Yorkies are a gorgeous breed, but they do come with a fair share of health concerns. Seeing as there are now two posters on this thread thinking about adoption; I thought I'd post this here.
Let's talk about Yorkie Health, and tests that a reputable breeder does to help insure that their breeding stock is as healthy as possible.
Please note these are NOT the regular check ups that we all do on our dogs with the vets
CERF - this is a test done annually to check for Progressive Retinal Atrophy It is a genetic condition and if your dog has PRA eventual blindness is the result. This test is performed by a board certified veterinarian opthamalogist. For this organization's website
www.cerf.org
BATS - Bile Acid Test is testing liver function. Breeding sire and dam, should be tested and their ranges within normal. Liver Shunt puppies can require surgery, and do require special diet and care for the rest of their lives. Furthermore the breeder should be very aware if LS has cropped up in her breeding line.
OFA certainly for knees to evaluate for Luxating Patella (LP). Dependent on the grade or severity of LP this condition can require surgery.
www.ofa.org. An Xray is done and sent into OFA for evaluation and the knees are graded. Hips is another area a breeder might want to Xray. Although HD is certainly not as common in Yorkies as LP
Heart Thyroid Full Blood Panel and testing for STD's.
Beyond these tests, the breeder should offer a health guarantee that is worth something and have a reputation for honoring her/his commitments to the puppy buyers. You want your breeder to support you in your concerns, be there for you for the lifetime of your puppy. Health problems can crop up in any breeding, the litmus test of the breeder is how they will help and aid you, should this happen to your pup.
So in part this is what is meant that Yorkies can be an expensive breed to own. Should a health concern crop up in your pup, how will you meet the financial and care requirements for your pup?