I know how you feel about being 'cheated' by your beloved's early parting. When I got my whippet as a pup, I met his grandparents, aged 18 and 22. I thought that I was going to have to provide for OJ in my will, but we had to ease his way to The Bridge after a miserable few months battling congestive heart failure when he was only 11 years old. This was in September and we got Smokey a month later.

I still mourn my best friend and heart-dog and beat myself up regularly about what I maybe could have done and didnt do. I took him to a specialist, I spent a fortune on his care, I had him by my side day and night as I watched him deterioriate before my eyes. What I could have done is to have let him go before he became skin and bones and was gasping for breath. At best, all the drugs and therapy would have bought him (me?) a few more months.

If this was your dog's time and apparently, it was, then it was a blessing that it all happened quickly and with a minimum of suffering. Time heals.. you will forgive yourself for whatever you think you did or didnt do, as I am attempting to forgive myself. We are after all, only human.

So sorry to hear about your loss. I had no idea raisins were toxic either. Please try not to blame yourself, your baby had a great life with you and was very loved.

Dear Cindy;

Your posts have been a lovely tribute to your Tiki. Thank you for sharing him with us, and for your courage, your honesty, and your obvious love and care of Tiki.

I do have some suggestions/questions for you. I'm sorry but I don't know anything about the island you live on, is there actually a ER Vet and or hospital on the island? And if so, is it a reasonable say 15-20 minute drive away? If not as I suspect, is it possible to talk with this retired vet who is a friend, about proactive emergency measures you can have on hand at home, available to you?

I too am one of the ones that annually do a full blood panel work up on each of my dogs. Also urinanalysis and stool sample. I believe it is worth the investment of time, and money, for the knowledge gleaned. At the minimum you have a baseline for future comparative work ups.

I understand your fear and your desire to keep your wee girl safe, to learn from this experience everything you can.

For female Yorkies, here are some of the checks you can do monthly. Is she spayed by the way?
Her nipples (all of them should be palpated), just like giving yourself a breast exam. This gives you knowledge of what her normal anatomy is. And visually examined. Any unusual color changes,sores, bleeding, etc = immediate vet trip. Any unusual lumps or bumps = immediate vet trip.
Spaying your female (if she is not spayed) will significantly reduce the risk of mammary cancer but not necessarily eliminate the risk. Continued on next post


Suggested Other Tests:
Hypothyroidism; Spay/neutered dogs - there have been studies and health surveys for various breeds that show a three fold increased risk of hypothyroidism compared to intact dogs. The liftime risk of hypothyroidism in breed health survey was found to be 1 in 4 in Golden Retrievers, one in 3 in Akitas, and one in 13 in Great Danes. To date www.YTCA.org has not done a full health survey on the Yorkshire Terrier Breed.
How-ever it is one test that many responsible breeders do prior to breeding - get the full thyroid panel done. It is a specialized blood test. Dr Jean Dodds has a very good protocol for this test. You can find out more information here www.hemopet.org

Sorry about your loss, i cant imagine losing him so suddenly after such a long life. We all make mistakes but we also learn from them and grow. Time will heal

Cont'd Monthly

Teeth: Yorkies are prone to having bad teeth. Many of us here brush their teeth at least wkly, and some even daily. I like to examine my dog's mouths at least once a month - I'm looking for tartar build up, any chipped teeth, evidence of gum problems,etc. Also your dog's breath shouldn't smell bad - bad breath is a sign of something not right - either in the mouth - or digestive system.
There are also addivities you can put in their water to help with tartar buildup. Here I wouldn't start any of those additives without talking to my vet first. Also I only start those things after puppy is an adult.

Ears: Visual check inside and out - also there should be no smell at all from a healthy ear. Ear canal should always be kept open. I don't need to pluck my Yorkies hair from inside his ears, but some owners do need to.

Pyometra: Infection of the Uterus:
Affects mostly unspayed females. Rarely a spayed female can develop what is called stump pyometra

So if your female is intact, you need to observe her heats, and obviously keep her safe from any mating. I always keep her area washed, and if you use panties, the sanitary napkin, is changed very frequently. I will will take the panty off when I take her out for her bathroom breaks, and change liner when we return.

Any discharge other than normal heat discharge is cause for concern. Any fever coupled with discharge is immediate trip to vet.

Pyometra can be deadly to females and from infection onset to death can be as little as 24 hours.

Flea and Tick Prevention

Talk to your vet about this one. I don't know what he/she will recommend for use on a 3.5lb female.

Lymes Disease:

Again vet discussion as to how prevalent this is in Belize. This needs to be offset with risks associated with the vaccine, particularly given the small size of your girl.

Annual Vaccinations

Please see article by Dr Jean Dodds in our library with respect to vaccination protocols for toy breeds.

Skeletal and Muscular

I always and it is a pleasure to do so, just part of our normal grooming routines, massage my dogs from toe to toe:)
This will give you their normal feel of muscle bulk. Also if there are sensitive areas.
It will give you the feel of all their boney areas and how freely their legs, knees, hock joints etc move.

Does your little girl have LP? Luxating Patella? If so is she on any joint preventatives? Another speak to your vet area. LP is very common in toy breeds.

Monthly Heartworm Preventative

Likely she is on one, but if not speak to your vet about this.

Eyes:
Yorkies like a lot of other breeds can suffer from PRA. That is progressive Retinal Atrophy.
They can also get cataracts and eye ulcers.
Any unusual eye discharge, redness, weeping, crusting, etc and again a vet visit is in order.


There are many wonderful articles here found in our library.

I didn't mean to write a book, just wanted to responds as throughly as I could about keeping your wee girl safe.

I'm so sorry for your loss, you sound heartbroken. I hope you can find some answers that help you in the healing process.

Since this was around the holiday, did you have a poinsettia in the house? They are toxic to dogs...they don't normally cause death, but I just thought I'd mention this.

I'm so sorry for your loss and I pray that time heals and you have good memories of your furkid...

Marines are ALWAYS right!!! Steve, you are right on with this one. Semper Fi.....

I really haven't even thought about it honestly. Why would somebody post something so sad if it wasn't real?

Perhaps to spam the forum?

Why? Why do people make false claims in general? WHy did a former President not have Sex with that lady? Why did the Secretary of Statre claim she ran under gunfire for the plane to the hanger? Why are there so many pretend Seals and Green Berets? Why do people lie in general?

Ok, I need to take a break for a minute. I am just too emotional typing out this reply.

I just don't get people I guess. I really don't understand why people lie and make up terrible things.

It is very sad if she is lying :( Her story broke my heart.

I did a google search. It was pretty easy to find. Sure, the OP might not be that person, but that was certainly some quick work if someone else stole her identity just to come here and make up a story that sounds reasonable.

I'm very sorry for your loss.