# Bully Sticks and Puppy Gas



## Limerick Main (Sep 17, 2010)

Kind of funny, kind of not. We started giving Limerick Bully Sticks to chew on, and he loves them. Unfortunately, the gaseous emmisions he has now are absolutely noxious. I think he has manifested the ability to melt metal with these bottom burps of his. Has anyone else ever had this happen with Bully Sticks? He has his next vet visit Saturday, so I'll ask then as well, but I don't think it's a problem other than the smell.


On the up side, my wife now considers mine to be somewhat plesant in comparison to his.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

We haven't given puppies bully sticks but our puppy has bad gas also. I think puppies just have very sensitive stomachs. I had to stop putting peanut butter in his kong due to too soft poo.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Jaro, 6 months, went through a period where he had tons of gas but that has cut way back in the last month or so. Haven't changed foods or anything.


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## newgolden (Jul 2, 2010)

I stopped giving Sawyer bully sticks because they made him so stinky. I'm not even sure if it was actually "emissions" as much as he just seems to take on the smell of whatever he's been eating. Plus, I find the smell of them among the top worst smells when being chewed on. Too bad because he loves them SO much. Fortunately, I've found that he enjoys raw marrow bones much more and they don't do such a number on his smelliness!


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## hulu (Oct 11, 2010)

I give my puppy plain yogurt, and I think it helps a lot.


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## Yarra girl (Sep 15, 2010)

*You know why they smell?*

Once I found out what bullysticks are made of I had to find a new 
"lasts-longer-than-5-minutes treat" .............. the dogs didn't care but I did! 
No idea why it bothers me, it is utilising body parts and I should be glad more of a butchered animal is used but still ............:yuck:


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I won't feed them, or any other similar items (pigs ears, hooves, etc) after I had two dogs bloat almost immediately after eating them. The ingredients used in processing them (brines, smoked flavor, color, etc) are, I believe, the culprit. And they sit around in warehouses for who knows how long. I've seen them that smell rancid...

All our dogs get Nature's Farmacy Digestive Enhancer, 
http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/store/details.php?prodId=197&category=30
which is a probiotic offering all of the benefits of the "good stuff" in yogurt - pre and probiotics, good bacteria, etc - in a powdered form, shelf stable without refrigeration. In order to get the real benefits of yogurt, you would have to feed a LOT of it - this product delivers it in a powdered form. 1/4 tspn and they are good. They love it, and we don't have gas, bad breath, etc.



Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 by Nature's Farmacy 
There are virtually millions of bacteria and fungi moving across your face as you read this. There are over a trillion in your mouth. These microbes multiply extremely fast, so fast in fact that you swallow trillions daily. All healthy mammal bodies have 10 times more living, feeding microbes than they do of there own body cells.
Professor Gary Hufffnagle, from the University of Michigan’s Health System states ”It’s been estimated that there are 100 trillion microbes in the human body and 10 trillion cells, so we like to say we are a minority in our own body.”
These are our normal microflora. Included in this normal microflora are the good microbes (beneficial bacteria and fungi) as well as other microbes (negative pathogens), which can harm us or harm our animals. The population of good microflora, assist in the control of the negative pathogens that are within us, as well as those attempting to invade. The contribution of these good microflora cannot be overstated. In fact, it is well documented that the good microflora contribute in many ways including but not limited to the manufacture of vitamins needed by the body to prevent cell mutation and even cancer.
Those of us that have been working with these beneficial species for over 30 years are finally getting overdue confirmation from the rest of the scientific and medical world. Recently Huffnagle published a book entitled “The Probiotic Revolution” Hardly a revolution to some of us who have been strenuously educating the masses on the inclusion of beneficial species for so long. Much recognition to the mass of microbes in the animal body as an independent functioning organ has recently been recognized. It thus has been labeled the forgotten organ.
It has been verified that the average Great Dane for example has about 2 ½ pounds of microbes, more mass than that of the heart, kidneys and pancreas combined. This forgotten organ is thus labeled an organ because all those microbes have DNA and make enzymes and other chemical compounds. As an animal eats, it is therefore feeding all those microbes. (100 trillion) Because these microbes live right next to cells, they affect how the cells in the body respond.
Probiotics can include any live microorganism, which delivers a beneficial health effect when ingested. Microbes prefer acidic living conditions. This is why we refer to them as lactic acid utilizing bacteria. It is no wonder then that we find large populations of microbes in the stomach and intestines, an environment of harsh acidic conditions.
Scientists have long known the use of microbial cultures in the manufacturing of dairy products and certain pharmaceuticals. Through research and technological advances, we have learned that specific strains of microbes, when eaten, deliver specific Health benefits.
Recent research has clearly shown animals (including humans) eating specific strains of probiotics:
• Have fewer gastrointestinal (GI) and respiratory illnesses.
• Are less susceptible to and recover faster from infectious diseases.
• Are more resistant to and recover more rapidly from ulcerations.
• Maintain white blood cell counts in time of stress.
• Gain resistance to the viral gastroenteritis commonly referred to as “stomach flu”.
• Experience less severe colds.
• Reduced negative oral bacteria that cause bad breath and initiate tooth decay and gum disease.
Published microbial research in the past 10 years has been exponential. From only 60 plus studies from the 60’s thru the 90’s to over 1000 studies from 2002 to the present.
When choosing probiotic(microbial cultures) supplements it is imperative that you insist on products that not only list the genus but the species as well. For example, the genus Lactobacillus has over 20 species and many of them are simply of now benefit to the animal or human. Some species of Lactobacillus are necessary to make cheese or yogurt but have no measurable value in the mammals digestive system where as Lactobacillus Acidophilus is held in high regard as to it’s importance in the utilization of nutrients. If the product lists, the genus but not the species just walk away.
In addition, they should clearly state and guarantee the number of colony forming units (one CFU is 1 billion microbes) – and the buyer be suspicious If the label just gives weight of bacteria in grams or milligrams. That information is irrelevant; you need to know how many are alive.
To maximize health in all animals we must insist on open labeling of the probioticswe consume. A minimal volume of 5 billion CFU per 20 pounds of bodyweight should be consumed daily by all animals including we humans. Labeling is still very uneven and those probiotics that don’t walk the walk should be avoided. Knowing that research and development have still a long way to go, as scientists are daily learning more about the care and feeding of the “forgotten organ”.
“The largest proportion of the nervous system outside the brain is found in the gut,” Huffnagle says, which gives added meaning to the word “stomach ache.” “There are more transmitters made there than any other place in the body, and we’re realizing that bacteria can respond to these neurotransmitters. The gut may be a central sensor for the whole for the whole immune system.”
Huffangle’s lab found out, for example, that changing the type of microbes that live in the gut actually changes the way that the lungs respond to allergens.
In addition, they discovered that microbes are involved in the all important anti-inflammatory process.
Inflammation has been described by Robert Ebisch as “the immune system’s (often excessive) response to all kinds of biological and chemical triggers”. He adds, “ And can underline problems ranging from allergic reactions to heart disease, from digestive disorders to cancer”.
Scientists have uncovered that when microbe eat and digest different foodstuffs, They produce waste products, and these waste products are anti-inflammatory signals for the immune system to be more tolerant.
Research has further shown a direct correlation between undigested foodstuffs and the formation of carcinogens. Microbes are unsurpassed in their ability to breakdown and utilize these foodstuffs eliminating the formation of carcinogens.
There is also direct correlation between the changing of our eating habits and the diets of our animals and the rise of chronic illness. One reason is our unnecessary and often overuse of antibiotics that kill both beneficial species as well as the negative pathogens. Secondly, the diet of human’s and animals alike has added to chronic illness. We have stepped away from fiber rich and spice enriched diets. (Spices are rich in antioxidants.) Instead, we eat diets that are prepared, preserved and excessively refined foodstuffs. Remember it takes an animal 2 hours to digest raw food and 14 hours to digest many commercially prepared foods. (This is also true for dog and cat food.)
Beginning in the 1980’s, we have witnessed an alarming increase in chronic diseases – asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, as well as autoimmune diseases.
If we repopulate, and nourish these Miracles Within Us, we can improve our health and the health of the animals we care for tremendously.
_Nature’s Farmacy Inc. _
_All rights reserved._

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*Probiotics: The Miracles Within Us*

