Himalayan Dog Chews

[Terri]

Has anyone tried these? I bought one for Cooper today and so far, so good. He chewed up a little storm until he was zonked out. It seems like it will last for a while, too.

http://www.himalayandogchew.com/

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

First question would be if this product is made in the USA or Canada. If not, where is it made? I would make sure there are no Chinese ingredients used.

[Terri]

"Himalayan Dog Chew comes from an ancient recipe of the people of the Himalayas. In the mountains at more than 15,000 feet, it is made using traditional methods with Yak or Cow Milk and all natural products and no chemicals or preservatives. "

Their FAQ page says this....

"Is this fair trade?

Currently, we are proud to know that our Beyond Fair Trade policy is contributing to the economic development of the world's second poorest nation in Nepal. We purchase direclty from the farmers, and help them make that extra money in one year, that they would have been able to make in five years by selling the chews.


Do you manufacture the chews yourselves?

We do not have a manufacturing factory anywhere. Instead we collect all the hard cheese from rural community co-ops of the Himalayas (currently Eastern Nepal and West Bengla in India), which use traditional methods in making it for human consumption.


How are the cows and yaks treated?

Cows and yaks are raised in sheds, the way it has been done forever. No modern equipment or techniques are used in raising or milking the animals. They graze on open grasslands or are brought fresh cut grass by their families, and have never been introduced to hormones, prophylactic antibiotics, or other chemicals. Cows and yaks are considered to be sacred life-givers and are directly responsible for the improved economic situation of the family. "

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I always prefer to have some independent information, rather than accept the "sales" info from the company's website.
This story makes me personally a little nervous. What they are basically saying is that we have to trust the people in some far-away community to use wholesome ingredients and safe methods of processing. It is wonderful that they are contributing to the economy of third-world countries, (although Nike supposedly does that too, using child labor, lol), but I personally prefer to patronize companies where they are directly involved in the manufacturing of the product. We could use some stimulating of the economy here at home, too.
I have no experience with this product. It may be perfectly fine, but I have never heard of it before. I just found a similar product called Jones Natural Chews which is made in this country from beef liver. You might look into those. Dogswell chicken & duck jerky are favorites around here, too. These do come from China, but we have been in touch with the manufacturer, who inspects all product in this country before packaging. They contain only free-range, hormone & antibiotic free chicken & duck.

[Terri]

Soooooo......has anyone tried these with their doodles? Curious if any other doodle loved them. It was a big hit with Cooper!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Lucca loves them. I get the X-large size because they last longer. I take it away when it gets too small or put it in the hole of a kong. This way he can't chew it all the way down. Choking makes me nervous. The only place I have seem them is at a specialty dog store we have here.

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

Whopper has only had this once and we brought it to her training class so that during the breaks she would be better behaved. She loved it and it worked like a charm to keep her quiet.

[Lia]

We've been using them since we first got Shatska. At first she was not to keen on it but now she absolutely loves it!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm still not clear what they are made of; is it meat, from cows & yaks? It says made with milk, but there must be something else to hold it together & make it chewy. Does the package say what the ingredients are?

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I happen to have one right in front of me!! Ingredients: Yak and cow milk, salt and lime juice. No preservatives, no additives. That's all it says. It's not chewy. It's more like a solid cheese?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you! Now I can picture what it is! I was thinking it was like jerkies or beef tendons, chew stick kinds of things. I am going to have to look for them at my pet supply store. Jack is so picky, I'm always looking for treats he might like!

[Terri]

Cooper ended up LOVING it, and when we went back to the store....he made a B-LINE to the display with them and started snooting around. I love the idea of taking it to training class for that in between down time. My only complaint is that he went through it in a few hours and it was like $8. Some have said that their dogs chew on them for days and days.