Are Bully Sticks Sanitary? The Honest Facts About Bacteria, the Research, and Safe Handling
Posted by Greg C. on Jun 15, 2026
If you've read that bully sticks can carry bacteria, you may be wondering whether they're actually sanitary — or whether you should be worried about handing one to your dog. It's a fair question, and it deserves an honest, accurate answer rather than either reassurance that hand-waves the issue away or fear-mongering that blows it out of proportion. So here's the straight version: bully sticks, like any natural animal-based treat, can carry bacteria, and a well-known study found contamination in a small sample of sticks. But the real-world risk is low, it's well understood, and it's easily managed with the same simple precautions you'd use around any raw or natural meat product. The contamination question is also a strong argument for caring about how a bully stick is processed and where it comes from — because proper processing and responsible sourcing meaningfully reduce the risk. This guide walks through what the research actually found (with the real numbers, not the scary headlines), how concerned you should genuinely be, why processing and sourcing matter, and the straightforward handling steps that keep both you and your dog safe. The goal is to leave you informed and confident, not alarmed.
The honest answer, upfront: Bully sticks are reasonably sanitary when properly made and handled — but like any natural animal-based treat, they can carry some bacteria, and you should handle them accordingly. The often-cited research (a 2013 Tufts/University of Guelph study) tested 26 bully sticks and found bacterial contamination on some. The honest read of that study is "real, but low and manageable," not "dangerous": the sample was small, not all the bacteria found are known to infect humans, and the researchers' own advice was simply to wash your hands after handling — the same precaution recommended for any raw meat or raw-meat diet. Two things meaningfully reduce the risk: proper processing (bully sticks that are baked/cooked rather than purely raw-dried) and responsible sourcing (reputable suppliers with good manufacturing standards). The simple safety steps: wash your hands after handling, store them properly, supervise your dog, and have high-risk people (very young, elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised) avoid direct contact, as with any natural animal treat. Handled sensibly, bully sticks are a safe treat for the vast majority of households.
What the Research Actually Found
The concern about bacteria on bully sticks traces largely to one frequently-cited study, so let's look at what it actually said — with the real numbers, because the headlines tend to be scarier than the findings. In 2013, researchers at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Guelph published a study (Freeman, Janecko, and Weese, in the Canadian Veterinary Journal) that analyzed 26 bully sticks purchased from U.S. and Canadian retailers, made by different manufacturers. All 26 were tested for bacterial contamination.
Here is what they found across those 26 sticks:
- One stick (4%) was contaminated with Clostridium difficile (C. diff).
- One stick (4%) was contaminated with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), an antibiotic-resistant staph.
- Seven sticks (27%) were contaminated with E. coli, including one tetracycline-resistant sample.
Those numbers are worth understanding in context rather than in panic. The researchers themselves were careful to note the limitations: the sample size was small (26 sticks), and they explicitly stated that this doesn't prove all bully sticks are contaminated and that a larger study would be needed to assess how widespread contamination really is. They also noted that not all of the bacterial strains found have been shown to infect humans. So the honest read is that the study flagged a real possibility of contamination — bully sticks are a natural animal product, after all — but it did not establish that bully sticks are dangerous or that contamination is the norm. It's a "be aware and handle sensibly" finding, not a "don't use these" finding. And tellingly, the researchers' recommendation wasn't to avoid bully sticks — it was simply to wash your hands after handling them, the same as you would with any raw meat.
How Concerned Should You Actually Be?
Given those findings, here's an honest calibration of the risk. The key context is that bully sticks are a natural, animal-based product, and like any such product — raw meat, raw-meat diets, other natural chews — they can carry bacteria. That's not unique to bully sticks; it's true of the raw chicken in your fridge, which you handle safely every day through basic hygiene. The bacteria findings put bully sticks in the same general category as other natural animal products: a real but manageable consideration, handled through normal precautions, not a reason for alarm.
