Maintenance Cost For Keeping a Yorkie Teacup?

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Torguy

WOW, this really is an Amazing community! I want to first thank all of you for putting the time and effort into answering my question!


I was planning on buying from a place called Minipups.ca, has anyone heard of them?...They come up when I search for breeders in my area (Toronto), but they charge like $2500 for "Teacups" as you guys mentioned to be careful of.

However they are selling lots, I mean every time they are sold out and they sell the next set of puppies the next month, and they offer Warranties and only sell to be people in person they feel are fit to look after the dog etc...


So I guess from my understanding from these posts, my initial costs will be expensive, but thereafter will be much cheaper generally speaking? So on average around $600 a year give or take.


Lastly, can anyone recommend a reputable Breeder in Toronto that's sells the smaller size Yorkies?


Thanks again!!

Anyone who advertises teacups is not reputable. It also seems strange they would have new pups every month. If you get a pup from a bad breeder your costs can go up due to genetic issues that can be a result in poor breeding. My pup came from a bad breeder and ended up needing two different knee surgerys at $2,000 and $3,000 each, then she has pretty decent allergies and is on a very expensive allergy medicine. She also has hypothyroid which is another medicine. We are also looking at her possibly having another issue that the rechecking of medicine for can cost $400 each time. When getting from a bad breeder the risks of issues increase a lot but there are some genetic issues that are common to yorkies that they can still get even from amazing breeding. There are also lots of accidents that can happen. My girl has gotten her dew claw stuck on something and it ripped off and her nerve and vein was hanging out, she jumped off the couch once and her shoulder over extending but in order to figure that out we had an er vet visit, a regular vet visit and then a trip to a specialist with X-rays. The only way to really know the size a dog will be when fully grown is to get an adult.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Torguy

I dunno, these are all speculative, I am in no way trying to defend anyone here but you'll never for sure I guess, but I hate making assumptions.

For all I know that guy on the Facebook could be trying to put genuine people out of business for whatever reason, who knows really unless he is part of the "Animal Authorities or something more legit.

There are things that those of us hear call red flags when looking at breeders and this breeder has a lot. There prices are to high. Teacup is not a word used by reputable breeders because it was made up by bad breeders to try and get more money for certain dogs. Many people have bought teacups and ended up with a dog that was well over the standard of 7 pounds. They also see mixes which a reputable breeder does not do because reputable breeders only believe in bettering the breeding. I understand you don't want to be judging and stuff but to most of us here breeding is a very serious thing. There are so many bad breeders out there that breeding well bad and creating the rise of sick dogs and genetic illnesses as well as more dogs that get dumped at shelters and put to sleep.

[ironmike86]

Originally Posted by Torguy

I dunno, these are all speculative, I am in no way trying to defend anyone here but you'll never for sure I guess, but I hate making assumptions.

For all I know that guy on the Facebook could be trying to put genuine people out of business for whatever reason, who knows really unless he is part of the "Animal Authorities or something more legit.

FWIW A puppy broker is pretty much the Devil himself. They will take puppy mill pups and advertise them. Advertising is an art. thats why some make so much...but they sell the puppy mill pups. They dont care about anything but money. Teacups advertised is a key word not to buy form. While some thing thats yeah buy . Legit breeders never use that word.

[Russpilot]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

My Yorkies, depending on the parents/looks/bloodlines/show potential, will go for as much as $3000.00......but most are 2000.00- 2500.00......but my babies do not leave here until they are 14-16 weeks old and are are fully vaccinated and microchipped....paper trained....a new owner has no expense except spay/neutering at 8 months age, and a rabies shot.....and they have a HEALTHY dog that will not require any additional expenses. THAT is a whole lot better than spending $800.00 on a puppy, having to pay for all shots and then hopefully, there will be no vet bills.....several of my owners came to me after going down this road, $600.00-$800.00 for their puppy, then an additional $4000.00-$6500.00 trying to save their sick puppy with birth defects that died anyway.....I charge just enough to cover the amount of money and time I have invested in that baby, seldom doing better than breaking even......but most importantly, they will have a healthy, well socialized, well adjusted, loving baby.

I completely agree that this is how they should be sold. We have a 9 month old girl who has been through two major surgeries and is close to 10000 in total investment so far. Buy a healthy pup from a good breeder!!!!

[Torguy]

Wow, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am carefully reading through all your wonderful insightful posts to say the least, I will respond to each of you.

This is a big decision, so I want to make sure I make the best one with your help.


Thank You!

[JoeyButtons]

I'm a new yorkie mom, and I have a small pup named Joey Buttons. Although he wasn't advertised as "teacup," he is very small (only 3.5 lbs at 6 months old) and is only expected to grow to 4-5 lbs.

