Rescue yorkie....questions - YorkieTalk.com Forums

kweldon · 03-02-2013, 12:22 PM

I am new to the forum and new to yorkies. I lost my 12 yr old maltese a little over a week ago to mast cell cancer. After removing the tumor in October last year she seemed ok but it was grade 2. Her organs failed and the vet could not save her. I started looking at Petfinder and came across very few maltese so I decided to look at yorkies....

I found a little one that weighed in at 3.8 lbs & 2 yrs old. She had been kept as a breeder but was too small, didn't get pregnant, and was released to rescue. I was told she had grade 1 luxating patellas, not a big deal since my maltese also had luxating patellas her entire life. Well after seeing her and falling for her we brought her home. When I looked at her vet papers she is a grade 4. The rescue is very upset with their vet who told them all 6 yorkies which were taken in were low grade. She didn't double check the papers and feels awful Sophie does not seem to be in pain. She is very loving, loves to be held & petted. Amazingly people oriented considering her first 2 years. We want to keep her now that we've met her but I am seriously concerned about major vet bills (I spent a fortune trying to save my maltese). We are still in our 2 week trial period and they have agreed to refund our adoption fee to put toward her medical bills and let us keep her or take her back to be adopted out to another family with the understanding of bad knees.

Does anyone have any advice about how to approach this? Anyone with grade 4 luxating patella experience would also be greatly appreciated?

Patti · 03-02-2013, 03:56 PM

Welcome. Does she seem bothered by the LP? All 3 of mine have some degree of LP.
My Cali who is almost 8 has grade 4 in both knees. She also has a mild liver condition so my vet said to just do a watch and see. She has adjusted to it very well. On the other hand, my Pixie at age 4 1/2 had to have LP surgery on a grade 3 Lp in one knee. She walked off the bed and aggravated it. She did not do well with her knee popping out. I consulted 3 vets and an orthopedic surgeon before going ahead with the surgery. It would be worth a trip to a specialist to get their opinion. I use ramps so mine don't jump to help their knees. I hope it works out.

kweldon · 03-02-2013, 04:23 PM

Thank you. She is not showing any signs of pain and she seems to be able to bend & straighten both legs. The rescue spayed her, repaired a hernia, heartworm tested & gave her vaccines but they said they would return our adoption fee to put toward her future medical bills because they cannot fix her knees if we return her.

I am amazed at her personality. She loves people, loves to be held, loves to be petted, and isn't at all scared of our 60lb dalmatian. She has very little interest in him so he pays her very little attention. He's only 2 1/2 so I'm very impressed with how well they get along. She lets me look in her mouth and touch her feet.

I would not have went into this knowing there would be big vet bills possibly soon in the future but we didn't know until after she was home. It's really hard to imagine taking such a sweetheart and sending her back. She has spots where the hair doesn't grow, I believe from living so long in a breeder cage. They received 6 yorkies from the same breeder...it's so sad. She doesn't even know how to drink water from a bowl. I've been using a syringe. I think she had a water bottle at the breeders.

Maybe she was meant to be...my maltese passed away on Friday and Sophie came into rescue on Sunday the same weekend. I called about her Wednesday and brought her home Thursday night.

I find it odd that she doesn't bark or whine. Is that normal for a yorkie?

Lap Princess · 03-02-2013, 04:32 PM

Welcome to YT!

Well, that's a tough one. It sounds like you and the dog have already bonded and she is otherwise doing well. It's good that the rescue has accommodated you with a fee refund. If she is truly stage 4--and I would also urge you to have a specialist check this--the odds of her needing surgery is better than 50/50. And if you truly cannot afford surgery, you might want to rethink having this dog. Get her evaluated before the trial period is up.

Patti · 03-02-2013, 04:40 PM

I'm sorry I forgot to tell you I am sorry for the loss of your maltese. Also, a couple of years ago I paid 2500.00 for Pixie's LP surgery. I have the Care Credit card and if approved you can use it at most vets and it is a 0 % interest for 6-24 months depending on your credit history and the amount of the bill. I was able to pay Pixie's bill off 100.00 a month interest free for 24 months. I hope this helps you in your decision.

kweldon · 03-02-2013, 04:47 PM

I made a long post and for some reason it didn't post so I will try again.

