Hello, all.

I've been trying to do some digging for information on bully sticks and antlers, but have come up with varied opinions on them. I have read that bully sticks are a great alternative to rawhide (which I wasn't planning on giving to my pup anyway), and that elk antlers are better than deer antlers because elk is softer. What is everyone's opinion on this? I was mildly concerned about the bully sticks and antlers causing more harm than good with teeth and digestive issues. Is there anything else I can give as well, along the same lines? Thanks in advance for any shared opinion and experiences!

I use bully sticks often and Koda loves them. Warning, they smell super gross... Like really bad...
I also use pig hide which looks like raw hide but is much easier to digest. They also make vegetable bones, but they kind of fall apart and don't last long at all.
Koda loves the pig hide, and it lasts forever. She also loved the vegetable ones, but she liked them too much and would finish it within an hour.

As far as antlers, I have never used them so I won't be much help.

As far as it being too hard, I wouldn't worry about it. They kind of have to have something hard to chew on to get those nasty teeth out. I don't know how many rocks I took from Koda because she had a tooth that wouldn't come out. It finally came out, but she wanted to chew on the hardest stuff.

Really depends on you and what you are willing todo, a lot of people say not to give any of those things to puppies as it can break their teeth, personally with the okay from my vet I give Cora rawhide and I will go with the pig next time I think, I also use antlers, they are really hard so all I would say is give them to your puppy undersupervison.

Annie, I would stay away from rawhide, it may cause stomach issues, and some dogs have negative reactions to it.

I give cow ears, pigs ears, and the bully sticks. I also feed raw meaty bones, and with the elk, I would look for the split versions, they are slightly safer for dogs, they want the marrow in the middle, buying the split will expose the marrow, safer on teeth.

i used to use bully stick quite frequently, but he started to have stomach issues; not sure if it was because he would hid them and eat them all soggy a week later and they are rather smelly. i usually get tendons, pig or cow ears. it gets expensive if you buy them form pet store i buy them from http://www.bestbullysticks.com/ . if your dog isn't an aggressive chewer then i would get a split antler, Leo loves them he chews them every so often they last a very long time. i would look for antlers that don't splinter or have a low chance of splintering. defendant wouldn't give antlers to puppies endless your willing to keep a eye on them, they might not be able to chew them until they have their adult teeth.

I was wondering if anyone has any guidelines on how many chews to give in a day? I recently ordered a huge batch from Best Bully Sticks, and Nya has almost gone through everything already.

I was wondering how many chews I should allot a day and if anyone has any suggestions on which chews are the longest lasting. Nya goes through them like crazy, but she gets bored of the same one, so I consistently give her a different one each time in rotation. I expanded outside the bully sticks and antlers to all the other products that BBS offers, and she definitely has her favorites. So, I will keep those in rotation.

I limit Ami to 1 per day - but that's because it is raw bone and I don't want him to become constipated. He gets a rawhide (which he loves) every once in a while but those are limited because of expense and too much gives him diarrhea.

As for bully sticks, I've read they are really high in fat and calories so you might want to limit that, too.

Ami won't chew really on a "chew." The one that we found was a rubber fake "stick" from tractor supply that was actually Archer's (which may be why he likes it ) so I snarfed that and bought another one for Archer. But they both only use these very intermittently.

They both like the pig ears but for me, they go ridiculously fast and to get the USA made ones is also expensive - almost like taking a dollar and flushing it down the toilet

i usually give him 2 chew treats a day, usually one big about 7-10 inches and a small about 6-7inches long one at night. and he has free access to his antlers. once a month i try and give him a really big one usually the pig ears that he absolutely loves.
Leo when though the same thing with lets try everything stage when i got him some, now he gotten into the routine when they come in he get to sample one and he gets his usually rations.
if they eat to many can giving them some constipation.

although when he was teething he would eat about three 6 inch bully sticks some times four in one day.

i believe that the tendon chew last longer.

Loki likes pig hooves and deer antlers. Bully sticks make him sick. Also price chopper has raw soup bones for super cheap so he gets those too. If I'm feeling generous I'll fill a pig hoof with peanut butter too lol.

Them antlers are hard as rocks but he hasn't hurt himself on them or anything. Just sits there gnawing on the end of it.

I think if you check the package on those bully sticks it'll tell you how many to give.

For Miya, as she has aged some, treats are not that big of a deal to her. Raw meaty bones are the exception, she loves them and will nosh on one for a while. as a pup, the longest lasting treat were cow ears, pig ears she can chew on quickly as well as bully sticks. So cow ears were always my go to for a good hour of chew time for Miya. Danielle, funny for me, I gave Miya one hoof with peanut butter, she ate the peanut butter and didn't care for the hoof. I got her the plain hoof, and it splintered when she chomped down on it, so I felt safer giving her a split elk antler, she scrapes the marrow off, but has never tried to actually chew it. I guess every dog is different. Annie, I guess it is more trial and error, buy one different item and see what works best for your dog. Also, what worked best as a pup may changed once an adult. As far as your main question, as a pup Miya would get maybe 2 treats, now as an adult she may go days without a treat, she does get her bone about 3-5 times a week.

Does anyone have any other sites they would recommend other than BBS?

Annie, I buy a lot of Miya's treats from Chewy's