Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Antlers taste good! Bully sticks smell good!

Note: I did not eat an antler and happen to think bully sticks are a far cry from fragrant. The title is, therefore, based solely on my observation of Jon Farleigh and Dewi. People should not eat this stuff, okay?

Have you ever played along with the Wordless Wednesday: Caption Contest at Richmond Pet Lovers Blog? We did and wound up winning the March drawing for a $25 gift certificate to BestBullySticks! (Especially cool since we are bent on never winning anything.)

We received our "free" $25-worth of stuff yesterday.


As you might guess, BestBullySticks sells lots of bully sticks, but they also sell lots of other doggie treats and stuff, like deer antlers for safe chewing.

Size Large, sold for $10 each (on sale)

I was really excited about getting to try the antlers since they're usually expensive (compared to raw bones and rawhide) and I've never been able to justify spending the extra cash. I ordered two in the Large size (about 5" long), and as you can see, one of them is nearly gone after only one day! Jon Farleigh went to town!

So obviously, he loved it, but although there was no mess and I didn't notice him being able to break potentially dangerous chunks off, for the money, I'd expect this chew treat to last a good while longer. (BTW - Dewi enjoyed his antler, too, but he's not nearly the chewer that Jon Farleigh is.)

Antlers contain mineral-packed marrow and are great for teeth and gum health.

Confession: Ever since I discovered what a "bully stick" actually is, I've been less than thrilled about purchasing them for my dogs. [gulp] But, since these were "free," I decided to give them a try. Correction: I decided to let the dogs try them - which they haven't yet. They have to finish the antlers first. [gulp]

I opted for two of the 6" odor-free braids.

Since I've never given them to my dogs before, I can't vouch for this, but I have heard that bully sticks smell really bad, especially when all slimy-like.  That's why I went with the odor-free variety, although they still smell slightly funky to me.
If any indication, JF and Dewi could smell them from across my kitchen and came running to investigate.

They look healthy enough.  [double gulp] 

This was in the box, too. Ahem.

Eyes on me, not the antler.

"Give. me. NOW!"

Practicing resource guarding "leave it" skill.

Dewi putting his foot down (literally) to claim his remnant.

"How exactly am I supposed to chew this now?"
(Don't tell Dewi, but I think the remnant might be trash can bound since it could be a choking hazard.)

Hope everyone has a terrific Wednesday (no bull)!

P.S. If the weather cooperates, we're taking the dogs to Bark in the Park night at The Diamond today. Yes, in the stands at a local Minor League baseball game, complete with a Flying Squirrel mascot. I must be crazy. Photos later.

17 comments:

  1. Darn, it's tonight? I wish we had known, probably not much chance we would make it but I wouldn't have scheduled a chiro appointment (which therefore throws the whole night into chaos).

    The boyz love bully sticks at our house too. They disappear in no time! We haven't tried antlers yet - like you, I kind of cringe at the price.

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  2. Glad the boys enjoyed their treats! My boys love Antler Chews, too - but we must have a different brand because ours last FOREVER (and I have two pit bulls).

    Also...good choice on the odor-free bully sticks. Those things can get funky.

    -Sarah
    Richmondpetlovers.com

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  3. My guys love Bully Sticks but after Wilson cracked a molar chewing one (it was not the braided style but one straight stick), I switched to something called a Wishbone by Merrick. Not as long lasting but still a very good chew. Jimmy also likes the antlers but I get Moose antlers instead. They hold his interest longer. I can't believe JF was able to make that much progress in one day!

    If you Google antlers, there are several ma/pa websites out there that sell them at a much better price than the pet store sites.

    BTW - What was the picture/caption that won you the prize?

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  4. We buy our antlers on Ebay. They are called cut-offs (I believe). It is when the animal has a large rack and some of the outcroppings don't make for good artistic arrangement they cut them off or if they are too small for anything. You can buy a big lot (6-9 pieces) for around $40. They last for a long time in our house and we have some hardcore chewers.

    Bully sticks do smell after a while but nothing like dried trachea. Ugh, shudder at the thought of the smell.

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  5. Hi! It's me Buddy, You know, I have a weight problem but these look delicious! I have to pick my treats carefully but they do say low fat! If my personal assistant was a little more witty maybe we could win some! Have fun! at Bark in the Park!

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  6. Hi Y'all,

    You guys get all the good stuff...course I get home made treats 'cause of my food allergies.

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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  7. My dogs get pressed rawhide chewies and beef ears from white dog bone co. The pressed rawhide chewies are pretty inexpensive and last quite a long time if they don't migrate outside. The beef ears are an occasional treat because they go fast. Moira stands on hers and rips it to shreds to eat it.

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  8. I have tried the bully sticks... but they are not my favorite treat!
    Hmmm....
    Glad you are enjoying your antlers!
    Kisses and hugs
    Lorenza

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  9. We have been wanting to try the antler chews, since we are both power chewers!

    Wyatt and Stanzie

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  10. wish we could eat stuffs like that
    Benny& Lily

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  11. Odor free Bully Sticks?? I have never heard of those. Chester loves them but the smell is foul. You just have to not think about what they are made of.....don't even go there :)

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  12. We would love to let Maple have a go with antler chews, that is, if we can ever find them here in Singapore. Never heard of bully sticks, but have wondered what they look like. Thanks for sharing this post!

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  13. Antlers last forever for us too, Roy's favorite was bought in Oct and it's his favorite chew of all, he even grabs it as we're running out the door, to chew on in the car!

    I've not tried bully sticks yet, as I can't justify the price for the part, when I can get raw, meaty bones for such a good price! I don't quite understand why sellers charge so much for a... well, yea ;)

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  14. MMM I love bully sticks! They smell soooooo stinky but I LOOOOVE it!!! I've never tried antlers before though. What do they smell & taste like?

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  15. Well Jon and Dewi look preeeeetty pleased. Are you going to stick with the treats?

    I got Chewie an antler once—they're supposed to last for a while but she chowed down as if the end of the world was a few hrs away. Then… she had pretty bad diarrhea and some vomit spills so that was the end of the Chewie/Antler romance.

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  16. Wow, y'all gave me some great suggestions! The boys seem to have lost interest in the antlers today, but I'm still witholding the bully sticks for several more days. I'll update the blog when I finally cave in.

    I want to respond to several of you individually, but please bear with me, I'm still having a dance recital meltdown. :( I'll be back...

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  17. Best Bully Sticks is great. It's where I usually get my bully sticks at for my two rotties. But they go through bully sticks so fast I've had to find a place where I can buy bulk. Bully Sticks for Dogs is pretty good with this. Free shipping on all orders. Can' really beat that. Of course I go to Best Bully Sticks for smaller orders and other items.

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