Over the past few weeks we’ve been trying out a number of ‘long-lasting’ natural chews so that we can build up a menu of what The Scamps like, and what really is long lasting. We’ve loved the buffalo skin, cheese bones, and beef tails – and now, we’ve added pizzle sticks to the list.
The pizzle stick is a small but mighty chew. To look at, it’s around six inches long – you’ll get that joke later – and looks as though it will last about six or seven minutes – just realised there’s a joke in there too. But don’t be fooled, their endurance certainly exceeded our expectations. Okay, I’m being immature. A pizzle stick is actually a bull penis.
We bought The Scamps – and Winston, of course – a pizzle stick each from Hounds after Winston’s grooming appointment. Each stick costs £2, but are absolutely worth the money. The pizzles at Hounds are Anco’s premium bull pizzle, which has been air dried and contains no additives. It’s 100% beef, gluten free and completely natural. In terms on nutrition, it’s packed full of protein (87.6%), as well as 2.1% fat and 1.2% ash.
So, what did The Scamps think?
As soon as I walked into the house with the Hounds bag, they knew that it was for them. We had ordered Chinese takeaway for tea, and so I waited until that arrived to give them the pizzle, to keep them good whilst we ate. Phoebe took her pizzle straight to her bed, whilst Frank’s selected safe spot is under the dining table. Honestly, I was expecting the chew to last a similar amount of time as a large chicken foot or a pigs ear. We use the 20 minute chew rule, and whenever the dogs have had a treat for 20 minutes, we remove it and save it for another day – and I definitely didn’t think the pizzle would last longer than 20 minutes with these power chewers. However, because the bull pizzle is muscle, its a really tough but meaty chew, and after 20 minutes of chew time, there was just under half the stick left! It’s great for dental care, and better value for money than most marketed dog dental products.
Frank is usually pretty quick to swap his chew for a biscuit, but when I went to trade with him, he picked up the pizzle and ran off with it – which is a sure fire sign he was enjoying it! Phoebe is always reluctant to give up a chew, and it was a battle as always. If you found yourself grossed out by the fact it’s a bulls penis, just wait until you try to retrieve the soggy willy from your dogs mouth. I dumped them straight into a sandwich bag and popped them in the cupboard for another day.
In summary, the pizzle stick is an affordable, durable chew that will give even bigger breeds like American Bulldogs around 40 minutes of chew time. It’s low odour, long lasting, and The Scamps certainly enjoyed it! Although it may not look like much, size isn’t everything – we’ll definitely be buying these again!
