YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post - What are the 3 most important things you've learned about caring for a Yorkie?

Lolli_lah · 01-02-2010, 12:23 AM

1. The importance of keeping teeth clean in dogs. It's easy for people to do as we have a lot more available for our teeth and the maintenance of them than dogs do. There's a lot of research to be done in order to find what paste works best for you, if you want to use any sprays or gels or sponge pads as a lot of the toothpastes out there on their own have little benefit on the teeth other than removing tartar but that removal is more or less dependant on you.

2. That not every little thing needs to be checked out by a vet although it seems we all want to suggest it. Sometimes things happen and it concerns us but in actuality it's no different than when something weird happens to us and it passes with no alarm. I'm sure a lot will question this, but I have been a yorkie mother for about 3 months now and I can say that a lot of the 'little' things you post about that seem harmless but you are not experienced to know the difference are just that. I'm not saying that you should not talk to your vet or that you should not be that concerned with whats going on with your yorkie because I am constantly worrying about what everything means.. but if I took her to the vet for everything I asked a question about I'd be thousands in debt right now, and not for any good reason because my baby has a clean bill of health right now. A lot of vets will be honest with you and tell you not to worry about certain things or if you really should be concerned if you just make a phone call from my recent experience. But every vet visit results in a bill, even just an office fee. So making a phonecall instead of rushing to a vet for everything is more logical.

3. That food and treats and other such consumables are important. What we put into our mouths as a human is not always the same as a canine. We have a very large tolerance for things like preservatives and other things that are potentially long-run hazardous, but canines do not always have that same resistance and can become very sick very fast if we do not watch what we give them, and the signs they might be subtley giving us that something is wrong and it is likely food or treat related.

On the same number as 3, some things could be food related that have nothing to do with nutrition but moreso an issue of a dog having a serious choking hazard.

01-02-2010, 12:23 AM	#6
Lolli_lah YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Gainesville, GA, USA Posts: 406 Blog Entries: 2	1. The importance of keeping teeth clean in dogs. It's easy for people to do as we have a lot more available for our teeth and the maintenance of them than dogs do. There's a lot of research to be done in order to find what paste works best for you, if you want to use any sprays or gels or sponge pads as a lot of the toothpastes out there on their own have little benefit on the teeth other than removing tartar but that removal is more or less dependant on you. 2. That not every little thing needs to be checked out by a vet although it seems we all want to suggest it. Sometimes things happen and it concerns us but in actuality it's no different than when something weird happens to us and it passes with no alarm. I'm sure a lot will question this, but I have been a yorkie mother for about 3 months now and I can say that a lot of the 'little' things you post about that seem harmless but you are not experienced to know the difference are just that. I'm not saying that you should not talk to your vet or that you should not be that concerned with whats going on with your yorkie because I am constantly worrying about what everything means.. but if I took her to the vet for everything I asked a question about I'd be thousands in debt right now, and not for any good reason because my baby has a clean bill of health right now. A lot of vets will be honest with you and tell you not to worry about certain things or if you really should be concerned if you just make a phone call from my recent experience. But every vet visit results in a bill, even just an office fee. So making a phonecall instead of rushing to a vet for everything is more logical. 3. That food and treats and other such consumables are important. What we put into our mouths as a human is not always the same as a canine. We have a very large tolerance for things like preservatives and other things that are potentially long-run hazardous, but canines do not always have that same resistance and can become very sick very fast if we do not watch what we give them, and the signs they might be subtley giving us that something is wrong and it is likely food or treat related. On the same number as 3, some things could be food related that have nothing to do with nutrition but moreso an issue of a dog having a serious choking hazard. __________________ Lollipop my Pretty Little Princess Last edited by Lolli_lah; 01-02-2010 at 12:26 AM.