Vet bills for Joey were quite expensive to start. He's so small that he can only handle 1 shot per visit (as opposed to 2) so we had to take him to the vet almost every other week for a while. I live in NYC, so the prices are probably more than what you're looking at- but I definitely spent $1000 on all the shots and vaccines. Now he's done with shots, we're in the clear until next year! (Thank God!!)

Additionally, he got a bit of a belly ache a few weeks ago, which I'm told is quite common for pups, so that was another couple hundred for a vet visit and a week's worth of medicine. (They're just like kids during the first year in school- they'll pick up whatever is in the air!)

I haven't neutered yet, and I'm not 100% sure I will. He's so small that at this point, I don't want to do anything that would stunt his growth or deter him from eating.

The other thing that I would consider mandatory is grooming. These yorkies have long hair! I would think prices vary drastically on this one, and if you can do it yourself- I would!

Having said all that, check out Joey's breeder's website if you're near PA: Ellie's Cute as a Button Yorkies. Joey is THE BEST puppy I've ever met0- so well behaved, super smart, and SOSOSOSOSO cute!! I would whole-heartedly recommend purchasing from Scarlett and Amy. I hear they're having a litter in October!

Good luck!


Edit: Just saw you're from Toronto, so that's probably too far for the breeder I purchased from. Good luck either way! I found my breeder in the local paper and when I called, she asked more questions of us than we did of the puppies. I saw this as a green flag- she obviously wasn't going to sell to just anybody! She basically interviewed us LOL (thankfully, we passed!)

[matese]

Originally Posted by JoeyButtons

I'm a new yorkie mom, and I have a small pup named Joey Buttons. Although he wasn't advertised as "teacup," he is very small (only 3.5 lbs at 6 months old) and is only expected to grow to 4-5 lbs.

Vet bills for Joey were quite expensive to start. He's so small that he can only handle 1 shot per visit (as opposed to 2) so we had to take him to the vet almost every other week for a while. I live in NYC, so the prices are probably more than what you're looking at- but I definitely spent $1000 on all the shots and vaccines. Now he's done with shots, we're in the clear until next year! (Thank God!!)

Additionally, he got a bit of a belly ache a few weeks ago, which I'm told is quite common for pups, so that was another couple hundred for a vet visit and a week's worth of medicine. (They're just like kids during the first year in school- they'll pick up whatever is in the air!)

I haven't neutered yet, and I'm not 100% sure I will. He's so small that at this point, I don't want to do anything that would stunt his growth or deter him from eating.

The other thing that I would consider mandatory is grooming. These yorkies have long hair! I would think prices vary drastically on this one, and if you can do it yourself- I would!

Having said all that, check out Joey's breeder's website if you're near PA: Ellie's Cute as a Button Yorkies. Joey is THE BEST puppy I've ever met0- so well behaved, super smart, and SOSOSOSOSO cute!! I would whole-heartedly recommend purchasing from Scarlett and Amy. I hear they're having a litter in October!

Good luck!


Edit: Just saw you're from Toronto, so that's probably too far for the breeder I purchased from. Good luck either way! I found my breeder in the local paper and when I called, she asked more questions of us than we did of the puppies. I saw this as a green flag- she obviously wasn't going to sell to just anybody! She basically interviewed us LOL (thankfully, we passed!)

Consider yourself very lucky for finding a good breeder in this area, this area is the gold mine of puppy mills (Lancaster Pa.)

[MzLynnC]

Oh My - what type of problems did you have with two operations and being so young?

[JoeyButtons]

Originally Posted by matese

Consider yourself very lucky for finding a good breeder in this area, this area is the gold mine of puppy mills (Lancaster Pa.)

Yes, I know!! I was shocked to hear that... and I am originally from Lancaster, PA, which is where I was looking. I've actually heard that lot of puppy mills are run by the Amish, although I'm not 100% sure if there's any truth to that.

I noticed a few years ago when I was searching online that a lot of these websites are selling expensive breeds for just a few hundred dollars... and they were all located in PA!!

It's very sad, but I'm lucky to have found a reputable breeder. She keeps in touch with me as well. She let's me ask questions and offers me advice- she's been such a big help and a great resource. She actually told me about this Forum.

