# Yak chews and milk bars



## Bailey_Whiskey (Jan 18, 2021)

I’ve read about the yak chews being bad because of cracking teeth. But I found Milk Bars made locally which I was told by the manufacturer to be a little softer than the yak chews. They still sound hard but they soften with saliva to a point where I can scratch bits off with my nails. 
Long story short, Whiskey cracks those milk bars after 5 minutes of chewing. And I am trying to recall my science lessons on whether his ability to crack them means those bars can crack his teeth too.

Sure I could get him bully sticks. But he goes through the braided ones sooo fast, 20 minutes tops. The double time smart bones are gone in 2 minutes (to be fair my Shih tzu only takes 10 minutes)! I need a chew that can keep him settled as part of his bed time routine or as a distractor during those darned 1 hour zoom meetings. He’s supervised during the chew sessions, so small chunks are removed and given to the tzu.
I’ve been contemplating raw chews but my mum is paranoid about germs and I’m not going to add to that paranoia with her working from home too.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

I would buy a yak chew if I were you. This is Basil's... She just kinda scratches away at it with her teeth. Both ends look like that. It's not high on her list of favorites, maybe towards the middle-bottom. But, it's good to have in the arsenal for variety. Expensive, and lasts a long time.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I buy these and have had no issues with broken teeth from them. Renn just knaws on them and when they get small I give it to the shih tzu or I microwave them into puffs. I have bought them here for the past two years https://www.amazon.com/MONSTER-Hima...d=1624111133&sprefix=yak+jumbo,aps,173&sr=8-7


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

If you think the yak chews are too hard you can put them in the microwave and puff them. They are still hard for chewing, but not enough to break teeth. Just put them in on high and watch them until they puff. You can then turn them over and puff them again if you want.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

At the recommendation of my breeder, I use beef marrow bones. I buy them at the supermarket in the butcher section. They always have some frozen, $2.99/lb. She said to feed them raw, so I do. He loves them, and they last as long as YOU want them to. He'll keep chewing them if another juicier option isn't available. I buy them cut to 1-2" in length. One thing to pay attention to is the marrow hole size. You want to make sure that the hole is smaller than his lower jaw or they can manage to get their canines thru and get it stuck on their jaw. Compared to any purchased durable chew, it's very affordable.
Like the picture here. Beef Marrow Bones


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

I have had bad luck with marrow bones, they are definitely hard enough to break teeth. If I want to give beef bones, I give knuckle bones or knee caps or ribs. Marrow bones are weight bearing bones and too hard.


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## Bailey_Whiskey (Jan 18, 2021)

Just made my order for the yak chews. We also just received the raw beef patellas, and beef tendons I ordered last week. They seem a bit small in that I’m sure he can fit the whole thing in his mouth, so I guess we’re gonna have to try that when I have a free afternoon.

I had no idea that poodles could be such powerful chewers. We even tried the power chewer nylabones which he managed to chew nubbins off. And I was told by the store that no dog could do it. I can only thank god he doesn’t chew kongs.

Unrelated to the original question, but is it normal for an 8 month old spoo to have yellowing (plaque) on his teeth? I brush them every night with enzymatic toothpaste and those 3-headed toothbrushes.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Bailey_Whiskey said:


> Just made my order for the yak chews. We also just received the raw beef patellas, and beef tendons I ordered last week. They seem a bit small in that I’m sure he can fit the whole thing in his mouth, so I guess we’re gonna have to try that when I have a free afternoon.
> 
> I had no idea that poodles could be such powerful chewers. We even tried the power chewer nylabones which he managed to chew nubbins off. And I was told by the store that no dog could do it. I can only thank god he doesn’t chew kongs.
> 
> Unrelated to the original question, but is it normal for an 8 month old spoo to have yellowing (plaque) on his teeth? I brush them every night with enzymatic toothpaste and those 3-headed toothbrushes.


Oh beef patellas are good and tendons are good too. Beef patellas are relatively inexpensive too. There's a small mess factor as animal body parts roll around the ground, but it's part of poodle life that we all signed up for.