Monday, July 14th, 2008 by Jeanette Since the early 1980’s, Nature’s Farmacy, Inc. has literally pioneered the search to understand how PROBIOTICS work in canines, felines and carnivores. We have been accompanied on this journey by the greatest customers any business could hope to have. Thru the years, our customers have been willing to give us their trust and help us go down the path to find better and safer ways to feed dogs and cats. They were willing to give us the feedback we needed to determine effective ways to use probiotics in our animals. Our mission began in an effort to find a way to reduce bloat and gastric dilatation volvulus in dogs. Having owned, shown and bred Great Danes for the last 41 years, we have a vested interest in finding safer ways to manage our dogs in regards to gastric problems or emergencies. This was our initial goal. It became obvious from the beginning of our business in working with these products, that probiotics and enzymes had great potential to improve the health in our animals in so many ways. We have worked all these years to bring recognition to the benefits of probiotics to dogs and cats, and even humans. Only in recent years have others begun to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence that has accumulated.
The DogZymes® brand name covers a line of very unique and one-of-a-kind products based on our experience and expertise in using probiotics and enzymes in blending nutritional products. DogZymes® products are produced from organic and human grade ingredients. We not only use the best ingredients we can find world wide, but we can make those ingredients do their job better than other products. We guarantee their performance to your satisfaction. For those of you dealing with an unusual situation who need special product formulas, we can formulate custom blends on an individual basis.
Bloat is only one issue where probiotics and enzymes have important value. Whether your concern is bloat, allergies, chronic itching, poor coats, chronic ear and urinary tract infections, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis, fading puppies, gas and digestion difficulties, poor appetites, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, excessive grass eating, post surgical problems, skeletal problems, acutely or chronically, most all the things we deal with in dogs or cats, we can confidently say that a basic foundation for recovery starts with probiotic and enzyme supplementation. The feedback from our customers has been invaluable to help connect the dots in figuring out how to supplement and alter feeding methods to end problems, not just medicate to manage symptoms. If you feed kibble with probiotics “added”, you are NOT adequately protected with sufficient probiotics, especially with higher risk animals. Grass, dirt, stone and stool eating are all symptoms of a dog that is trying to correct gut abnormalities and needs probiotics and enzymes to do so.
What are “probiotics”? The word PRO-biotics was “coined” to mean FOR LIFE, in contrast to ANTI-biotics, which means AGAINST life. It is indeed a good term; because without the microbes we call probiotics, there would not BE life in people, animals and all breathing things. Without these good bacteria known also as microbes, the body can not digest food, fight bad microbes, yeast, fungi or maintain the pH that allows the body to function in a healthy range.
Seven years ago we joined hands with a company that could understand our ideas and put them in practice to make specialized probiotics for canines and felines. They understood what we needed these products to do and could help produce the formulas we envisioned. A new probiotic product was developed that is the culmination of all our years of work in canine probiotic research. More powerful, more compatible to the canine and feline and more stable in storage, this product has features that are special to protect the GI tract from the danger of bloat or any other health problem related to incorrect diet or abnormal gut function. DOGZYMES DIGESTIVE ENHANCER is the most powerful protection you can buy for your animal, bar none. These products now can better manage bloat, gas, negative pathogens such as Ecoli, Salmonella, fungi, and help strengthen the immune system, allow superior absorption of nutrients, and have a guaranteed 2 year shelf life. We also wanted the people behind the formulas to be available to our customers for consultation and to heed our customers’ needs. We are delighted to say we have accomplished this.
For the sake of time and space, this will not be a “microbiology class”. I will, however list some FACTS. If you have never used or investigated probiotic/enzyme products before, you need to know that the foundation of your dog’s health is nutrition and absorption. Even the immune system is dependant on nutrition. We are finally getting around to admitting this in human health. What you feed yourself or your dog WILL determine the quality of health and life. When the gut works correctly, every other part of the body benefits. You can not trick or cheat the body. If you have to use medications or drugs, and you have bad nutrition, even the medications can’t do their best work. If the good bacteria and working enzymes are not in high supply in the gut, then food cannot be well used or even tolerated: The dog eats, but nothing is broken down or absorbed! The result is time and money spent on feed and supplements that can not be used by the body.