[Zeus is Loved]

Our precious Zeus was not "advertised" as a teacup, but he is very tiny. He is 11 months old and weighs 4 lbs. We bought him from a local gentleman that only has one litter of puppies a year. We found out from someone about this man. He really loves these puppies. When you get them, they are almost fully paper trained, shots, and well taken care of. We chose Zeus for his temperament. He is very docile and a little on the sensitive side, which is exactly what we wanted. He was the "runt" of the litter last year. I don't think anyone wanted him because he is so docile, although he is very playful with us when he's ready to be. We did have him neutered at 6 months, because we knew we wouldn't breed him and didn't want the hunching and hiking. The vet assured us it was a safe age for him. Being neutered has not affected him at all. He is the same precious baby now he was before he had the surgery. So far, fingers crossed, we have had no problems. Living in Mississippi (things are cheaper), the neuter was $100. His office visits are $25-40 (depending if he gets a shot). Of course, we would do anything for him at this point within our financial power to do so. We love him as we love each other. He is the best puppy/dog I've ever met! I don't know what me and my husband did to hit the jackpot with the best son a person could ask for and the best puppy a person could ask for, but I will take it and be very thankful.

[Whitmtob]

The first thing you need to understand is that there is no such thing as a teacup anything. You are looking for a yorkie, a smaller yorkie but still a yorkie. Anyone wishing to sell you a "teacup" you should run away from as fast as possible!

[Torguy]

Originally Posted by JoeyButtons

I'm a new yorkie mom, and I have a small pup named Joey Buttons. Although he wasn't advertised as "teacup," he is very small (only 3.5 lbs at 6 months old) and is only expected to grow to 4-5 lbs.

Vet bills for Joey were quite expensive to start. He's so small that he can only handle 1 shot per visit (as opposed to 2) so we had to take him to the vet almost every other week for a while. I live in NYC, so the prices are probably more than what you're looking at- but I definitely spent $1000 on all the shots and vaccines. Now he's done with shots, we're in the clear until next year! (Thank God!!)

Additionally, he got a bit of a belly ache a few weeks ago, which I'm told is quite common for pups, so that was another couple hundred for a vet visit and a week's worth of medicine. (They're just like kids during the first year in school- they'll pick up whatever is in the air!)

I haven't neutered yet, and I'm not 100% sure I will. He's so small that at this point, I don't want to do anything that would stunt his growth or deter him from eating.

The other thing that I would consider mandatory is grooming. These yorkies have long hair! I would think prices vary drastically on this one, and if you can do it yourself- I would!

Having said all that, check out Joey's breeder's website if you're near PA: Ellie's Cute as a Button Yorkies. Joey is THE BEST puppy I've ever met0- so well behaved, super smart, and SOSOSOSOSO cute!! I would whole-heartedly recommend purchasing from Scarlett and Amy. I hear they're having a litter in October!

Good luck!


Edit: Just saw you're from Toronto, so that's probably too far for the breeder I purchased from. Good luck either way! I found my breeder in the local paper and when I called, she asked more questions of us than we did of the puppies. I saw this as a green flag- she obviously wasn't going to sell to just anybody! She basically interviewed us LOL (thankfully, we passed!)

This is what Minipups.ca did with me, although I did not book anything, they said they there a chance they may not sell it to me upon meeting me and asking me questions and all.

You're so lucky you have one, I want one so bad but cant just go and purchase it lol, its a bit of a lengthy process.'

BTW, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you purchase your puppy for?


Thanks anyway for the link!

[Torguy]

Originally Posted by ironmike86

OP I think this would be the best thing you can do. Before you spend alot of $$. You want to see the best representation of the breed. You want to learn what they are really suppose to look like. Yeah they are all cuties. But if you are willing to spend large amounts of money. Go to someone who lives Yorkie. Not to one who just pumps out litters. At first you don't notice the short legs,long legs short neck long necks. Flat top line, roach back eye set, ect ect. but after awhile you can't help your self.JMO Dog Shows are fun also

Thanks for the advise, I will consider this for sure.

[Torguy]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Anyone who advertises teacups is not reputable. It also seems strange they would have new pups every month. If you get a pup from a bad breeder your costs can go up due to genetic issues that can be a result in poor breeding. My pup came from a bad breeder and ended up needing two different knee surgerys at $2,000 and $3,000 each, then she has pretty decent allergies and is on a very expensive allergy medicine. She also has hypothyroid which is another medicine. We are also looking at her possibly having another issue that the rechecking of medicine for can cost $400 each time. When getting from a bad breeder the risks of issues increase a lot but there are some genetic issues that are common to yorkies that they can still get even from amazing breeding. There are also lots of accidents that can happen. My girl has gotten her dew claw stuck on something and it ripped off and her nerve and vein was hanging out, she jumped off the couch once and her shoulder over extending but in order to figure that out we had an er vet visit, a regular vet visit and then a trip to a specialist with X-rays. The only way to really know the size a dog will be when fully grown is to get an adult.

I agree, at the same time I just think personally they use the word "Teacup" just to describe that its a smaller than normal dog, but cant say for sure.

[gemy]

Maybe they do and maybe they don't but the use of the word teacup is very much frowned upon by the breed clubs for Yorkies.


I do agree this place looks like a broker - I would stay far away from them