Dog Swallowed a Yak Chew – What to Do Next
You gave your dog a Himalayan yak chew to keep him busy, only for the dog to instantly swallow it whole! How unsafe it is for a dog to swallow a whole chunk of yak chew will depend on a number of factors such as the dog’s body size.
What happens when a dog swallows a yak chew?
One of the main health risks with swallowing yak chews is choking. Yak chews are digestible but they do take a while to digest given their durable and hard texture. A large chunk of yak chew (relative to the dog’s size) may get stuck in the upper section of the dog’s gastrointestinal tract, such as in the mouth and throat. This can cause the dog to choke and lead to difficulties in breathing.
Intestinal blockage isn’t as big of a concern but some dogs may temporarily suffer from associated symptoms like constipation and vomiting after swallowing a piece of yak chew. In some cases, luck might be on your side and your dog will throw up the yak chew not long after swallowing it.
What to do if your dog swallowed a yak chew
For starters, don’t ever leave your dog unsupervised with an edible chew, whether that’s yak chew or other popular chew products. Some dogs have god-like chew strength. They may give the yak chew one bite before swallowing them in unreasonably large pieces.
Call the vet (use online services like Vetster if your local vet isn’t immediately available) your dog is starting to show any concerning symptoms, whether that be digestive symptoms like excessive vomiting or general symptoms like lethargy. The vet will advise whether further diagnostics is needed to better explain your dog’s condition.
In the meantime, keep a close watch of your dog’s behavior, especially when he eats, drinks, or poops. Sometimes, symptoms may appear many hours later if the yak chew does end up causing problems in your dog’s digestive tract.
My dog swallowed large pieces of several yak chews and based on my research they are digestible. However, after my dog stopped eating I brought him to the vet who surgically removed several of these yak chew pieces and he managed to pass several as well in his bowel movements. Of course, he could’ve died instead and the bill for surgery and care was $5K+ I feel like there should be more warnings from the manufacturer or seller of these chews as they have so many marketing / ads that promote it as the “safer alternative” of other (rawhide, etc.) chews while in fact they are potentially worse for dogs that are strong enough to bite off chunks… and they are NOT digestible–that claim is a farce.