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Originally Posted by Ladymom  She's referring to hypoglycemia where the blood sugar drops dangerously low. It can be triggered by exercise and yes, puppies can go into a coma and die if not treated quickly. It's usually just a problem in the first few months, not a lifelong problem.
Hypoglycemia, although scary and something to watch for, is not the purpose of a health guarantee. You want a breeder who will stand behind her puppies should one have a genetic disorder like a liver shunt, Legg-Perthes, etc.
I would certainly not take my chances on a puppy with no health guarantee. I'm sure this breeder isn't doing any health testing or screening so the genetic makeup of these puppies is probably unknown. Read through the posts in our Sick and Injured and Health sections and you will see all the genetic problems Yorkies are prone to, especially liver shunts and luxating patellas.
My best advice is save a little bit more and get a well bred puppy from a reputable breeder. If not, you run the risk of huge vet bills and heartbreak later on. My Lady is a rescue and poorly bred and her medications and routine bloodwork to monitor all her health issues run $5,000 a year. That doesn't include unplanned vet visits when she is sick. We usually have at least one a year (this year we have had two) and they run between $500-700. |
It comes down to, do you want to take the chance without a guarantee?
Rescuing or adopting is different in that you are taking on their problems willingly if they have any and doing what the old owner couldn't or did not want to do (in some cases). This is a breeder and most good breeders offer health guarantees and do pre breed testing.
As Ladymom said, hypoglycemia is not what a guarantee is for in most cases unless maybe it becomes a huge problem. Dogs can get it faster if they exercise because their energy and sugar is being depleted, however, that is no reason not to let them play. If they are fed often and don't come to the new owner before twelve weeks, it shouldn't be a big issue.