Thank you for your responses. I have spent close to $2000 since October on vet bills so I really hadn't intended on getting a new dog that needed immediate expensive vet care but we didn't know until she was home. She has a wonderful personality, very loving. It is amazing that a dog left in a cage for 2 years could love to be held & petted so much. I can look at her teeth and touch her feet. She is very quiet, she doesn't bark or whine (which I find a little odd).

As far as paying for her surgery, I always have a credit card available. My dogs are my 4th & 5th children. I would never leave one in pain. She isn't showing any signs of pain. She looks a little stiff which could be from being caged. She has places where her hair doesn't grow, it looks like it has rubbed until the hair won't grow. She also doesn't know how to drink water from a bowl, we're working on this but using a syringe to make sure she gets enough water.

My teens adore her and she gets along with our dalmatian. She isn't one bit afraid of him, she just sniffs him and walks off.

She is a little lovebug and I can't imagine sending her back to the rescue. She's been spoiled for 3 days, she would be very unhappy back in a cage at the rescue. I also worry that the new owner wouldn't get the surgery or be careful enough with her little legs. I guess she's here to stay.

Ldyrev1 · 03-02-2013, 04:52 PM

Hi and welcome to YT! I don't have any advice and it looks like you have already some good info from others but I just wanted to say "HI" and again welcome!!

Teresa Ford · 03-03-2013, 05:54 AM

Welcome to YT

03-02-2013, 12:22 PM	#1
kweldon YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 6	Rescue yorkie....questions I am new to the forum and new to yorkies. I lost my 12 yr old maltese a little over a week ago to mast cell cancer. After removing the tumor in October last year she seemed ok but it was grade 2. Her organs failed and the vet could not save her. I started looking at Petfinder and came across very few maltese so I decided to look at yorkies.... I found a little one that weighed in at 3.8 lbs & 2 yrs old. She had been kept as a breeder but was too small, didn't get pregnant, and was released to rescue. I was told she had grade 1 luxating patellas, not a big deal since my maltese also had luxating patellas her entire life. Well after seeing her and falling for her we brought her home. When I looked at her vet papers she is a grade 4. The rescue is very upset with their vet who told them all 6 yorkies which were taken in were low grade. She didn't double check the papers and feels awful Sophie does not seem to be in pain. She is very loving, loves to be held & petted. Amazingly people oriented considering her first 2 years. We want to keep her now that we've met her but I am seriously concerned about major vet bills (I spent a fortune trying to save my maltese). We are still in our 2 week trial period and they have agreed to refund our adoption fee to put toward her medical bills and let us keep her or take her back to be adopted out to another family with the understanding of bad knees. Does anyone have any advice about how to approach this? Anyone with grade 4 luxating patella experience would also be greatly appreciated?

03-02-2013, 03:56 PM	#2
Patti Donating YT 30K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 35,509 Blog Entries: 6	Welcome. Does she seem bothered by the LP? All 3 of mine have some degree of LP. My Cali who is almost 8 has grade 4 in both knees. She also has a mild liver condition so my vet said to just do a watch and see. She has adjusted to it very well. On the other hand, my Pixie at age 4 1/2 had to have LP surgery on a grade 3 Lp in one knee. She walked off the bed and aggravated it. She did not do well with her knee popping out. I consulted 3 vets and an orthopedic surgeon before going ahead with the surgery. It would be worth a trip to a specialist to get their opinion. I use ramps so mine don't jump to help their knees. I hope it works out. __________________ Cali Pixie Roxie : RIP Nikki; RIP Maya;RIP my sweet Dixie girl 1/17/08 http://callipuppyscastle.bravehost.com/index.html

