I am always on the market for good alternatives to rawhide, as you know, I believe rawhide is far too dangerous to feed. I just tried a new chew treat, and I'm pretty happy with the results. Recently, I bought two different brands of himalayan or churpi dog chews. One, was made by the Himalayan Dog Chew company, and the other was made by Churpi Chews and produced by QT Dog Chews. Both brands contain four simple ingredients: yak milk, cow milk, salt, and lime juice. The treats are all natural, and contain no additives or chemicals, which is nice to find in a dog product. Both brands have the exact same guaranteed analysis, same color, same shape, and same scent.
I decided to give this new chew a try after reading about it in a few articles, and it did not disappoint. These treats come from an ancient recipe that the people of the Nepal Himalayas have been making for generations. These chews are actually made for humans from an ancient recipe that locals can use as a snack that they slowly work in their mouths throughout the day while working in the fields. Of course, knowing the origin of the treat, I had to give it a try myself before I gave it to Milly. And, it didn't taste bad, but I don't think I'll be knawing on one myself again. It has a slight parmesean cheese flavor, and a smokey aroma, that smells nice to me, and tastes like Heaven for Milly.
Milly has tried both brands, and she hasn't even made a dent in them after hours of chewing. This is an incredibly long lasting treat, but I do recommend making sure to get a size appropriate for your dog. I went with the Jumbo size, and it is just right. In order to eat the treat, dogs must slowly work the end of the treat for hours, softening it with their mouths before small parts of it can slowly be scraped off and dissolved. This treat is actually a type of Himalayan cheese, that is long lasting and naturally preserved with lime juice and salt.
Milly seems to really love this treat. The process of which the treat is made, and the use of yak milk, makes it easily digestible for dogs. This said, this treat is extremely high in protein, and if you feed it, especially to an older dog, I would recommend limiting the amount of time your dog can chew on it, and then cutting your dog's next meal back in size to prevent diarrhea. I've found Milly can safely enjoy this chew for about an hour and a half, and then I cut her next meal back by 30% without any diarrhea. However, I am not a veterinarian, and this is simply what works for me and my particular dog.
These chew treats are not all cheap, but in the case of Milly, they last a long time. I paid about $15 for each treat, which to me is quite a bit of money. That said, you probably get 10 times the chew time out of these than you would a bully stick. I purchased one of mine from Best Bully Sticks, and the other from Wylie Wagg in Arlington, VA.
All in all, I give this product 4-stars and 4-paws. This might be Milly's new flavorite treat! Just make sure to supervise your dog with this, like you would any chew, and remember, it is very high in protein and can be overdone, especially with older dogs.
My Mom feeds those to her dogs and they love them. Just a warning though, my black lab devoured one in a day and got pretty sick.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check those out. My two pit bulls can go through a rawhide in 5 minutes. We've given them deer and elk antlers before and they last forever.
ReplyDeleteHi Miss Muddy Paws! Thanks for promoting this great treat. I agree that it is great alternative to many of the not so healthy treats that are very popular. This is one of many great "safer" alternatives. One tip that I have learned if your dog is a gulper. When the dog nears the end of the Himalayan and the piece has dwindled down to a size he/she may gulp, put it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. It will transform the treat to a larger chunk that is more easily chewed and the dog will likely crunch it up and swallow it safely!
ReplyDeleteYou may want to check out the deer antlers too. We have found them to be awesome for most dogs and if durability is important there is not a better option. No stink, no mess, no splinter, all natural. Only caution is if your dog does not have strong healthy teeth be careful. Healthy teeth will stay clean and healthy with this awesome chew.
If you have questions let me know.
George Richter
dogdogcat.com
Both of my small dogs broke a tooth on the Himalayan dog chews in the same week. First time with my Maltese Pomeranian I wasn't sure if it definitely happened with this treat. Second time we actually saw and heard it break our Pekingese's tooth. It was awful. They both had to go to the vet for extractions $500. Very dangerous for small dogs! Just too hard
DeleteToo bad that a recipe cannot be found to make your own. Yes Yak's milk would be hard to come by but wonder if you could substitute with another animals milk. Would like to try but alas have not found a recipe only instructions. For someone who prefers to make her own dogs treats so I know they are safe and where they came from it would be nice to have. I am sure that it is not something too many people would attempt! :-)
ReplyDeleteHere is how, the chews are made using the ancient recipe and techniques, that is still prevalent in the Himalayas.
DeleteSounds like a lot of work...
Each Farmer has 2-5 cows and yaks that they milk everyday, using traditional method, without any modern devices. The cattles are fed all natural leaves from the forest and graze on natural pastures where present. They collect roughly 6 gallons to make 2 pounds of Himalayan Dog Chew. On average, each farmer makes about 20 pounds per month.
