YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post - I would like to know why my Yorkie died suddenly...

gemy · 12-29-2011, 05:51 AM

Dear Cindy;

Your posts have been a lovely tribute to your Tiki. Thank you for sharing him with us, and for your courage, your honesty, and your obvious love and care of Tiki.

I do have some suggestions/questions for you. I'm sorry but I don't know anything about the island you live on, is there actually a ER Vet and or hospital on the island? And if so, is it a reasonable say 15-20 minute drive away? If not as I suspect, is it possible to talk with this retired vet who is a friend, about proactive emergency measures you can have on hand at home, available to you?

I too am one of the ones that annually do a full blood panel work up on each of my dogs. Also urinanalysis and stool sample. I believe it is worth the investment of time, and money, for the knowledge gleaned. At the minimum you have a baseline for future comparative work ups.

I understand your fear and your desire to keep your wee girl safe, to learn from this experience everything you can.

For female Yorkies, here are some of the checks you can do monthly. Is she spayed by the way?
Her nipples (all of them should be palpated), just like giving yourself a breast exam. This gives you knowledge of what her normal anatomy is. And visually examined. Any unusual color changes,sores, bleeding, etc = immediate vet trip. Any unusual lumps or bumps = immediate vet trip.
Spaying your female (if she is not spayed) will significantly reduce the risk of mammary cancer but not necessarily eliminate the risk. Continued on next post

Suggested Other Tests:
Hypothyroidism; Spay/neutered dogs - there have been studies and health surveys for various breeds that show a three fold increased risk of hypothyroidism compared to intact dogs. The liftime risk of hypothyroidism in breed health survey was found to be 1 in 4 in Golden Retrievers, one in 3 in Akitas, and one in 13 in Great Danes. To date www.YTCA.org has not done a full health survey on the Yorkshire Terrier Breed.
How-ever it is one test that many responsible breeders do prior to breeding - get the full thyroid panel done. It is a specialized blood test. Dr Jean Dodds has a very good protocol for this test. You can find out more information here www.hemopet.org

12-29-2011, 05:51 AM	#78
gemy YT 2000 Club Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Huntsville,Ont,Canaada Posts: 12,340 Blog Entries: 2	Dear Cindy; Your posts have been a lovely tribute to your Tiki. Thank you for sharing him with us, and for your courage, your honesty, and your obvious love and care of Tiki. I do have some suggestions/questions for you. I'm sorry but I don't know anything about the island you live on, is there actually a ER Vet and or hospital on the island? And if so, is it a reasonable say 15-20 minute drive away? If not as I suspect, is it possible to talk with this retired vet who is a friend, about proactive emergency measures you can have on hand at home, available to you? I too am one of the ones that annually do a full blood panel work up on each of my dogs. Also urinanalysis and stool sample. I believe it is worth the investment of time, and money, for the knowledge gleaned. At the minimum you have a baseline for future comparative work ups. I understand your fear and your desire to keep your wee girl safe, to learn from this experience everything you can. For female Yorkies, here are some of the checks you can do monthly. Is she spayed by the way? Her nipples (all of them should be palpated), just like giving yourself a breast exam. This gives you knowledge of what her normal anatomy is. And visually examined. Any unusual color changes,sores, bleeding, etc = immediate vet trip. Any unusual lumps or bumps = immediate vet trip. Spaying your female (if she is not spayed) will significantly reduce the risk of mammary cancer but not necessarily eliminate the risk. Continued on next post Suggested Other Tests: Hypothyroidism; Spay/neutered dogs - there have been studies and health surveys for various breeds that show a three fold increased risk of hypothyroidism compared to intact dogs. The liftime risk of hypothyroidism in breed health survey was found to be 1 in 4 in Golden Retrievers, one in 3 in Akitas, and one in 13 in Great Danes. To date www.YTCA.org has not done a full health survey on the Yorkshire Terrier Breed. How-ever it is one test that many responsible breeders do prior to breeding - get the full thyroid panel done. It is a specialized blood test. Dr Jean Dodds has a very good protocol for this test. You can find out more information here www.hemopet.org __________________ Razzle and Dara. Our clan. RIP Karma Dec 24th 2004-July 14 2013 RIP Zoey Jun9 th 2008-May 12 2012. RIP Magic,Mar 26 2006July 1st 2018 Last edited by gemy; 12-29-2011 at 05:56 AM.