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Originally Posted by Geo39  We're about to become owners of a very healthy and robust 14 week old male Yorkie, part of a litter of four siblings, born to well-documented parents in a private home. The mother is our son's Yorkie and both she and her litter have received excellent care via his local veterinarian (---in Puerto Rico.) I have every reason to believe that this little guy, who will probably top out around 3 pounds, will continue to be healthy. He has an appointment with our local vet for a general check-up the day after we return home to Maine. That said, it's still somewhat frightening to read about the health problems that can befall Yorkies, and the extremely high cost of resolving serious issues. We are retired and living on a fixed income. We certainly have the resources to insure that our Yorkie receives the best of preventive care - but I'm not certain what we would do if faced with a catastropic event? I know that the issues brought up on Yorkie Talk are not statistically representative of the breed (i.e. - healthy Yorkies don't have "issues" ---) but what is the consensus of opinion about the general health and wellness of the average Yorkie - and especially the smaller ones? |
Look at Pet Insurance, there are several threads about Pet Insurance, and some will even cover genetic problems. Get it immediately in place. Also above n beyond that, you can start a separate savings acct for your Yorkie, and start to put aside monthly into it.
Three pounds is a tiny Yorkie, and statistically they are probably more prone to health problems than Yorkies closer to the 5-7 lb range.
Whilst true that we here on YT, have a lot of posts on the sick and emergency about health issues, it is also true, when you google yorkies and health problems this site crops up again and again. So perhaps disproportionately Yorkies might appear unhealthier than they actually are.
But I do agree with LadyJane this breed does have it's share of health concerns.
Your pup should be tested at 16wks old Bats. Bile acid test which may indicate a problem with the liver. Also both of his parents should have been tested and been within normal range, prior to breeding. As well as a few other tests, many threads in the breeders section that you can look up, or you can go to the YT library and read the article on How to find a reputable breeder.
The other thing is hypoglycemia, and your pup must be fairly light if he is only tracking to 3lbs fully grown. So you need to read up on this, prior to travelling on the flight with him, and insure you recognized hypoglycemia and are prepared to deal with it in flight.
With the wee ones, you will need to consider getting ramps and training the pups to use the ramp, making sure they don't jump off of furniture. Risk of fracture, sprains n strains. Also dependent on structure(eg; short legs, versus long legs) your pup may not be able to climb and descend stairs too well.
Dentals I've not had to do on my 2.5 yr old Yorkie (yet), but I brush regularly, he has tartar fighter food, and also an additive in his water to help with tartar. As well he is a very well behaved dog for grooming, so his breeder or I can remove plaque buildup. In fact we have a training/grooming session set up this wkend to do just that, he has 2 back molars that have a bit of tartar build up on them.
For regular preventative including dentals, I would think that about $400 plus the cost of heartworm preventatives and flea and tick would be a good ball park number.
Grooming is something you can learn to do yourself, and if you start them young, it can be a very pleasant bonding time for you both.
Lastly you are receiving a pup from your son, if your pup ends up with health problems will your son cover the health costs? In other words what kind of health guarantee is he offering? You might want to have this discussion if you haven't already, prior to leaving with this pup.
Good luck with your decision.