A bag of bully sticks can cost more than a bag of dog food, which surprises a lot of first-time buyers. The price isn't arbitrary: it comes from where bully sticks come from and how they are made. Here is what you are paying for, and how to tell a good deal from a bad one.
Why bully sticks cost more
- One per animal. A bully stick is a beef pizzle, and each bull or steer has exactly one. Unlike chews made from hide or mixed ingredients, supply can't be stretched, and global demand for natural chews keeps rising.
- The stick shrinks as it dries. A fresh pizzle is mostly water. Slow roasting and extended air-drying remove that moisture (which is what makes a stick hard, long-lasting and low-odour), so you need a lot of raw material for each finished gram.
- Drying takes time. Faster, hotter drying is cheaper, but it leaves more moisture inside, and moisture is what causes the classic bully stick smell. Low-odour sticks cost more to make.
- Hand work. Each stick is cleaned, stretched and cut by hand, and braided sticks are woven from three strands by hand.
- Safety and import. Sticks sold in Canada need an import permit from the CFIA, and good brands pay for independent lab testing. PUPHE batches are covered by Salmonella and E. coli tests: see sourcing and safety. Shipping heavy boxes across the country adds more.
Price per stick and per 100 g
The fairest way to compare bully sticks is by weight, because thickness varies so much. Here is what PUPHE's largest pack in each style works out to (prices in CAD, October 2026):
| Style (largest pack) | Pack price | Per stick | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-inch thin, 20 sticks (360 g) | $49.95 | $2.50 | $13.88 |
| 6-inch standard, 20 sticks (440 g) | $58.95 | $2.95 | $13.40 |
| 6-inch thick, 20 sticks (560 g) | $68.95 | $3.45 | $12.31 |
| 6-inch jumbo, 20 sticks (760 g) | $78.95 | $3.95 | $10.39 |
| 6-inch braided, 10 sticks (500 g) | $58.95 | $5.90 | $11.79 |
| 12-inch standard, 10 sticks (430 g) | $64.90 | $6.49 | $15.09 |
| 12-inch thick, 10 sticks (540 g) | $75.90 | $7.59 | $14.06 |
| 12-inch jumbo, 10 sticks (620 g) | $84.90 | $8.49 | $13.69 |
| 12-inch braided, 10 sticks (1,000 g) | $102.90 | $10.29 | $10.29 |
Two things stand out. Thicker and braided sticks often cost less per gram than thin ones, and they last much longer. And the bigger pack is always cheaper per stick than the smaller one. Shipping is free in Canada on orders over $65.
How to compare value
- Price per 100 g, not per bag or per stick. A cheap stick is often a thin, light one.
- Chewing time per dollar. A thick stick that lasts an hour can be better value than three thin sticks that last ten minutes each.
- Country of origin and testing. A stated origin, an import permit and lab tests cost money, and they are worth paying for. See Bully sticks in Canada: what to know before buying.
- Ingredients. One ingredient, nothing added. Glazes and flavourings can hide a poor-quality stick.
- Smell. A strong smell in the bag usually means the stick wasn't dried long enough.
Ways to spend less
- Buy the larger pack of the style your dog likes.
- Choose the right thickness. A stick that's too thin for your dog disappears fast and costs more per hour of chewing.
- Use a bully stick holder, so your dog can safely chew more of each stick.
- Split sessions: rinse, dry and save a half-chewed stick for tomorrow.
- Snap thin sticks into small pieces to use as training rewards.
Are cheap bully sticks worth it?
Sometimes, but be careful. Very cheap sticks are often thin, strongly scented (under-dried), of unstated origin, or sold without a guaranteed analysis. For a chew that goes in your dog's mouth for an hour, knowing where it came from and that it was tested is worth a little more. Our guide to spotting a high-quality bully stick has a checklist.
