch sticks in no time.

I guess my next order will be for the 12inch. :)
 
#14 ·
Thanks Kristin! I will check those out.
 
#15 ·
Mine has done it here and there with no ill effects though we do try to take it sometimes. He trades nicely for hot dog bits :)
 
#16 ·
Well, I guess I won't be buying any 3" bully sticks.

Had to stop giving them to my dog because she loves to chew them while laying on her back and I don't want to be doing any Heimlich maneuvers on her. And throwing away 1/2 or 1/4 of every bully stick just didn't make financial sense. She has gone on living just fine without them.
 
#17 ·
Bully sticks, yuckie gross ick. You would think that something most people do not want to even touch should be CHEAP! But no, they are charging and arm and leg for them.

Now if they were, like, 25 cents a piece, well, maybe I would give them to my dogs. Maybe. With a glove on. I know, I know it is treated, it is meat, they do not stink -- right. Ick!

And now dogs are swallowing the ends, and some are barfing them. Double Ick!

Maybe if they were 15 cents.
 
#18 ·
Rex has also swallowed the last little bit too. Although lately he seems to be getting better. My older dog always takes his time with his bully stick & when Rex is finished with his he looks so sad that his is gone & Sam is still enjoying his bully! I think this has helped teach him to take his time.

How often do you give your dogs bully sticks? My guys LOVE them but my wallet sure doesn't!! :eek:
 
#19 ·
Both my dogs have passed three inch bully sticks. Both had the runs with it, but were fine after.
 
#20 ·
Riley has done this a few times and vomited it up a bit later. I've since started taking it away from her when it gets that short. Actually I've more or less decided to forgo the bully sticks in favor of shin bones. she seems to enjoy them more.
 
#21 ·
Come on Selzer, it's just a penis. :rofl:

I don't buy them since they're so expensive, the dogs might get one in their stockings for Christmas but that's really it. The times they HAVE gotten them, I've never had problems with them being swallowed whole.

If they were under $0.25 they'd get them several times a week. :p