03-02-2013, 04:32 PM	#4
Lap Princess Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2009 Location: with my Yorklet! Posts: 1,356	Welcome to YT! Well, that's a tough one. It sounds like you and the dog have already bonded and she is otherwise doing well. It's good that the rescue has accommodated you with a fee refund. If she is truly stage 4--and I would also urge you to have a specialist check this--the odds of her needing surgery is better than 50/50. And if you truly cannot afford surgery, you might want to rethink having this dog. Get her evaluated before the trial period is up. __________________ _______________________________________ Inga - Loved by Lexie

03-02-2013, 04:40 PM	#5
Patti Donating YT 30K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 35,509 Blog Entries: 6	I'm sorry I forgot to tell you I am sorry for the loss of your maltese. Also, a couple of years ago I paid 2500.00 for Pixie's LP surgery. I have the Care Credit card and if approved you can use it at most vets and it is a 0 % interest for 6-24 months depending on your credit history and the amount of the bill. I was able to pay Pixie's bill off 100.00 a month interest free for 24 months. I hope this helps you in your decision. __________________ Cali Pixie Roxie : RIP Nikki; RIP Maya;RIP my sweet Dixie girl 1/17/08 http://callipuppyscastle.bravehost.com/index.html

03-02-2013, 04:52 PM	#7
Ldyrev1 Princess Sophie's Choice Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Clinton, IL, DeWitt County Posts: 2,758	Hi and welcome to YT! I don't have any advice and it looks like you have already some good info from others but I just wanted to say "HI" and again welcome!! __________________ Diane owned and loved by Hansel and Princess Sophie

03-02-2013, 04:23 PM	#3
kweldon YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 6	Thank you. She is not showing any signs of pain and she seems to be able to bend & straighten both legs. The rescue spayed her, repaired a hernia, heartworm tested & gave her vaccines but they said they would return our adoption fee to put toward her future medical bills because they cannot fix her knees if we return her. I am amazed at her personality. She loves people, loves to be held, loves to be petted, and isn't at all scared of our 60lb dalmatian. She has very little interest in him so he pays her very little attention. He's only 2 1/2 so I'm very impressed with how well they get along. She lets me look in her mouth and touch her feet. I would not have went into this knowing there would be big vet bills possibly soon in the future but we didn't know until after she was home. It's really hard to imagine taking such a sweetheart and sending her back. She has spots where the hair doesn't grow, I believe from living so long in a breeder cage. They received 6 yorkies from the same breeder...it's so sad. She doesn't even know how to drink water from a bowl. I've been using a syringe. I think she had a water bottle at the breeders. Maybe she was meant to be...my maltese passed away on Friday and Sophie came into rescue on Sunday the same weekend. I called about her Wednesday and brought her home Thursday night. I find it odd that she doesn't bark or whine. Is that normal for a yorkie?

03-02-2013, 04:47 PM	#6
kweldon YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 6	I made a long post and for some reason it didn't post so I will try again. Thank you for your responses. I have spent close to $2000 since October on vet bills so I really hadn't intended on getting a new dog that needed immediate expensive vet care but we didn't know until she was home. She has a wonderful personality, very loving. It is amazing that a dog left in a cage for 2 years could love to be held & petted so much. I can look at her teeth and touch her feet. She is very quiet, she doesn't bark or whine (which I find a little odd). As far as paying for her surgery, I always have a credit card available. My dogs are my 4th & 5th children. I would never leave one in pain. She isn't showing any signs of pain. She looks a little stiff which could be from being caged. She has places where her hair doesn't grow, it looks like it has rubbed until the hair won't grow. She also doesn't know how to drink water from a bowl, we're working on this but using a syringe to make sure she gets enough water. My teens adore her and she gets along with our dalmatian. She isn't one bit afraid of him, she just sniffs him and walks off. She is a little lovebug and I can't imagine sending her back to the rescue. She's been spoiled for 3 days, she would be very unhappy back in a cage at the rescue. I also worry that the new owner wouldn't get the surgery or be careful enough with her little legs. I guess she's here to stay.

03-03-2013, 05:54 AM	#8
Teresa Ford Therapy Yorkies Work Donating Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Central, Florida Posts: 3,863	Welcome to YT __________________ Teresa & Rubin, Gracie, Abba, Ginny Joy and Julia Rose Act like a dog, be kind, forgiving, and loyal.