What are YAKERS made from? YAKERS are made from cheese that comes from a blend of Yak and Cow milk. The cheese is vegetarian as the only ingredients are milk, with the smallest amount of Lime Juice and Salt to help turn the milk into cheese. How are YAKERS made? YAKERS find their origin in the hills of the Himalayas. Originally made for human consumption, they are still widely eaten by the Himalayan people and their dogs. YAKERS are made from a mix of skimmed Yak and Cow milk. A very small amount of lime juice and salt is added to coagulate (harden) the milk, which is then compressed into blocks and smoke dried for 28 days to give the chews their unique flavour. Why are some YAKERS different in colour and why do they smell smoky? YAKERS are smoked in the Himalayas using traditional methods. Each chew is laid on drying racks and they dry through the use of traditional smokers. The chews are moved up in height weekly over a 4 week period as they dry so that they are further away from the smoker, so the difference in colour shouldn't be too great, however a darker colour just means that they have had more smoke than others. This colour may vary slightly from batch to batch too. Why do YAKERS have the dimples on the sides? This happens when the cheese is being compressed into blocks as it is wrapped in muslin cloth. What is the best way to store YAKERS? Keep your YAKERS in a cool and dry place. These products get better with age and last longer the older they are which is why there is a 5 year shelf life on them. How old does my dog have to be for YAKERS? YAKERS are suitable for all dogs over 4 months old. Are YAKERS high in fat as they are made from Cheese? YAKERS are low in fat at only 5.2%, the cheese used is made from skimmed milk as all of the cream is removed as part of the process. Isn't salt bad for dogs? Salt in large amounts is harmful for dogs as it is for humans. However in YAKERS we only use a tiny amount of salt along with lime juice to get the cheese to coagulate (harden) at the very start of the manufacturing process. The salt content in YAKERS is less than 0.1%.