What are yak bones made of?

"Yak bones" is a name some people use for yak chews because of their shape, but they contain no bone at all. They are blocks of hardened cheese made from milk, which is why they wear down gradually as a dog chews instead of splintering like bone can.

Why do yak chews contain cow milk as well as yak milk?

Traditional Himalayan hard cheese is often made from a mix of yak and cow milk, depending on what herders have available. Blending the milks also helps give the chews a consistent texture. That is why we list both on the pack rather than calling our chews 100% yak milk.

Are yak chews lactose-free?

Much of the lactose in milk stays in the whey that is drained off when cheese is made, and hard, dried cheeses contain relatively little. But yak chews are still a dairy product, so we do not describe them as lactose-free, and dogs with a dairy allergy or intolerance should avoid them.

Do yak chews have preservatives?

No. Yak chews keep because most of the water is removed during slow drying, which is the same way hard cheeses have been preserved for centuries. Store them in a cool, dry place and reseal the pack.

Are yak chews grain-free?

Yes. Highland Yak Chews contain no wheat, corn, rice or any other grain, and no gluten.

What Are Yak Chews Made Of? Ingredients Explained

Q: What are yak chews made of?

Yak chews are a hard cheese. A Highland Yak Chew is made from yak and cow milk, lime juice and a little salt. Our flavoured chews add one natural ingredient: real strawberry, blueberry or turmeric. They contain no hide, bone, grain, preservatives or artificial colours and flavours.

What Are Yak Chews Made Of?

Search for "yak chew ingredients" and you will find a lot of words like natural, wholesome and pure, without much detail. So here is the full ingredient list for a Highland Yak Chew, with nothing hidden.

The Short Answer

A yak chew is a hard cheese. Ours is made from:

Yak milk

Cow milk

Lime juice — used to curdle the milk

A little salt

That is the whole list for our Classic Yak Chew. No hide, no bone, no grain, no preservatives, and no artificial colours or flavours.

Rows of yak milk dog chews in four flavours, labelled Original Milk, Strawberry, Blueberry and Turmeric, beside the fruit and spice used in each

So What Are "Yak Bones"?

You will sometimes see yak chews called yak bones, Himalayan bones or cheese bones. The name comes from the shape, not the contents. There is no bone in a yak chew. It is milk that has been turned into cheese, pressed and dried until it is very hard.

This is the main reason people choose them over real bones. Cooked bone can splinter into sharp pieces. Cheese softens at the surface as your dog chews and wears down gradually. We compare the two properly in yak chew vs bone.

Why Yak and Cow Milk?

Plenty of people search for "yak and cow milk dog chews" because they have noticed both on a label and wondered why.

In the Himalayas, hard cheese has always been made with whatever milk herders have — often a mix of yak and cow (or a yak–cow cross). Mixing the milks also helps keep the texture consistent from batch to batch.

We list both milks on our packs. Some sellers describe their chews as "100% yak milk"; ours contain cow milk too, and we would rather say so.

What Each Ingredient Does

Ingredient	What it is there for
Yak and cow milk	The base of the cheese — provides the protein and the chew
Lime juice	Makes the milk curdle, separating solid curds from liquid whey
Salt	A small amount, traditional in the recipe, helps with flavour and keeping
Real fruit or turmeric	Flavour and colour in our flavoured chews only

The Flavours

Our flavoured chews use the same base and add one natural ingredient each:

[Strawberry](/products/strawberry-dog-chew) — real strawberry, which gives the chew its pink colour

[Blueberry](/products/blueberry-dog-chew) — real blueberry, which turns it purple

[Turmeric](/products/turmeric-dog-chew) — real turmeric, for a golden colour and earthy flavour

The colours come from the ingredients themselves, not from added dye.

Purple blueberry yak milk chews on a wooden table with fresh blueberries and a Highland Yak Chew Milk Chew pack

What We Leave Out

Hide — unlike rawhide, there is no animal skin

Bone — despite the nickname

Grain and gluten — no wheat, corn, rice or fillers

Preservatives — drying does the job instead

Artificial colours and flavours

How It Keeps Without Preservatives

Hard cheese keeps because most of the water is removed. Our chews are dried slowly until they are hard all the way through, which is how Himalayan communities preserved milk long before fridges. Keep them in a cool, dry place, reseal the pack, and they stay hard.

Golden turmeric yak milk dog chews stacked beside fresh turmeric root and ground turmeric

A Note on Dairy

Making cheese drains off most of the whey, and much of the lactose goes with it, so dried hard cheese contains relatively little. But a yak chew is still dairy. We do not call our chews lactose-free, and dogs with a dairy allergy or intolerance should avoid them.

Want to Know How They Are Made?

The process behind these four ingredients is a centuries-old Himalayan cheese-making tradition. Read how churpi is made in Nepal for the full story.

Ready to Try One?

Use code FRANK10 at checkout for 10% off your order. UK delivery is a flat £1.99, and orders usually arrive within 3–5 working days. Browse all our chews, start with a Classic Yak Chew, or send us a message if you are not sure which one to pick.

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