[MyFairLacy]

So much can go wrong with breeding: emergency c-sections costing $1000-$2000, puppies can die, puppies can have genetic defects and diseases, mom could contract STDs, Mom could DIE...you always have to be prepared for the possibility of losing your pet when you decide to breeder her..it does happen.

Breeding is very expensive and time-consuming to do it the right way. Yorkies unfortunately have so many genetic health problems because of bad breeding. It's so important to health screen mom and dad before breeding to make sure you aren't passing on defects to puppies and causing heartache for a family in the future. Tests need to be done such as a bile acid test, blood panel, test for STDs (even if its the dogs first time), check for Luxating Patella, hips, eyes, ears, heart, etc. And you really have to know the pedigrees of the dogs - the size of the dogs, whether or not they are free-whelpers or have needed c-sections, and if there are any genetic illnesses in the lines. Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined...you can do a bile acid test on the parents to make sure they don't have it...but they could still be carriers as this disease has been known to skip 10 generations. It's also very important to check for Brucellosis (an STD...dogs can be born with this if mother was infected). If a dog is found to have Brucellosis the recommended treatment is euthanization because the dog is a public health risk - the disease can be passed onto humans which has been known to cause abortions in humans. You also need to make sure your dog meets the standard and is of quality to breed...most purebred dogs are not of quality to be bred because they have faults..they make great pets but shouldn't be bred. Yorkies are so overbred right now that most don't even look like a standard yorkie anymore. And you have to remember that millions of dogs are euthanized in shelters each year...do you really want to contribute to that?

If you spay her, you'll almost eliminate her risk of breast cancer and will eliminate her risk of pyometria. She will be a happier and healthier dog. And you'll be protecting her from the risks of giving birth.