A few points that put the risk in perspective: the contamination rates in the study, while not zero, were modest for most of the bacteria tested (4% for C. diff and MRSA), and the researchers emphasized the small sample size and the need for caution when interpreting the results. Most dogs eat bully sticks routinely without illness, and serious bacterial illness in either dogs or their owners traceable to bully sticks is not a widely documented problem. The practical risk to people is mainly about handling (touching a contaminated stick and then touching your face or food without washing), which is exactly why handwashing is the core recommendation. For dogs, a healthy dog's digestive system routinely handles a normal bacterial load from natural treats. So the realistic level of concern is "sensible precautions, not worry" — treat a bully stick with the same basic hygiene you'd apply to any natural meat product, and the risk becomes very low. The people who should be more cautious are those in high-risk groups (more on that below), which the researchers specifically called out.
Why Processing and Sourcing Matter
Here's where the contamination question becomes genuinely useful rather than just worrying: it's a strong reason to care about how a bully stick is made and where it comes from, because both meaningfully affect the risk of bacterial contamination.
Processing. How a bully stick is processed affects its bacterial load. Bully sticks that are cooked or baked during manufacturing (rather than purely raw, air-dried) are subjected to heat, which reduces bacteria. A stick that has been properly baked at sufficient temperature has had its bacterial load reduced compared to a purely raw-dried product. This is one practical reason the processing method matters — and it's worth noting that the odor-reduced, baked bully sticks many people prefer for the smell benefit also tend to involve cooking that reduces bacteria. So choosing properly cooked/baked sticks is one lever you have to lower the risk. (The study's sticks were described as uncooked/dried, which is relevant — cooked products would be expected to carry less.)
Sourcing. Where a bully stick comes from, and the manufacturer's standards matter enormously. Reputable suppliers with good manufacturing practices, quality control, and proper handling throughout production deliver a more consistently safe product than unknown, bargain-bin sources with opaque supply chains. When you buy from a supplier that's transparent about sourcing and processing and that maintains real quality standards, you're getting a product far less likely to carry concerning contamination than a no-name product of unknown origin. This is exactly why sourcing transparency isn't just marketing — it's a real factor in the safety of a natural animal product. The contamination study, by sampling randomly selected retail products of varied origins, captured the variability that exists across the market; choosing a trusted, transparent source puts you on the better end of that range.
So rather than making bully sticks scary, the question of bacteria actually makes the case for being a discerning buyer: choose properly processed (cooked/baked) sticks from a reputable, transparent source, and you've meaningfully addressed the main variable the research identified.
Simple Safe-Handling Steps
Whatever you buy, basic hygiene reduces the already-low risk to a negligible level. These are the same sensible steps you'd use with any natural animal product:
Wash your hands after handling. This is the single most important step and the researchers' own primary recommendation. Wash your hands with soap after touching a bully stick, just as you would after handling raw meat. This breaks the main route by which any bacteria could reach you.
Store them properly. Keep bully sticks in a cool, dry, sealed container (or frozen for long-term storage). Proper storage prevents bacterial growth and keeps the product fresh. Don't leave them sitting out in warm, humid conditions.
Supervise your dog and manage the chewing area. Give bully sticks in a cleanable spot, and wipe down surfaces where a wet, chewed stick has been. Wash any holder or mat regularly.
Have high-risk people avoid direct contact. The researchers specifically advised that very young children, the elderly, pregnant individuals, and immunocompromised people avoid all contact with raw animal-based treats (and raw-meat diets), since their immune systems are more vulnerable. In households with high-risk members, let lower-risk adults handle the treats, keep the chewing away from high-risk individuals, and be diligent about hygiene. This is the one group for whom extra caution is genuinely warranted.
Use common sense on condition. Don't use a bully stick that smells off (beyond the normal bully stick odor), shows mold, or has been left out in bad conditions. When in doubt, throw it out.
Follow these simple steps, and the bacterial risk from bully sticks drops to a level no different from that of safely handling other natural animal products in your home — which is to say, very low.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bully sticks are reasonably sanitary when properly made and handled, but it's honest to acknowledge that, like any natural animal-based treat, they can carry some bacteria. A well-known 2013 Tufts/University of Guelph study tested 26 bully sticks and found bacterial contamination on some of them — one each with C. difficile and MRSA (4% each), and seven (27%) with E. coli. However, the honest interpretation of that study is "real but low and manageable," not "dangerous": the researchers themselves noted the sample was small, that it doesn't prove all bully sticks are contaminated, and that not all the bacteria found are known to infect humans. Tellingly, their recommendation wasn't to avoid bully sticks — it was simply to wash your hands after handling them, exactly as you would with any raw meat. So bully sticks fall into the same category as other natural animal products: a real but manageable consideration that can be addressed through normal hygiene, not a reason for alarm. Two things make them more sanitary: proper processing (cooked or baked sticks have a lower bacterial load than purely raw-dried ones) and responsible sourcing (reputable, transparent suppliers with strong manufacturing standards deliver more consistently safe products). Combined with simple handling steps — washing hands, proper storage, supervision, and having high-risk people avoid contact — bully sticks are a safe treat for the vast majority of households.