The milk is boiled for 4-5 hours. The hot milk is poured into a hand-cranked centrifuge device, some using more traditional methods, to remove all the fat. The fat is boiled to make local butter called “Ghee”, and are sold as a separate commodity. The fat-free milk obtained is used to make the Himalayan Dog Chew.
Once the milk has cooled down, it is treated with 10 ml of lime juice and 10 mg salt for about 100 gallons of milk. The sour of the mild acid coagulates the milk and the salt speeds up the process. The solids are then separated using a burlap sac, which is washed several times using warm water to remove the whey, and any hints of salt and lime juice.
The solids in the burlap sac is then subjected to squeezing for about 3 weeks, when the cake obtained contains at most 5% moisture. They use bricks as weights and shaper, with sac of moist chew in the middle.
The cake is then cut to size and prepared for cooking under the sun and smoke for 2-3 months. They are strung through ropes and hung for drying/cooking.
These chews are collected from the farmers and brought into our warehouse, which are sorted for quality. The best 10-15% are retained for Himalayan Dog Chew, and the remaining 85-90% are either sold in local market (in Nepal) for human consumption and other purposes.
The chews are further cleaned using buffing machines and lime juice, and cut to size, then packaged and shipped to dealers from our facility in Washington State.
http://www.himalayandogchew.com/
my Rottweiler a hard chewer and tough pup has been sick for a week since chewing this. Hard huge chunks in his stool each day and he is anxious and uncomfortable, tummy issues and lathargic. These chews are not digestible and I am quite worried about my dog. After talking with friends they told me they had the same problem with their small dogs and the vet said to stay away. Your company better hope my dog gets well. If not please expect a bill from my vet and some loud opposition to you product online.
DeleteWell I tried to make them pay my vet bill for the two extractions because both of my small dogs broke a tooth on these chews. They refused! Too hard for small dogs. Definitely stay away from these.
DeleteDo not give these to your dogs. They will cause blockage and can kill your dog. They do not digest, if a large chunk is swallowed be prepared for an extremely sick dog and surgery.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Our dog threw up 3 1" chunks of it over the course of 2 days.
DeleteAmen! Our dog threw up 3 1" chunks of it over the course of 2 days.
DeleteMy Lab also threw up pieces of these for 2 days. I will never give it too her again - extremely dangerous.
DeleteDo not give these to your dogs. They will cause blockage and can kill your dog. They do not digest, if a large chunk is swallowed be prepared for an extremely sick dog and surgery.
ReplyDeleteRight now my little dog is VERY sick from a eating a small size Himalayan chew. He scraped it and chewed it, but then at about 11:30 pm last he threw up a little and then he has been sick for 24 hours and still not well. I took him to the vet today and that cost $89. I am so afraid. He isn't getting better.
ReplyDeleteI have been giving these Himalayan chews to my medium sized Daschund a year now, he is a very strong chewer. He loves them and doesn't seem to have any digestible problem with them at all. When the little chunks break off, I cook them in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds and they turn into a hard bubbly cheese which he then chews down on those too! Maybe these aren't for all dogs, for those with a sensitive stomach or fragile teeth, but my dog sure loves them!
ReplyDeleteI know that B.A.R.F (bones and raw food) movement is gaining momentum. I've considered it... just haven't made the leap yet
ReplyDeleteI'm just researching these so don't know the ins and outs of them. Just can't understand people who tried them and discovered they're not right for their dog being so vituperative. Try something, it either works or it don't. If it don't, move on. If someone has to be punished for everything that doesn't work we'll never advance.
ReplyDeleteWhy are people talking about their experience with the medical costs and risks associated with this chew? Likely because advertising for the chew indicates it's a safe and natural alternative to bones (although they appear to be backing off these ads by rewording the packaging). It seems reasonable to me that people would share their stories about this product in blog comments. Don't be so oddly defensive about it.
DeleteI have a dachshund and he chewed on these for years with no problem. The other day I gave him a new one and there turned out to be something seriously wrong with it. It never softened as he chewed it and he broke one of his lower canines clean off down to the gum and chipped a couple (yes a couple) molars. Since his teeth were healthy and he has chewed on these within the last month with no problems, it seems the company has a serious problem with quality control. Could explain why dogs keep breaking otherwise healthy teeth on these products. A $2,000 lesson for me.
My parents have a Tibetan Mastiff puppy and she is nuts for some of the Himalayan Cheese products. The push pop type treats are amazing for training, and safer since the dog only licks the treat. We haven't tried these dog chews yet, but may hold off till she's a bit older, or stick to microwaving them into puffs.
ReplyDeleteA debt of gratitude is in order for sharing the information, keep doing awesome... I truly delighted in investigating your site. great asset.. himalayan dog chew
ReplyDeleteIt should be a conspicuous part of virtually any macaw cage. Author is an expert of antler treats, visit here for more interesting information.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your information. It was nice to read over.
ReplyDeleteBest Bully sticks