Swallowing bully sticks

Hey guys, just looking for some thoughts on this. I like to give my dogs bully sticks because I feel they are safe, long-lasting chews. But recently, I've discovered that Elvis is chewing them down to about 4"-5", and then swallowing them. Is this anything to be concerned about? I've stopped giving one every day (partly to be safe and partly to make them last a bit longer). Behavior, eating and poops have all been normal. One way or the other, I'm going to cut waaay back on giving them. Bummer!! I have NOTHING else to give my dog to chew on....he wrecks and eats it all. Any other ideas would be great.

Thanks!
Bonny, Elvis, and Junebug

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Permalink Reply by Aj on January 30, 2009 at 12:38am

I think the only thing to be concerned about is the possibility of choking...and possibly indigestion. If you want something that lasts, try antler chews. Those last for a really long time (more than 2 months).

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Permalink Reply by Bonny on January 30, 2009 at 10:37am

I've never heard of antler chews...do you buy them somewhere or use ones you've harvested? I know my parents have a few laying around.... :) Thanks for the idea!

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Permalink Reply by Aj on January 30, 2009 at 5:58pm

I bought one from petexpertise.com in beginning of December 08. (he's still chewing on it) You might also find them in specialty pet stores.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie & Lola on January 30, 2009 at 3:36am

Hmmm... sounds strange! Lola eats hers down to about an inch and then chews it in her mouth, drooling all over the place haha. Sometimes when it gets really small I hold it for her to chew on :)

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Permalink Reply by Krista Meyer on January 30, 2009 at 9:23am

If his digestion and "potty" are normal and he isn't acting like he is feeling sick I wouldn't worry too much. When Domino was a puppy she swallowed everything from pieces of her chew toys to earplugs. As long as it comes out I wouldn't worry too much. But we've kept the earplugs on higher surfaces now, lol.

I gave Domino Beggin' Chews but only when she's pinned on the hardwood floors because they're a bit messy after slobbered on. Those and the Jumbone treats are nice because they're big enough that he won't be able to swallow chunks but they are chewy enough that you won't have to worry about him hurting his teeth.

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on January 30, 2009 at 2:32pm

I've heard of earplugs causing intestinal obstruction in a cat. It was actually spotted on an X-ray, which made it into a textbook!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on January 30, 2009 at 9:24am

Yes, all kinds of chews should be supervised :) Have you tried ice cube? how about frozen peanut butter?

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Permalink Reply by Bonny on January 30, 2009 at 11:19am

lol, the funny thing is that they chew these when I'm home, and we're all hanging out in the living room. I was wondering HOW he got through them so fast, until I saw him swallow that stick in about 1 sec. gulp! There it went! I have tried ice cubes, but this dog is more of an eater than a chewer, if you know what I mean. If it'll fit down the gullet, down it will go. If he's chewing on something I don't want him to have, it's the rare case that I can pull it out before he swallows it!

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on January 30, 2009 at 2:40pm

We've always had beef bones cut to about 2-3" lengths, small enough to chew, too big to swallow. I think they're raw or perhaps briefly boiled (not enough to make them brittle). They chew on those forever.

FYI choking hazard:
We lost our first corgi, a small Pem. We used to feed her whole raw chicken necks, which she would inhale, gulp down, no problem.
One day, she was fed a turkey neck, choked to death. This is really painful to remember.
She was able to ingest and digest whole raw chicken necks fine, but we were ignorantly pushing our luck and paid dearly.

Intestinal obstruction is something to think about.