# Bully Sticks - How to manage the ends



## stook1 (Mar 21, 2014)

Having just gone through an expensive scare about a foreign body blockage in my guy's stomach, it got me thinking that I need to be WAY more careful about bully sticks.

Moby tends to swallow the last few inches whole, which seems like a BIG risk. How does everyone handle this? I saw pics from another member that jammed the bully stick into a kong which seemed like a good idea but it didnt really seem to hold for me even though it seemed like it would.

Any other tips? I even thought about locking a big pair of vice grips onto the end but then I realized that Moby will probably drop it onto the floor and crack a tile or, better yet, my 3 year old son will try to steal the vice grips!


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

I am so glad Moby is OK!!!! I will be following this, because I am wondering the same thing. How old is Moby by the way and is he a standard, mini or toy?


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## stook1 (Mar 21, 2014)

Naira said:


> I am so glad Moby is OK!!!! I will be following this, because I am wondering the same thing. How old is Moby by the way and is he a standard, mini or toy?


Thanks! He is not quite out of the woods yet but came home today and seems to be doing WAY better. He is an 8 month old standard. By the way, he likes the 12" bully sticks... the thicker ones from bestbullysticks, not the absolute thickest ones they have but the 2nd thickest, if I recall correctly.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Did you try getting a smaller kong that would hold the stick tighter? They do make them so small that they pare too small for my crew!


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

A member on PF (Lou) has a great solution to this I'm sure you could find it in the search, but she jams one end in super tight into the end of a kong toy, when they chew down to certain point they can not chew them anymore. Also have you thought about using dried fish skins and tendons instead? Mine are Tpoos so I don't have to worry as much but they go crazy for these even more than bully sticks! They are also much more chewable and don't pose as big of a risk as bully sticks.


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

I took Lou's idea of the Kong, one step further. I got the Kong bone-shape. It has grippers that will hold the bully stick in. It is really hard for me to get the ends out of the bone... so, it's hard for Willow to get them out too. I use the new bully stick to push the old end out.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

hopetocurl said:


> I took Lou's idea of the Kong, one step further. I got the Kong bone-shape. It has grippers that will hold the bully stick in. It is really hard for me to get the ends out of the bone... so, it's hard for Willow to get them out too. I use the new bully stick to push the old end out.


What a great idea! I usually just keep my eye on the dogs and take the bully stick away when it gets to the gulping stage. This way, I wouldn't have to watch them so carefully.


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## Axeldog (Aug 29, 2014)

GeorgiaPeach, that's what we do too. Just keep an eye on him and when he gets to the end of the stick, we throw away the last bits. He is never left alone with them.

Even though we do that, I still worry about it.


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## Lily's-Mom (May 31, 2012)

Axeldog said:


> GeorgiaPeach, that's what we do too. Just keep an eye on him and when he gets to the end of the stick, we throw away the last bits. He is never left alone with them.
> 
> Even though we do that, I still worry about it.


I worry about Lily too. Bully sticks give her upset tummy so I have been giving her Himalayan chews. But for every minute she's chewing and loving it, I am a nervous wreck that either she will break a tooth or choke on a piece. The good thing about the Himalayan chews though is that when the end is small, you can microwave it and it turns into a big "puff" that she can gobble up. At this point I think I will refrain from giving any chews because I worry so much.


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## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

Wow! Something I have not worried about! Luce is not an aggressive chewer - she chews like a little lady LOL


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## stook1 (Mar 21, 2014)

hopetocurl said:


> I took Lou's idea of the Kong, one step further. I got the Kong bone-shape. It has grippers that will hold the bully stick in. It is really hard for me to get the ends out of the bone... so, it's hard for Willow to get them out too. I use the new bully stick to push the old end out.


Awesome idea! I am going to pickup one of those. Many thanks for the tip.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

poodlecrazy#1 said:


> A member on PF (Lou) has a great solution to this I'm sure you could find it in the search, but she jams one end in super tight into the end of a kong toy, when they chew down to certain point they can not chew them anymore. (...).


 ❤ I'm glad you remembered me  Thx dear

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From a post a long time ago: (copied and pasted it  )
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I put it in a Kong for safety, and "the Poodles" amaze me daily with their intelligence, *✨they have learned that if the bully stick falls out to let me know  so I can put it back in, instead of chewing on it and trying to swallow, it took some training but they "got it!!!" ✨* It's so cute 

Ps. I save some old small pieces and shove 1 large new bully stick and a very small remainder piece and push it deeply (against a hard surface like the corner of the wood-door-frame ) it's hard to get it in and sometimes once they chew it gets soft, you take it away for a bit and it dries-shut gets glued in there kind of. And I have to push it out with a long screwdriver !! It's hard to get it and and even harder to get it out,


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## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

They are adorable chewing their bully-kongs!!


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

Luce said:


> They are adorable chewing their bully-kongs!!



Thank you so much  ☺??


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

I always supervise and just take it away when it gets too small......


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