[Julia Howard]

I too have been told by a specialist that is is very common in yorkies and
the gene for it can be passed along. I have read material that states it is and some that says it is not genetic. I tend to believe it is. I had a male that was very sick numerous times with it. He actually lived to be nine in spite of the problems we encountered. He had been used as stud before the first attack and sure enough there was one little female in that litter who inherited the problem. The other three were fine. The little female is going through much the same thing except the specialist we work with got us started early with Pickles. She has a daily dose of amphoral to keep her little insides from hemorraging (sp) and antibiotics for emergencies. She is different from her Dad in that when she starts bleeding it turns into a puddle. He usually started with diarrhea and it turned bloody. The first time with Pickles was during the night and we thought she was dead when we found her in a puddle of blood the next morning. Rushed her to the vet and after meds and IV she was home in a couple of days. With her if I am attentive enough I can tell when it is coming on by the way she acts and the squealing her little tummy does. It is a horrible way for her to have to live. But this line (HG) will end with her. She is very precious though. She has to sleep in my room and stay with my MIL while I work. It is funny how even in my sleep I hear her when her tummy starts. She is a parti and the sweetest little angel. She is well worth the extra efforts, just wish she didnt have to suffer and could get treats like the others. Diet is the key to keeping it under control. It makes my day to pick her up and see her dancing on her little back feet with front legs crossed in the air. We call it the "Pickles Party"