Toy and Himalayan Chew Review

Like most dog owners in developed countries, I am always on the search for great dog toys. (I doubt dog owners in remote parts of the world, like Kiribati for instance, are as concerned with their dogs' pastimes as we are.) For the purposes of this post, I am lumping things dogs chew and ingest into the toy category. I basically mean anything that you give your dog to keep him/her occupied. Requirements are that the toys don't make a mess, are not overly stinky, won't cause gastrointestinal distress, are not highly caloric, and have a favorable cost/longevity ratio (ideally, an expensive toy should last a long time, while it's okay if a cheap toy doesn't last quite as long).

hilarious close up of cabana with a skinny red dog toy in her mouth, the toy is about 6 inches long with head at one end and a large toothy smile on its faceRed Dog Squeaky Toy - $2.00 at Big Lots. Surprisingly, we've had this toy for several days now, and Cabana has not torn it to shreds! It has a very QUIET squeaker. In fact, much to the dismay of the other shoppers at Big Lots, I squeaked each one of these in the store and picked the one that was the quietest. For $2.00, it's hard to go wrong. I give this toy 4 out of 5 stars. It may not be the most interactive or interesting toy in the world--but the grin on this red dog's face is hilarious and makes me smile when I see it in Cabana's mouth.

cabana laying on the carpet with blue rubber spider toy, has 8 curled up legs and ugly yellow, purple and pink polkadots on its back, super ugly face on this toyUgly Blue Spider Squeaky - $3.00 at Big Lots. When you squeeze this toy, all the legs unfurl like a party blower. You'd think all these skinny legs would be quickly eaten by now, but after a week, it still has 8 intact legs! Cabana loves to destroy rubber toys and stuffed toys, but for some reason, she carries this spider around very gently. It also has a quiet squeaker, so 4 stars for this one, too.

cabana sniffing at the plastic package that holds the himalayan dog chew, chew looks like a 6 inch block of wood or maybe a block of super hard gouda cheeseI've been really curious about these Himalayan Dog Chews for some time now. I couldn't find any locally, and I wasn't keen on spending $9 + shipping on something that might not last very long. But I finally gave in and bought one on eBay, hoping for a 5 star find.

cabana chowing down on the himalayan dog chewThe chew is made of yak and cow milk, with a bit of added salt and lime juice. It's sort of a cross between cheese and wood (taste of cheese, hardness of wood). The reviews said these last a long time and that dogs have to work to soften it in their mouths, then they can get little pieces off the ends.

Cabana LOVED this chew. Unfortunately, it took her less than 15 minutes to devour more than half of it--she just broke big chunks off of it and gnashed them down. So I took it away from her, so I could save the rest for another time. In my opinion, these don't last too much longer than a big bully stick, so I give it 2 paltry stars. It might be a good choice for small dogs with delicate mouths, but for Cabana, I think we're going to stick with antlers, since I haven't been able to beat its cost/longevity ratio yet.

Becky Andrews  – (August 21, 2010 at 1:32 PM)  

Poor Cricket. I stick with the basics as a guide dog, but this reminds me that we need to go buy some more nylabones in some tasty flavors. The liver flavor that has various textures is her favorite. Cabana you are so cute. Hope we get to see you at the GDB Celebration!

JacksDad  – (August 21, 2010 at 2:51 PM)  

We can't even do the antlers, because Jack evidently has the jaw strength of about 20 dogs!

Heather and Kelly  – (August 21, 2010 at 3:00 PM)  

I've been dying to try (not me, for the dog....) those Himalayan yak chews! But the price has always held me back--yikes. With the price of treats these days, I'm better off getting something that will last longer. It's good to know that they aren't as good as advertised, that way I won't feel as much of a need to get one.

Sierra Rose  – (August 21, 2010 at 4:50 PM)  

Wootwoot!! Keep going with the product testing!!! Good work Cabana :)
Sierra will stay busy with a delicious found stick, or bully stick. Will run around with a squeaker toy that isn't fuzzy...oh, and wood decking...!

Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
Sierra Rose

Katrin  – (August 21, 2010 at 5:05 PM)  

Thanks for the review! At your (I think it was yours?) suggestion I got a few of the cheese chews to try with James now that he has not wanted to chew harder things. They just came in the mail the other day but we haven't tested them yet. I am saving them for the most appropriate time since they are expensive!

Dexter  – (August 21, 2010 at 6:41 PM)  

We have trouble finding chews too. Most of them are just not up to my Mango jaws of steal and of course PeeWee will swallow anything whole if possible.

But we like toys and don't tear them up (that's why we have so many).

Slobbers,
Mango

Martha G  – (August 21, 2010 at 7:20 PM)  

I'm with you - there's nothing better than the antlers. We still have a lot because the Guide Dog puppies can't have them so Ardella only gets them once in awhile.

I have a stuffless duck that Ardella adores carrying around. It quacks and she will fetch it. I saw some similar stuffless creatures at Petco recently that I'll have to go look at for future career changed pet toys.

Kari in Alaska  – (August 23, 2010 at 4:51 PM)  

i always wondered how heavy chewers did with yak crack. I can't bring myself to believe the cost it worth it


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