The risk of getting sick from handling a bully stick is low and can be easily minimized with basic hygiene. Because bully sticks are a natural animal product, they can carry bacteria, and the main route by which that could affect a person is handling — touching a contaminated stick and then touching your face or food without washing your hands. This is exactly why the primary safety recommendation, including from the researchers who studied bully stick contamination, is simply to wash your hands with soap after handling them, just as you would after handling raw meat. Do that, and you break the main transmission route, reducing the already-low risk to negligible. For most healthy adults, normal hygiene is entirely sufficient — handle the stick, wash your hands, and there's very little to worry about. The people who should take extra care are those in high-risk groups: very young children, elderly individuals, pregnant people, and those who are immunocompromised. The researchers specifically advised that high-risk individuals avoid all direct contact with raw animal-based treats, because their immune systems are more vulnerable to any bacteria present. In households with high-risk members, the sensible approach is to have a lower-risk adult handle the treats, keep the chewing area away from high-risk individuals, and be especially diligent about handwashing and surface cleaning. For everyone else, the risk from handling is minimal as long as you wash your hands afterward — the same common-sense practice you already use with raw meat in your kitchen.
Yes, proper cooking or baking during manufacturing reduces the bacterial load on a bully stick, making it more sanitary than a purely raw, air-dried product. Heat reduces bacteria, so a bully stick that has been cooked or baked at a sufficient temperature during processing has a lower bacterial load than one that was only raw-dried. This is one of the practical reasons the processing method matters when choosing bully sticks. It's also a nice bonus that the odor-reduced, or "low odor," baked bully sticks many people prefer for the smell benefit tend to use cooking methods that also reduce bacteria — so choosing a properly baked stick can give you both less odor and a reduced bacterial load. This connects to the contamination research: the sticks in the well-known 2013 study were described as uncooked and dried, which is relevant because cooked or baked products would be expected to carry less bacteria than raw-dried ones. So if the bacterial question concerns you, choosing properly cooked/baked bully sticks is a sensible lever to pull. That said, even with cooked sticks, basic hand hygiene (washing your hands afterward) is still the right practice, since any natural animal product can pick up bacteria, and handwashing is the simplest, most effective precaution. The combination of choosing properly processed sticks from a reputable source and practicing normal hygiene gives you a product that's safe for the vast majority of households.
Yes, bully sticks are safe for the vast majority of dogs to eat, and the bacteria concern, while real, shouldn't be overstated for dogs. A healthy dog's digestive system is well-adapted to handle the normal bacterial load found on natural animal-based treats — dogs routinely eat such things without issue, and serious bacterial illness in dogs traceable to bully sticks is not a widely documented problem. Most dogs eat bully sticks regularly with no problem at all. The bacterial findings in the research are actually more relevant to human handling (washing your hands) than to the dog eating the treat, because the main concern is bacteria reaching people via handling rather than making the dog sick. That said, sensible practices still apply: choose properly processed (cooked/baked) sticks from a reputable, transparent source to start with a more consistently safe product; store sticks properly to prevent bacterial growth; supervise your dog while chewing; and don't give a stick that's moldy, smells off beyond the normal odor, or has been left out in poor conditions. For dogs with compromised immune systems or specific health issues, it's worth checking with your veterinarian, as they may be more vulnerable. But for a normal, healthy dog, a properly sourced and handled bully stick is a safe treat, and the bacteria concern is managed mainly through good sourcing, proper storage, and the human hygiene step of washing your hands. The takeaway is that the contamination research is a reason to be a discerning buyer and to handle sticks hygienically, not a reason to stop giving your dog bully sticks.
