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- Verified Buyer
I've got 6 dogs in my charge this week, as I dogsit for my cousin and my parents, plus my own two. They're all little: 4 dachshunds, one dachshund/schnauzer and one papillion/Russel. In preparation I stocked up on everyone's favorites, bully sticks and beef tendons, then added these for a verrry special treat.Today is Day 5, and my mini longhaired dachshund, Sophie, who is only just 2, has been showing some strain. She's bottom of the pecking order (despite being the biggest) and complains about it *often* and *loudly*. So I though I'd show her some special treatment; I took her aside to a quiet room and gave her one of these.The beef trachea were sealed together in a clean package, and were "fresh" as in no mold or any other ugliness. No bad odors assailed me, just of course the amount you'd expect given the source. They are large, about 5" to 6" long, 1" to 1.5" diameter, and hollow. Sophie started working on hers from the middle, nibbling with her front teeth, which was precious. She was very happy, and I caved and handed them out to all interested parties, reward for not stealing Sophie's like the bullies normally do. The two mixes politely declined. (?!)It was a blissfully silent home for a good hour, nobody griping at each other, or barking out the window, or tumping garbage pails, or getting into mischief. But they like to be near me, and eventually congregated in my room. Well, the smell was disgusting. Absolutely awful. No candle or inscence could battle it. I couldn't even drench myself in perfume and save my immediate personal space. 4 of the 6 were verrry happy, busy with their chews. But I could not stick around to admire their joyful busy work. I had to banish them to the kitchen.The chew lasted longer than their interest did! Eventually they were worked down to smaller pieces and only Gillie, the most recent stray adopted, showed the initiative to gather everything up and hide it under his blankie for later. But I would say everyone was deliciously entertained for around 3 straight hours. Not a record, though a nice afternoon's work. For larger dogs, over 30 pounds, it would certainly be consumed faster, but still last long enough to be fun. My little guys chewed with gusto, grace, pizzazz, and savoir faire.I would say that these are a fairly mess-free chew. They didn't cause any problems on the rug, no stains or crumbs. They are similar to bully sticks and beef tendons, in that they are gnawed into soft, stringy morsels which are nibbled or pulled off. No sharp jagged bits that could hurt teeth or tummies. They may be too "rich" for some, if not used to whole beef parts. For those who like bully sticks and tendons, though, they'll be a welcome variation of the classic beefy goodness dogs crave. So despite the unpleasant aroma that occurs when they are chewed on, I give them 5 stars - the dogs love them.
