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

[mylittlegal]

Hi everyone. I have a 2 year old yorkie who was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor and had it removed on friday. I dont know how long we will have her with us, its a day by day process waiting to see if they pop up again or not. I am already thinking about the terrible day we may not have her with us anymore. My three year old daughter loves loves loves this little dog. Its HER dog by all means!! I Know that we will want to get another dog in the future, and I love everything about our little yorkie! I love her beautiful face, beautiful personality, her size, her just being with us, but then I read a lot on here about these poor sick little doggies, and I was just seriously wondering if this is a breed that has a lot of health problems. I dont know.. this is my first one!
For those of you that have many years of experience with this type of dog, how do they usually live health wise????
Thanks so much!

[chachi]

There are some health problems that yorkies and small breeds are prone to but there are alot of them that have no health problems. I have 2 that are 4 yrs old that have no health problems and I didnt get them from the best breeder. I think your best bet is to find a reputable breeder that stands behind their linesand has a good health guarantee. I wouldnt hesitate getting a yorkie again

[jackson25]

Originally Posted by chachi

There are some health problems that yorkies and small breeds are prone to but there are alot of them that have no health problems. I have 2 that are 4 yrs old that have no health problems and I didnt get them from the best breeder. I think your best bet is to find a reputable breeder that stands behind their linesand has a good health guarantee. I wouldnt hesitate getting a yorkie again

I would have to agree, I have 5 yorkies myself the oldest being 5 and the youngest being 4 months and knock on wood all of mine have been healthy and no problems besides my youngest boy needing a few teeth extracted.

Jackson Gracie Tucker Rosey Abbie

[Nancy1999]

Yorkies are the second most popular breed of dogs after the Labrador Retriever which is number one. Being popular is not necessarily a good thing because many people breed just as a money making proposition and not a love for the breed. When this happens, important safeguards, such as health screening, and only breeding those that are the best examples of the breed are often ignored. In time, this produces sickly dogs that don't often meet breed standards. I agree with the others, find the best breeder you can, and only support those breeders who truly care about the breed, your chances of getting a healthy pet are greatly increased, after all, a good breeder is producing "line" so healthy offspring is important to them as well.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Yorkies are the second most popular breed of dogs after the Labrador Retriever which is number one. Being popular is not necessarily a good thing because many people breed just as a money making proposition and not a love for the breed. When this happens, important safeguards, such as health screening, and only breeding those that are the best examples of the breed are often ignored. In time, this produces sickly dogs that don't often meet breed standards. I agree with the others, find the best breeder you can, and only support those breeders who truly care about the breed, your chances of getting a healthy pet are greatly increased, after all, a good breeder is producing "line" so healthy offspring is important to them as well.

Here are a few statistics that show what popularity has cost Yorkies:

* Yorkies are thirty-six times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined according to a study done at the University of Tennessee.

* Yorkies are ranked #4 in cases of luxating patellas according to the Orthopedic Foundation of America.

Getting a puppy from a reputable breeder who health tests and is knowledgable about genetics and her lines is important if you want a healthy Yorkie. Remember, many genetic health issues don't show up until years later.

[dcapper]

My yorkie is 17 and has had his fair share of illnesses including 2 seizures last night. I have another post about what transpired last night. But generally these breeds can live a very long time. My breeder said that all of her litters lived from 12-20 years old!

[ILUVSADIE]

Sadie's breeder was recommended to me by several different knowledgable people including my vet. The breeder has bred many champions - BUT...... a couple of months later, Sadie was diagnosed with a heart murmur. I brought her to a vet cardiologist who performed an echocardiogram, heard the murmur, but felt that it wasn't all that serious. My own vet had insisted on the echocardiogram before her would spay her. The breeder was NOT very receptive about hearing this and said that her own vet had not heard the murmur.

Then further on down the line, she has been diagnosed with a luxating patella. Another dog in her litter has won best of breed and best of show in a number of competitions in Canada and the US - DUH!! This has me VERRRRRY confused about her lineage!!

What do you all think about this????? I've been wanting to get another puppy, but am verrry leary about getting one from this breeder.

Any suggestions????

