Yak Bars for Dogs: The Microwave Trick, and Whether Yours Is Actually Yak

The end of a yak bar is the bit people throw away, and it is the best part.

I will come to that. First, something worth knowing before you buy one from anybody.

Is your yak bar actually yak?

Often, no.

Yak chews are a traditional Himalayan hard cheese, and the name has become a category rather than an ingredient. Plenty of what gets sold as a yak chew in the UK is made from cow milk instead, using the same method. One of the brands currently ranking on the first page of Google for this says exactly that in its own description, if you read it properly.

That is not a scandal. Cow milk chews are fine, dogs like them, and they behave much the same. But if you are paying for yak, it is reasonable to know whether you are getting it.

Our Yak Bar is 100% yak milk. It says so in the composition on the product page. If a seller will not tell you, that is itself an answer.

What is a yak bar made of?

Yak milk, hardened and dried.

Traditionally the milk is simmered, curdled, strained, pressed into blocks and dried for weeks until it is rock hard. It is a food that predates dog treats by several centuries, and it was made for people long before anyone thought of giving it to a dog.

That long drying is why it lasts so well, and it is also why most dogs handle it despite it being dairy.

Are they actually good for dogs?

They are one of the better chews we sell, and the numbers are genuinely good.

• High in protein. 59.2%.
• Low in fat. 5.2%, which puts a yak bar inside our low fat range. That is unusual for something this long-lasting, and it is the main reason we keep them for dogs who need to watch their weight but still want a proper chew.
• Long lasting. One of the most durable things we sell, which makes the cost per hour of chewing very good indeed.
• Hypoallergenic. A useful option for dogs who react to the usual meats.
• Good for teeth, through sustained gnawing rather than anything clever.

The catch is not nutrition. It is hardness, and that deserves a proper answer.

Do vets recommend yak chews?

Some do, some do not, and there is a UK vet practice with a published warning about them on the first page of Google for this question. Worth taking seriously rather than talking around.

A yak bar is a hard chew. Hard chews carry a real, if small, risk of a cracked tooth, particularly with a dog who bites down to crush rather than working steadily at something. That applies to antlers, horns, bones and yak bars alike, and anyone who tells you a hard chew carries no risk at all is selling rather than advising.

There is a simple test. Press the surface with your thumbnail. If it gives slightly, it is within sensible limits. If it leaves no mark at all, it is on the hard side, and that matters more for a young or small dog than a grown Labrador.

The way to manage it is to watch how your dog goes at the first one. Steady gnawing is what you want. If they try to snap it in half, take it away and buy something softer. A paddywack or a braided tendon gives a long chew with nothing hard in it.

Do yak chews break down in a dog's stomach?

Yes. It is cheese, not bone or hide, and it digests.

The concern people actually have here is different, and it is worth separating. The risk is not that the material fails to break down, it is that a dog swallows a piece too large to pass comfortably. That is why the end matters so much, and why the next two sections are the practical heart of this.

How long should I let my dog have one?

An hour at a time, then away in the cupboard.

Yak bars soften slightly as they are chewed, then re-harden. Giving them in sessions keeps the novelty, limits the total wear on the teeth, and makes one bar last a great deal longer.

Take it away when it wears down to a stub small enough to swallow. Which brings us to the good bit.

The microwave trick

Do not bin the stub.

1. Put the leftover piece on a microwave-safe plate.
2. Microwave on full power for 30 to 60 seconds, watching it the whole time.
3. It puffs up like a marshmallow, roughly doubling in size.
4. Let it cool for at least five minutes. This part is not optional.

The texture changes completely. It goes from rock hard to light, airy and crunchy, which means the last piece becomes a soft treat that even an older dog with worn teeth can manage. It also removes the swallowable-stub problem entirely, which is the real safety benefit and the reason we tell everyone about it.

On the cooling: a freshly puffed chew comes out well above 80 degrees in the middle, hot enough to burn a dog's mouth in seconds. Five minutes on the side, then check it against your wrist. Every year somebody rushes this.

What age can dogs have yak bars?

Ours are suitable from 12 weeks, with you watching, and there is genuine disagreement on this worth knowing about.

You will see yak chews sold from 8 weeks. You will also find vets who would wait until six months, once the adult teeth are properly through, on the grounds that a hard chew and a developing mouth are not an ideal combination.

How I would handle it: from 12 weeks a yak bar can be a genuinely good teething chew, because the gnawing soothes sore gums and gives the chewing drive somewhere useful to go. But use the thumbnail test above, watch the first session properly, and take it away if they are crunching rather than gnawing.

If your dog is a very young puppy, or a small breed like a Yorkie or a Chihuahua, give them the puffed version instead. Microwave a piece, cool it properly, and you have all the flavour with none of the hardness. That is the form I would put in front of a little dog.

My dog is lactose intolerant. Can they have one?

Usually, yes.

The fermenting and drying removes most of the lactose, which is why yak bars suit a lot of dogs who cannot manage ordinary dairy. Most, not all. Introduce it slowly and stop if it disagrees with them.

If your dog is properly dairy intolerant rather than just sensitive, a buffalo horn lasts just as long with no dairy in it at all.

Who they suit

Steady gnawers, dogs who get through everything else in an evening, dogs who need to watch their weight but still want a proper chew, and anyone who would rather buy one thing that lasts than a bag of things that vanish.

Less suitable for crunchers, and for toy breeds unless you are giving the puffed version.

Not sure whether a yak bar suits yours? Email me and describe how they go at a chew. I answer every message myself.