When at a dog show or other stressful event or situation, thousands of you have seen how dramatically dogs improve from “show diarrhea” after using DOGZYMES Canine Paste. You have seen a dog with no appetite be given DOGZYMES Canine Paste and start eating again. There are so many positive ways the dog responds to the addition of correct levels of probiotics and enzymes in the gut. DOGZYMES Probiotic formulas are made to disrupt gas production and bring it under control fast. Please understand there is very limited research to prove or disprove the benefit of using probiotics in controlling bloat cases. In other species there is direct, definitive research to show that probiotics are unquestionably valuable in bloat management. We have tried for years to get funding for dog bloat studies relating to using probiotics, but without success. We keep trying. We can tell you this: There is definitely a relationship between decreased digestive problems (including bloat) when using our probiotics daily in feeding programs.
One of the important facts we have learned about probiotics is that they are beneficial and necessary for every stage of life from birth to old age. Probiotics are certainly necessary during times of COMPROMISED health, but our customers have learned that the best time to use our probiotics is during OPTIMUM health. DOGZYMES fed as a maintenance product is the best way to PREVENT a health crisis. We learned quickly years ago that dogs fed any commercial feeds, even the SUPER premium brands, need probiotic support, especially one with the powerful enzyme activity of DOGZYMES. This insures correct digestion of highly processed grain/carbohydrate/fiber loaded diets and prevents poorly digested ingredients from becoming allergens. If you feed a NATURAL, RAW or home made diet, you might assume that adding a probiotic is unnecessary. This is not the case. Unless the dog is actually eating the intestinal tract of the prey or living in the wild, there is no source of beneficial bacteria or enzymes in any way. Optimum health exists when the body and its systems operate in harmony. The body needs Probiotics to do this. The body can stand great demands for long periods, but not forever; something has to give. If the nutrition that fuels the system is wrong and the ability to break down the fuel is compromised, the body breaks down. Probiotics, enzymes and optimum natural fuel are essential to make all species flourish.
Dogs eating super premium foods or raw diets need probiotics. Raw diets do not provide adequate species or numbers of probiotics and enzymes. A lot of people think that adding a little yogurt will do the job. This is far from the truth, as one teaspoon of our DOGZYMES Digestive Enhancer is equivalent to 70 eight ounce containers of yogurt. So adding yogurt sprays on kibble, adding a little yogurt to your dog’s raw diet or supplementing with Lactobacillus acidophilus alone is not sufficient protection. Lactobacillus is only one of many of the important species of bacteria needed in the gut.
We are committed to better understanding the NATURAL ways to feed our pet carnivores. They are still carnivores, regardless of what anybody tells you. Their brains might be domesticated, but their digestive systems are still able to go out and hunt and survive just like they did thousands of years ago. You cannot make the digestive system of the carnivore bend to fit the processed, grain inclusive diets of today. We MUST MAKE THE DIET FIT THE NEEDS OF THE CARNIVORE. There is simply no other way to reduce health problems. Much is written by many “experts” and many self-proclaimed experts, and many books on the subject are conflicting. We offer a program with a simple, common sense approach to use whole and/or raw food. It is not rocket science! It is approved by our professional PhD Animal Nutritionist. It is easy to do, easy to get the ingredients and often costs less than “holistic” and “premium” grade dog food products. If you want to know more, ask for our User Friendly Home Made Diet. Try it for 30 days and you will see improvement or recovery in that short time frame. Our consultants will work with you, make suggestions, evaluate the results or even suggest alternatives. We are pleased to report our customers see high rates of success. People are relieved to see happy, healthy dogs again. It is definitely worth trying a more natural program with real whole food, top quality probiotics and natural food based supplements from the DOGZYMES line. In human nutritional research there is overwhelming proof that raw fruits and vegetables are now known to antioxidant pills do not work. WHOLE FOOD IS NECESSARY. Just adding vitamins and minerals in processed food is not the answer. Antioxidants are best provided in raw, fresh food, primarily from raw plants. You will see new developments in our products in the future that will bring this concept to your dog and cat. There is new research in dogs that is finally investigating the importance of antioxidants in these animals. It is exciting to see this, but as in the human research, keep in mind that man cannot “make” these antioxidants …. They come only from natural protect us from chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, arterial disease. Raw fruits and vegetables correct our immune systems, allow our DNA to repair, and slow down aging. Simply increasing raw fruit and vegetable intake does all this for people because it dramatically increases antioxidants that protect cells from free radical damage. If you slow down the damage, you slow down disease. No question about it. Just plain vitamin pills or raw food. We’d love to help you keep your animals healthy and living long, comfortable lives.

Authored by Jeanette Pickett exclusively for Nature’s Farmacy Inc. 
All rights reserved.

Posted in Digestion, Enzymes & Probiotics | No Comments »


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