# ARE BULLY sticks bad for humans?



## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

Is it true that bully sticks can make humans sick? If you've handled a bully stick must you wash your hands in fear of e coli etc etc? If they're so bad or bad at all for humans, how safe can they be for our pups? ANyone have the scoop on these beloved dog treats? Thanks so much.


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## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

not sure, but some people feed dogs raw chicken without any problem yet no way I would eat it! also, the standards for food intended for "dogs" don't have to have the same safety standards as those deemed for "human consumption" so they have to post those kinds of warnings.


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## jillnors2 (Apr 12, 2007)

I've never heard this, my dogs get bully sticks frequently and I handle them all the time. No problems.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Lol... I had visions of you munching on a bully from your title. My understanding about why raw and gross things like bully sticks are ok for dogs and not humans is that dogs have shorter, faster digestive tracks so not enough time for the bacteria cause damage. That being said... I have never had a problem with bully sticks (except for the smell). But in all things dog... Safe food handling practices are the best defense.... That does mean washing your hands when ever possible after handling. But then again...the more your exposed to the better your defenses, unless you have a compromised immune sytstem


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

funny you should ask. This just came out the day you posted ,yesterday . I'm waiting to hear from Sabine. http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...(ScienceDaily:+Plants+&+Animals+News+--+Dogs)


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

I asked Sabine her views on the article and forgot to ask her whether a certain brand might be safer. Here's her reply :biggrin1:

Just goes to show once again that common sense really isn't. 

Something that is marketed as "fully digestible" adds calories? No way! 

Something that is essentially slaughterhouse waste and by its very nature exposed to animal urine is contaminated with bacteria? No way!

People should wash their hands after handling animal product based food and treats? No way!!

By the way, according to my information that I have, some bully sticks can supply as much as 35 kcal per inch.

I had to laugh , because she went to the University of Guelph. lol


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Missy said:


> Lol... I had visions of you munching on a bully from your title. My understanding about why raw and gross things like bully sticks are ok for dogs and not humans is that dogs have shorter, faster digestive tracks so not enough time for the bacteria cause damage. That being said... I have never had a problem with bully sticks (except for the smell). But in all things dog... Safe food handling practices are the best defense.... That does mean washing your hands when ever possible after handling. But then again...the more your exposed to the better your defenses, unless you have a compromised immune sytstem


Oh, man, I had the same visions!! So glad to learn that is NOT the case!! ound: After I found out what they were, I haven't brought another into the house! ound:


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## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

Okay, i read that article that Dave posted and the tested bully sticks tested positive in a couple cases for MRSA and C.Diff. Yeah. OK. I won't be buying those ever again!


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## Alcibides (Feb 14, 2012)

*Me too Not buying them anymore*

The article Dave posted (thank you so much Dave) put it all in perspective. The time it takes for these bacterial sources to entertain our puppies isn't worth the possibility of infection (for elderly me or my very young grandchildren!). I wonder if it's all true as well for pig ears and the other body parts that look so delicious in pet food stores. What (when it's chicken and not peanut butter) is inside those boiled bones that Lucky loves? We have half chewed bully sticks all over our house. I'm cleaning them out and sticking to antlers. Thank you forum again. Boy this site is the best. Bravo.


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

I bought one last year...Whimsy didn't want anything to do with it. I dumped it. Yuck.uke:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Tuss said:


> Okay, i read that article that Dave posted and the tested bully sticks tested positive in a couple cases for MRSA and C.Diff. Yeah. OK. I won't be buying those ever again!


Made me kind of glad Kodi has a beef intolerance, so bully sticks are off the menu anyway!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

No more bully sticks for us. I just bought the sisters one for a special treat. Before the bully stick would last for weeks . Zoey has turned into a chewer and chewed it in one day. Her digestive system got messed up . Now that I know how much bad bacteria is in them I wont offer it any more.
This is what the study founduke:
All 26 treats were tested for bacterial contaminants. One (4 percent) of the sticks was contaminated with Clostridium difficile; one (four percent) was contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics; and seven (27 percent) were contaminated with Escherichia coli, including one tetracycline-resistant sample.
I don't under stand if a dog food had this much bacteria it would be recalled.


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

My understanding from the article was that the bacteria wasn't harmful to the dog, it was just that humans needed to wash their hands after handling the sticks. Or maybe I missed something.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

No more bully sticks for us. I just bought the sisters one for a special treat. Before the bully stick would last for weeks . Zoey has turned into a chewer and chewed it in one day. Her digestive system got messed up . Now that I know how much bad bacteria is in them I wont offer it any more.
This is what the study founduke:
All 26 treats were tested for bacterial contaminants. One (4 percent) of the sticks was contaminated with Clostridium difficile; one (four percent) was contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics; and seven (27 percent) were contaminated with Escherichia coli, including one tetracycline-resistant sample.
I don't under stand if a dog food had this much bacteria it would be recalled.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

WOW. crazy. our poor dogs, is there nothing 'safe' for them to chew on!???


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