[MaddiesMommie]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Original Poster:

It seems that you have read a lot of sweet stories about female Yorkies. It true, they are pretty cool pups, but what you are reading may be too good to be true.

I have a female. Ten years old. Knows exactly where to potty but a lot of the time she doesn't care to go where she should. She has barking issues. She is aggressive, moreso as she ages. She just wants her way... She is food possessive. She hates most other dogs. I love her to death and don't regret getting her, but she can be a pain in the butt!! I wouldn't concentrate on gender so much as personality.

Here is a price breakdown of veterinary expenses (times this by 2 if you get another one):

These are the things that have to be done:

Exam (1 or 2 routine checks per year) - $40-$50
Vaccines or titers (varies by year) - $0-$100ish
Heartworm test - $25-$35
Heartworm preventative - $40-$70
Flea Preventative - $50-$130
Fecal - $20-$30
Licensing - $0-$25

These are the things that should be done:
Blood panel - $50-$140
Urinalysis - $25-$50
Dental (when needed) - $150-$400 (without extractions)

And these are some things that can go wrong with approximate prices to fix eatch thing:

Luxating patella (occasionally surgical correction is needed) - $800-$1500 per knee
CCL tear - thousands to fix
IVDD - surgery when warranted is $3500-$7000
Liver shunt surgery is $1200-$5000 with testing
Specialist consult with abdominal ultrasound to take a look at organs when there is fluids in the belly, etc. is $400+
Xray - $80
Bladder stone removal surgery - $1000
Endoscopy for intestinal biopsy - $1000
Anal gland removal (if they continuously get infected) $1000
Urinary tract infection with exam, urinalysis and antibiotic is $100 (add a urine culture for another $100 for best results). UTIs are very common in females.
The $200-$400 routine dental above will jump to up to $1200 if there are problems.
Broken and abscessed tooth - $500-$1500.
Etc. etc., etc.

I hope you dogs are perfectly healthy and will need none of this, but the reality is they probably will need extensive medical care as they age. This is far from an exhaustive list. There are hundreds and hundreds of things that can go wrong. The prices are representative of those in my area.

Pet insurance can be a good alternative, but you still have premiums, deductibles, and copays.

My Yorkie is up to $8000+++ in vet costs. And my PBGV is costing us $45 a month for insurance (which will go up as he gets older) plus a $50 per incident deductible. And the money has to come out of your pocket before the claim is processed. I really think dog owners should get insurance and have access to at least $5000++ instantly in case an ER vet requires money up front for life saving procedures. Line of credit (Care Credit), etc. Easier said than done, but that is optimal.

Grooming will be $30-$75 every 1-3 months per dog unless you learn to do it yourself, but then there is equipment upkeep and such.

If you can buy the food at the grocery store, it probably isnt' worth feeding. My Yorkie is on an rx diet and my PBGV is on a good kibble. It's $2-$3+ per pound of food. It's several hundreds dollars a year to feed them.


Just some things to think about before jumping into this...

Great post!! Something for everyone to consider before adding another.