The Schnauzer Forum

Freddy - banana skin now seems to have passed through after 3 weeks- yesterday afternoon decided to swallow his new Yak bar.
I rushed around to check it hadn’t been hidden but odds are it is in his stomach.
Late trip to my Vets who referred him on to the emergency vets.
Answer .. wait and see .
So any experiences? And how long does anyone think it takes for a small yak bar to disintegrate?
He wasn’t the only one ….the next patient had eaten a corn cob!

Oh no! What a stressful time you are having with Freddy. The yak bars are simply solidified milk as far as I know so should break down fairly easily in the stomach. The worry with some chews can be if they get caught in the throat or before they reach the stomach so if Freddy has swallowed the yak bar completely it should be OK.

It is difficult trying to find safe chew items for dogs that are compulsive gulpers and just want to swallow food down as quick as possible. We have one of two like that and I have had to avoid any chews that are able to be swallowed whole and limit them to small size treats e.g. fish skin cubes or very large raw meaty bones which are far too big to get in their mouth. It is frustrating when you are trying to give them a tasty chew to keep them occupied and help strengthen / clean their teeth.

I couldn’t give you a specific time period for the yak bar to break down but I think the vet is right to advise monitoring Freddy and, as long as he shows no sign of distress / pain then it will probably pass through in the next few days. I would think it will be quicker than the banana skin.

He's a monkey I would have thought it would digest about as quick as a raw bone would since they are quite dehydrated. I'd encourage him to keep drinking to help the process, bone broth would be good.
Out of the 2, I think I'd want the Yak chew over the corn on the cob. Jasper does like chewing the bits off a cob when we've finished with them but hes never swallowed one.

My boy recently swallowed a huge chunk of yak chew and he regurgitated it back up the next morning. Usually when he eats something that doesn't agree, that's what happens. But I will say I was surprised how fast he broke that chew up and it was knod right down in no time. He never used to eat them like that so I wonder if some have different qualities. Just saying that so you know it's possible for them to break them up quickly before you know it.

Does Freddy have any snuffle mats or food puzzles? Not sure what type of food he's eating, but maybe if you can slow his feeding down a bit he won't be so apt to gulp.

I've used tiers of towels placed on the floor and hidden food/treats under/inside. Or wrapped food in scrap fabric and roll into the towel. The puzzles are good for wet food and there are also slow feeder bowls and lick mats.

Thank you all. Firstly for being relatively relaxed which does help me.
I confess, I was mean ( short sighted as it happens) and bought the smallest chew instead of the medium.
He has been OK today with the exception of having 2 sleeps.
Yes, he has kibbles thrown round the house, a frozen likimat and stuffed, frozen kong after morning walk. A Trixie food ball or snuffle mat at lunchtime and a large slow feeder for supper.
And a range of treats that were never available for my Lucy or Henry.
You wonder …? Is he overweight?! Yes! There’s half a kilo to come off and I’ve cut his food by an ounce.
He does drink well but I shall put out some home cooked chicken stock and take your advice about what he has in the future.
I’ll let you know.