I wonder if your getting good pressure on the tooth. We use a dog tooth brush that just has bigger bristles & enzyme paste. It might be worth being more intentional with your technique. Try applying more pressure, or making little circles on Baileys teeth. Maybe the bristles aren't making enough contact on the teeth.


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I get in there maybe 2/7 days a week. 4/7 if I'm in a daily rythme.


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## Meisha (Sep 21, 2020)

I’m scared to open Basil’s second link!


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Meisha said:


> I’m scared to open Basil’s second link!


LOL stupid software. It's a photo of teeth 🦷


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## Bailey_Whiskey (Jan 18, 2021)

We tried both raw duck feet and yak chews 
I decided to give the duck feet with close monitoring and I’m am proud that he didn’t gulp it down like the rest of the food. In fact he spat it out a few times, looking confused at the size of the foot 😂

He’s been gnawing on the yak chews for the past 30 minutes and it already looks like Basil’s. By the way, this is how he chews on all his chewies. With this hands free position, I don’t even know how he manages to finish them so fast..


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Bailey_Whiskey said:


> We tried both raw duck feet and yak chews
> I decided to give the duck feet with close monitoring and I’m am proud that he didn’t gulp it down like the rest of the food. In fact he spat it out a few times, looking confused at the size of the foot 😂
> 
> He’s been gnawing on the yak chews for the past 30 minutes and it already looks like Basil’s. By the way, this is how he chews on all his chewies. With this hands free position, I don’t even know how he manages to finish them so fast..
> View attachment 478248


Can you have 1 hand free during your video chats?

I'm not sure if you've already tried holding onto one end of the bully stick or chew to anchor for them. They can get better saw action with their teeth and be more engaged since it's easier to shred. You just grab it and hold it for them.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Yak cheese fits great in the end of a Kong. Acts like a nice little holder. Bonus: When it gets too short, it disappears inside the Kong and the human gets to come to the rescue.


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## babyscout (Feb 28, 2021)

I bought these for one of my dogs who was a more aggressive chewer and she does have dental fractures ( I had no idea they were fractured because her teeth seem grossly intact to me visually, but there are many different kinds of smaller fractures that can happen). The vet dentist told me since she’s so aggressive with chewing, there isn’t time for her saliva to soak in and soften what she’s chewing—so she has a higher risk of her teeth being injured compared to the risk others dogs have chewing the same item.

I’ve stopped giving them to her, though I do wonder how many things ( health related) that we find because we look for them.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

babyscout said:


> I bought these for one of my dogs who was a more aggressive chewer and she does have dental fractures ( I had no idea they were fractured because her teeth seem grossly intact to me visually, but there are many different kinds of smaller fractures that can happen). The vet dentist told me since she’s so aggressive with chewing, there isn’t time for her saliva to soak in and soften what she’s chewing—so she has a higher risk of her teeth being injured compared to the risk others dogs have chewing the same item.
> 
> I’ve stopped giving them to her, though I do wonder how many things ( health related) that we find because we look for them.


Peggy also has an invisible-to-us fracture. Our vet said not to worry about the yak cheese, that it’s very unlikely that’s what caused it.

Who knows, though.

Biting technique probably plays a big role. I think some dogs are better about scraping their teeth on chews rather than biting straight down.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Yak cheese fits great in the end of a Kong. Acts like a nice little holder. Bonus: When it gets too short, it disappears inside the Kong and the human gets to come to the rescue.


What a clever idea, I hadn't thought about using a king, certainly a little peace of mind when they get small.


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## Bailey_Whiskey (Jan 18, 2021)

When I’m not on calls, I do hold one end of his chewies. I feel it helps build our relationship and creates an opportunity when a human is a good thing while holding his treat (resource guarding of high value treats is his new teenage challenge) But because he’s such a strong chewer, I don’t do it when I can’t have both eyes on him at all times. His hands free method slows him down and ensures he’s gnawing and not crunching.

I’m also afraid of dental fractures from the yak chews. I have given them to my Tzus when it first came out as a dog treat years back. But they weren’t crunchers, more like slowly scraping away.


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