Are Yorkie's a "sickly" type of dog breed?

[mylittlegal]

Thank you everyone for your information and advice. Now she has something else wrong with her. They think either a bladder infection or "crustals"...I have been home all day trying to get a sample from her to take back to the vet, but all she pees is these little droplets.

[Lee B]

Bladder crystals are VERY painful. The crystals are not like stones, which are usually round. They are true crystals, with sharp points.

Cats are more prone to them than dogs; it's frequently correctable with dietary changes. The object is to lower the dog's pH so that the urine becomes more acid, thus not allowing the crystals to form in the first place. Of course, this takes place AFTER you get her past this.

She may not be ABLE to do more than dribble if she has a partial blockage of the urethra.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by mylittlegal

Thank you everyone for your information and advice. Now she has something else wrong with her. They think either a bladder infection or "crustals"...I have been home all day trying to get a sample from her to take back to the vet, but all she pees is these little droplets.

I responded on your other thread, I hope she gets better soon. When the immune system is week, it's so easy to get secondary infections. Best of luck with this.

[Yorkieluv]

You should take her to the vet so that they can obtain a clean sample themselves so that they can really take a good look at it without wondering if it's contaminated. Good luck, and prayers for your little one. If she's straining to pee or only pees very small amounts, it's possible that she could have stones. It's important to find out what kinds of crystals/stones she may have so that you can begin the proper protocol for her.

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by Lee B

I think one of the problems is this: NO ONE ever posts "Wow! my pup is just the healthiest li'l thing goin'! She *never* has any problems and can eat anything she wants"

Nope ... doesn't happen. What DOES happen is that someone has a pup who has problems - who then posts to get support, help, and opinions. You don't need to do that with a healthy pup, so the only ones you hear about are the ones with problems.

Yorkies are a toy breed: they're tiny and more prone to injury. But all breeds have problems - even the "mutts". Read any breed specific board and you'll find the threads filled with problems ...

My two babies came from different breeders, neither one of which would be considered "good". But they were caring individuals who allowed me into their homes to see how the pups lived - and it was good. They were loved, at least. They're both just over a year old, and so far are as healthy as they come. But I also make sure that they're fed as well as I can possibly supply.

When I first got them and read all the stories, I wondered if I'd ever sleep a whole night again without checking on them . But they're fine.

I think we think they're so "fragile" because we only hear from the folks who have pups who ARE fragile. But they're not all like that, not by a long shot. If they were, they'd hardly be as popular as they are: no one could afford to have them.

I was thinking the exact same thing. This is a support network for many people, and when does a person need extra support? When something goes wrong! But there are also threads of people showing how much fun their yorkies are having. So we're not a complete downers here!

[dwerten]

I say get a reputable breeder for sure and have the odds in your favor as i did not know any better and i got a pet store yorkie dex who had severe pancreatitis and has ibd. My dee dee is a yorkie from a backyard breeder and she has mvd, hypothyroid, one luxating patella low grade and severe atopic dermatitis -basically a horrible immune system and a maltese demi from petfinder.com rescue but she is from a show breeder and has been healthy for 4 1/2 years but just had 27 teeth removed due to periodontal disease as i was so fearful to put her under for a dental. I am on 55 dog groups now and educate myself thoroughly and have learned the hard way and have spent a ton of money but having said that i love the breed so much I will get another one but know the breeders i would get them from as after 4 1/2 years i realize that is very important and you will have the best odds. It is heartbreaking having the health issues but sometimes i feel like i got the unhealthy ones because i could afford it and because i do not have skin kids and maybe i am suppose to learn to be more healthy myself. I have learned alot from these 3 but have cried many tears over the health issues i have had to deal with

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by dwerten

I say get a reputable breeder for sure and have the odds in your favor as i did not know any better and i got a pet store yorkie dex who had severe pancreatitis and has ibd. My dee dee is a yorkie from a backyard breeder and she has mvd, hypothyroid, one luxating patella low grade and severe atopic dermatitis -basically a horrible immune system and a maltese demi from petfinder.com rescue but she is from a show breeder and has been healthy for 4 1/2 years but just had 27 teeth removed due to periodontal disease as i was so fearful to put her under for a dental. I am on 55 dog groups now and educate myself thoroughly and have learned the hard way and have spent a ton of money but having said that i love the breed so much I will get another one but know the breeders i would get them from as after 4 1/2 years i realize that is very important and you will have the best odds. It is heartbreaking having the health issues but sometimes i feel like i got the unhealthy ones because i could afford it and because i do not have skin kids and maybe i am suppose to learn to be more healthy myself. I have learned alot from these 3 but have cried many tears over the health issues i have had to deal with

Very thoughtful post, I became an advocate for good breeding practices after having had a terrible experience with with a very lovable bybs dog. I had small children at the time, and it was so hard to tell them that there was nothing we could do for the dog, and he was only 7 when it had to be put to sleep. I'll never forget the vets words when he told me about the condition, and added the words, "damn backyard breeders."

[chestermama]

Chester is 6 yrs old and his only major vet trips are the itches, he has allergies to something but I dont know what. Chester has no teeth or knee problems.

[Babz]

I do not think Mocha came from the best breeder.. But their puppies were very clean, alert, and looks very well taken care of. They even gave me tips on taping and what to feed etc etc. They care about their dogs.

Knock wood, so far Mocha is not displaying any serious disease symptoms. The only problem I have ever had with her is vomiting after eating Greenies and vomiting water when she was still on water feeder.

She's a tough one. I daresay she's very healthy

[Babz]

What I meant to say is... So far she's very healthy. The vet also agrees. I hope this continues for the rest of her lives.

I was also very worried when I did more research AFTER getting Mocha (I know, my fault), and I kept checking for symptoms of various diseases. But so far, she's displaying characteristics of having steel stomachs, never having problems switching food, never picky about food, never displaying signs of separation anxiety, etc etc. I think I deserve less actually She's a strong angel.