Hello YT! I am hoping you can give me a little general advice about our new Yorkie, Cookie. She is 8 months old and PRECIOUS- my husband, 12 year old son and I have just fallen in love. How she came to be with us is kind of a long story, and honestly, a week and a half ago, there were no Yorkie intentions in our household. We are beyond thrilled to have her, though, and she has slipped into our family and our hearts. A little background on her: she was NOT bred to be a “teacup” or purposely tiny dog- we saw several other pups from her breeder, and they were all good, standard size (or larger), healthy Yorkies, as were her mom and dad. She was well cared for and well socialized. She came to us with all her vaccines, health checkups, and a mild cough. We had her looked at in the walk in clinic with our vet, who said she had good lung sounds, no signs of trachea issues, and likely has a virus that should get better. She weighed in at 3 lbs at that visit, and we were told she may not get much larger. We did not get her for her size- we fell in love with her spunky, cuddly personality and the fact that she was a bit older. Honestly, I’d like to see her continue to grow a bit, though I know she may not. However, her size is a concern to me. I had a 4lb Chihuahua for 17 years, so I feel good about keeping her safe, but she seems more dainty than Daisy did. So my first questions are about size: I would NEVER buy a dog being bred for small size, or advertised as being “teacup” or micro, or whatever awful thing they are doing now. However, with Cookie just ending up tiny by genetic chance, and being bred from healthy lines, can she be healthy? I’m terrified after reading about how terribly unhealthy these tiny Yorkies can be, but it seems like many of them were bred by choice that way, sacrificing health for size. Can Cookie have a good, long, healthy life?
Are there things I need to think of to help her with being so tiny? Just like with Daisy, she won’t be allowed to climb on/jump off furniture, and we are carefully leash training her since we live in a hawk-heavy area. Anything else safety wise?
Finally, Thursday morning is her first “official” vet visit. She will be looked at from teeth to toes, and we will be scheduling her spay appointment. What do I need to be sure and talk to my vet about? I’ve been reading these forums since she came home, and my 2 biggest fears were trachea collapse or liver shunt. At her short walk-in checkup, the vet felt like those two things wouldn’t be issues. What else should I ask? She still has that mild, slightly wheezy cough, and her tummy has been audibly gurgling a couple times today. She is ultra spunky, energetic, eating well, normal stools. What should I get my vet to educate me about? Any concerns I should voice?
Thank you! I never set out to be a Yorkie owner, but now that I am, I just adore her. I really want to help her have her best life possible!
