My tiny girl...
 

Well, we brought our dogs in for their one year checkup and it turns out they are both smaller than we thought. My female is only 3.4 lbs and the male is 4.5 lbs. I am so disappointed because I had hoped to get a litter of puppies out of them (to keep of course). Lindsay would have been such a good little mommy. I guess I have to make an appointment to spay her :(

Heather

Yes, that would be highly advised. Breeding her at her size would be absurd, even if you had a smaller male.
I am sorry. I know it has to be disappointing since you wanted one of their pups. :(

Its not always easy to do the right thing,but you are on the right track..spay and love,the best you can offer :)

Sorry to hear that- but it is the right decision given the circumstances- cheers to you for putting her first instead of your desires-

Sorry to hear. :sad: You are making the right decision to spay her though. She is just to tiny. Proud that you are making the right decision. :)

Yes, I agree that she is too small to breed but I wouldn't be too quick to spay such a tiny girl. I know you have an "intact" male so there is risk of an unwanted pregnancy, but please explore all options before making a decison. You could get a vascetomy for example on the male unless you still plan to use him as a stud dog w/another female. This procedure is much less invasive than a complete neutering and leaves the dog with the hormones necessary for a healthy life.

I am not a vet but I talked to quite a few and read articles about this issue and would encourage you to do the same to decide what is best for your baby.

Even a traditional neuter with removal of the testicles is an easier surgery than the full female spay. Your male is also larger so it may be better if he is the one to have the surgery.

Another alternative for your female is a tubal ligation or a partial spay where they do not remove all of the organs so that she cannot get pregnant but she still has the hormones she needs. This is less invasive and carries less risk to it according to what i have read.

If you decide to spay consider the laporoscopy or the laser surgery as those seem to be better for the dog and the recovery is faster. Also sevoflurene gas is the best anesthesia from what I hear.

Neutering is major surgery and the risks vs. the benefits must be weighed in every case for every dog. I am one who does not believe in "routine" neutering simply to "prevent over population". I believe that responsible yorkie owners can prevent unwanted pregnancies in most cases and avoid this painful surgery for their baby.

Good luck with your little ones.. :)

Thank you so much, Kim for the advice. You posted some very good alternatives to consider. I hate the idea of any of my babies having to have surgery, but at the same time I was considering studding out my male to get a pup from him. Looks like I have quite a bit of research to do before we make that appointment!

Another thought would be to have your female and your male fully evaluated by a canine reproductive specialist to get his/her advice. It could be that your little one is still growing as some continue to "fill out" until 18 months or so. The more important thing is pelvic capacity on the female and frame, not just weight. You could wait just six more months and see then. Of course this means keeping the male and female separated when she is in heat. Has she already had her first heat?

So sorry she's not big enough. As a breeder I agree I wouldn't take the chance on one that size, I'd have her spayed.

Read this thread to see both sides of spaying your female before you make a decision. I know your female is older but the risks are the same...

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29229

Don't stop there!..Ask experts, talk to other pet people on other forums, read on the net. I have done all that myself and found that there are risks in whatever we decide.

Please! Just get all of your facts together and make a decison you and your yorkie can live with.

Good luck!

She hasn't yet had her first heat.