Quote:
Originally Posted by Ladymom  The "start up" money is very little compared to what a dog will cost over the course of it's lifetime. Here's a great breakdown of those costs: The Cost of Owning a Dog
The most important thing to focus on is getting a healthy puppy. "Bargain" puppies can rack up thousands of dollars in vet bills, sometimes right away. Yorkies are prone to liver shunts and luxating patellas which cost thousands to surgically correct. It's essential to find a breeder who is knowledgable about genetics and health tests her breeding dogs to make sure they don't pass genetic conditions on to their offspring. Since Yorkies are so popular, too many people who don't know what they are doing are breeding them.
I'm glad you joined YT. If you stick around, you will learn a lot about finding a reputable breeder when the time comes to get your little boy. |
I should have read her post before I posted mine. I have one that has PSS (liver shunt) and another that was a rescue that has luxating patellas. The one with PSS is the one having the surgery. The other will need surgery if she becomes clinical when she gets older. (Yes, I knew it when I got her.) I just lost it when I saw her. She was full grown and only two pounds, and my heart just melted. I had to get her away, and it's people who do things like what I did that keep puppy mills in business. I was chastised for it on this forum, and for good reason. She's the sweetest dog I have, and the only one that's fully paper-trained, but she can't sit for a treat like the others. If she does end up becoming clinical and needing surgery, it's going to cost around $3,000, and that's not even the worst of it. It's a very long convalescence period (up to two months) that they have to have their little legs in casts and can't even walk. I was horrified when I found that out.