ohmidog!

A Baltimore dog food company is coming to the defense of bully sticks — at least those it produces.

The treats, made from bull and steer penises, were maligned in a recent study that reported not everybody who buys them for their dog realizes what they are, that they are high in calories, and that — at least among the 26 bully sticks researchers purchased – about one of every three were contaminated with bacteria.

Boesl Packing, a Baltimore company that makes raw diet dog food and a variety of dog treats — all USDA approved — is recirculating this video, which it produced in 2009, about the making of its K-9 Kraving bully sticks.

Just as the video clearly discloses what bully sticks are, we need to offer some full disclosure of our own here. My former girlfriend (and Ace’s godmother) works at K-9 Kraving, which is how — though I wasn’t aware of it — Ace ended up in the video (around the 30-second mark), gnawing on a bull penis.

Despite all that, I have the ability to remain objective. But what fun would that be?

My opinion is that the study, limited as it was, goes too far in stating the potential safety concerns. The sample size was far too small to issue what  — at least once the media got hold of it — amounted to something close to a blanket indictment.

As for the number of calories bully sticks contain — about 88 per six-inch stick — that doesn’t seem too out of line.

As for bacterial concerns, it’s hard to grasp how serious or widespread they may be, given only 26 sticks were tested, and the makers and vendors are not identified in the study. There was a recall in September of bully sticks made by Kasel Associated Industries, based in Denver, due to salmonella concerns.

But what one manufacturer produces sloppily, another may produce with quality. Look at chicken jerky treats, for example.

K-9 Kraving says its bully sticks are “dried at 165 degrees  for 3-4 days (depending on girth) …In other words, cooked.” They come only from U.S. farms and are cleaned, odor-free and have the seminal tube removed.

Too much information? There’s no such thing when it comes to what we feed our dogs.

K-9 Kraving points out where bully sticks originated — that is, the country of origin of the bulls and steers to which they were once attached — can be a factor, as can cleanliness, production practices and quality controls.

The company says it was the first dog food company to achieve USDA Certification, meaning its production practices are held to a human grade standard — even in the case of bully sticks, which it began marketing in 2009.

The USDA certification means the treats are suitable for human consumption, and some humans do consume them — though usually not to their knowledge. Outside of the dog treat industry, Chinese restaurants are the biggest purchasers of bull pizzles, for use in preparing soups.

The study was performed by researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the University of Guelph. Their findings were published in last monthy’s Canadian Veterinary Journal.

Tests on 26 bully sticks purchased from various unidentified vendors found that nine were contaminated with bacteria. One was contaminated with Clostridium difficile; one with Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics; and seven were contaminated with Escherichia coli.

The researchers advised pet owners to wash their hands after touching such treats, as they would with any raw meat diets.