I hope that I didn't highjack this thread - LOL

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by ILUVSADIE

Sadie's breeder was recommended to me by several different knowledgable people including my vet. The breeder has bred many champions - BUT...... a couple of months later, Sadie was diagnosed with a heart murmur. I brought her to a vet cardiologist who performed an echocardiogram, heard the murmur, but felt that it wasn't all that serious. My own vet had insisted on the echocardiogram before her would spay her. The breeder was NOT very receptive about hearing this and said that her own vet had not heard the murmur.

Then further on down the line, she has been diagnosed with a luxating patella. Another dog in her litter has won best of breed and best of show in a number of competitions in Canada and the US - DUH!! This has me VERRRRRY confused about her lineage!!

What do you all think about this????? I've been wanting to get another puppy, but am verrry leary about getting one from this breeder.

Any suggestions????

I hope that I didn't highjack this thread - LOL

At the present time, it's impossible to breed 100% healthy litters with no illnesses ever. What we are talking about is increasing your probability of obtaining a healthy pet. Some people would have gone ahead and bred Sadie with her problems, and maybe some of her babies would have been healthier than her, but in all probability, her offspring has greater chance of having Luxating Patella than her siblings offspring, if her siblings were disease free.

I'm glad Sadie found a good home, from what I've read heart murmurs can be many different categories, and some cause no problems ever.

[Wigfur]

I have two and I've had nothing but good with them both!

[lilmrsellis]

This is going to be an unpopular statement, but I don't think breeding "bad" traits is as responsible as overbreeding. The bloodline mania in dogs floors me. You may think you're doing a good thing by breeding your dog only to champions, but the small population of "breedable" dogs virtually insures genetic deformities will arise. That's how it is when people only breed to a small population and dogs are the same. Think "Devliverance".

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by lilmrsellis

This is going to be an unpopular statement, but I don't think breeding "bad" traits is as responsible as overbreeding. The bloodline mania in dogs floors me. You may think you're doing a good thing by breeding your dog only to champions, but the small population of "breedable" dogs virtually insures genetic deformities will arise. That's how it is when people only breed to a small population and dogs are the same. Think "Devliverance".

Well even the sickly puppy mill puppy is probably related to a champion somewhere, no one is suggesting that as long as your dog is related to a champion you are safe. That's why good breeders have a through understanding of pedigrees and study lines before choosing a dog to breed.

[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.

[yorkiekist]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Well even the sickly puppy mill puppy is probably related to a champion somewhere, no one is suggesting that as long as your dog is related to a champion you are safe. That's why good breeders have a through understanding of pedigrees and study lines before choosing a dog to breed.

Great post!! For some reason people think that breeding their pet quality dog to a champion will miraculously solve every genetic health problem in one fail swoop.

[MauiGirl]

I know you will get lots of opinions about your original question, so I won't elaborate much on that, remember that there is a risk of disease with any breed of dog. Good point made that you will hear more about the illness here than the healthy dogs. Overall they are a wonderful breed, and you already know you love them, so why not choose a Yorkie again?

What I really want to say is how sorry I am that you are going thru this with your dog. It is devastating to think of possibly losing her especially so young, and I feel your concern over your daughter. My mini Schnauzer died suddenly in April, and I was so worried because my 4 yr. old granddaughter who spends a lot of time here was so close to her. I was surprised to find out that young children accept loss of a pet much better that we adults. I got a Yorkie a month later, and then a Morkie 3 months after that, and we all ADORE them.

My thoughts and prayer are with you.

[davis]

I have 2 yorkies and 1 yorkiepoo. My oldest yorkie is 8 (I got him when he was 3) and I got my other yorkie when he was 8 weeks old. Both of my yorkies are healthy. My oldest one gets a sore throat from time to time but my younger one so far (he is 14 months old) hasn't really had any problems. Neither has my yorkiepoo which I got from the shelter when he was 9 months old (he was surrendered because they couldn't housebreak him). I think there are some dogs that have problems no matter the breed and others are fine just like people. I wouldn't be afraid to get another yorkie myself. As a matter of fact I am talking to the breeder that I got my baby yorkie from about possibly getting another one a little later. My breeder is in Mississippi.