Need help from folks that understand Yorkies
 

I want to start off by apologizing for the length of this post. I am so confused and need help from folks that understand Yorkies. I lost my precious 12-year-old Yorkie on Sep.11, 2020. She was not only my baby, my best friend but my constant companion. She was by my side at all times. She was there from a time of house full of 4 little boys to them growing into men, moving off to college leaving us empty nesters. She was a tough little girl. We didn't know she was sick until it was too late. She died of kidney failure. She had been for her well-check with normal bloodwork 7 months before. Also, our boxer mix who only knew life around Holly (She was 4 when we got him as a puppy) is grieving to the point of losing weight (our vet ran ALOT of test confirming the only thing wrong is he misses his Alpha Holly telling him what to do), and he is experiencing extreme separation anxiety. He has been put on medication for depression. Our vet told us to get him a bossy puppy like Holly because he is so skittish he needs an alpha. So began our search for the perfect Yorkie. We have spent months checking out breeders. Of course, there are 6month plus waiting list almost everywhere. We are on those waitlists, the shortest we are #21 and the longest #45. Then I came across a breeder on puppyfind.com. She is wonderful. She communicates everything. She has a 1lb 9-week old female puppy (we were concerned with her being so small, but her parents are 4 lb each. She isn't being sold as a teacup but everything I'm reading this morning sounds like she is) we were supposed to pick her up last night. The breeder called yesterday and said she had diarrhea. She took a stool sample to her vet and said she still had roundworms but it wasn't quite time for her last deworming. We decided to wait until morning to go pick her up. At 6;30am I received a text, she had been rushed to the vet. Results were her stomach flipped, According to the breeder, the vet said she caught it before it was too serious. She is still at the Vet. From what I've read this is life-threatening. My question is anyone's thoughts on this and should I back out of getting this sweet puppy. I have seen her. She is very tiny but beautiful and when I saw her she was very playful and seemed very smart. I just don't know what to do. I didn't intend on buying a teacup because I have read about health issues. If you were me, would you pass on this little one and wait for one on the waitlists?

I would most definitely NOT take this baby, stay on the waiting list for a healthy baby.
Years back I went through what you're going through now with a grieving fur baby. I then had a pack of 3 females, all 3 years apart. The two older ones passed 6 months apart leaving the baby as the only fur baby. She was depressed, her lil clown personality was gone. I gave her 6 months to adjust to being an only fur child.

7 months later there were so changes so my quest started to find her a BFF.
I found the perfect buddy, my girl was "the Diva" made that way from her two older sisters who babied and spoiled her, she was a very bossy lil gal.

My concern was, she was always the baby, could she now be a momma. The puppy I found was a big girl at 8 weeks old, I knew this puppy would not be bossed around. I took her home, set her on the floor, when my grieving girl saw this puppy she ran to her like she was a long lost pal. It was love at first sight. She bonded with the puppy immediately, my lil clown was back and took over the role of the momma.

So I do know what your Boxer is going through and his pain is your pain. But please do not rush into getting a sickly baby, as hard as it is, please wait for a healthy one and not a "so called" teacup (((hugs))) :love:

I’m very sorry about the loss of your beloved Holly. However, your question isn’t really a Yorkie question, it’s a healthy puppy question.

First, as Joan said, there’s no such (official) thing as a “teacup” yorkie. A yorkie is either within AKC standard sizing for the breed or he/she isn’t. It sounds as though the pup in question probably will be, although it’s impossible to be certain with a nine week old pup.

Second, the fact that the breeder in question was going to send you home with a nine week old pup, less than two pounds, is a big red flag. No breeder should be sending home a pup that age and size. I believe twelve weeks and two pounds is the standard for good breeders releasing pups.

Third, the breeder telling you that the pup’s stomach “flipped” is not a diagnosis. You need to know exactly what is happening, in medical terms, to make an informed decision. If it were me, I would ask the breeder to authorize me to discuss the medical issue and prognosis directly with the vet. If the breeder or the vet refuses, that would not be a good sign.

Again, I’m sorry for your loss, and I understand the difficulty of finding a puppy in the current pandemic environment, but be careful of causing yourself more heartache.

I would never buy a yorkie from a breeder who clearly is breeding tiny dogs.

This puppy sounds like she is off to a rough start......I would be VERY leery. The fact that breeder is selling a tiny 9 week old puppy is very telling about her breeding program.

The story about her stomach sounds weird to me. Never heard of such a thing. If you have deep pockets and can live with a horrible outcome, go for it. If not, then RUN away.

Puppyfind.com is not a place to look for a pup IMHO. I would suggest looking at the Yorkshire Terrier breed page .. they have a list of breeders. You can then look at the breeders first....then look for a puppy. The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America

My first thought, when I read that the breeder said the pup had a “flipped” stomach was Intussusception. That’s extremely serious and often lethal. I had a foster once with an Intussusception, and the vet couldn’t save her.

My only other thought was some form of bloat, but I’ve never heard of that happening in such a young pup. Again, if it is the problem, I would guess it’s extremely serious.

I have no idea what it is, but I would not bother to try and guess. I would not deal with that breeder. I seriously wouldn't believe anything she told me. She clearly does not have a clue or is lying because that is not a diagnosis.

Definitely pass on this one pound puppy. No reputable breeder would place a sick puppy for a home. You the breeder are responsible for bringing these puppies into this world.

Wait until you find your breeder first. And if it means a wait list so be it.

I did some research via Google. It appears that some people do refer to “bloat” in dogs as “flipping” the stomach.

Here’s an article about bloat in puppies.

https://www.thesprucepets.com/bloated-puppy-2804919

Interestingly, bloat in puppies usually occurs in: (1) large and giant breed pups, (2) pups that are anxious, irritable, and/or nervous , and (3) pups that are poorly socialized and/or aggressive.

Obviously, the little girl in this case is not a large or giant breed so, if bloat is the problem, that’s another red flag against the breeder.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

My problem is that I’m now worrying (totally unproductively, I know) about the puppy. Especially since I noticed that the poster is in North Carolina. Sigh. I can’t help it — it’s the rescuer in me.

That said, I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone paying for this poor little puppy. Whoever has her, if she survives, is probably going to have huge medical bills in their future.

One thing I have learned in rescue: "You cannot save them all".

It hurts me to say no and to walk away from little ones that need help, but for my own mental health it is necessary.

As for this one, no one is probably going to know....that puppy very well may be dead by now. Anyone who breeds puppies the way this one apparently has, is not going to tell the truth and I am sure won't spend the money necessary to help the puppy with proper veterinary help. I suspect there is much more to the story than a "flipped stomach".
Googling and trying to figure it out is a waste of time.

@BluebellsIf you are currently a rescuer and have the means, why not just message the OP and ask her to forward your contact information to the breeder just in case she finds she cannot help that puppy.
Then, let it go. Either she accepts help if needed or she doesn't. If the OP buys the puppy, then perhaps she will come back and let us know how things are. I noted that she posted in 2010 one time but none since so I don't know that she will be back. who knows?

No reputable breeder will sell you a pup under 12 weeks old so that is a huge red flag!

Thank you all for all the comments. I have an Update, I just heard the puppy is still at the emergency vet and it doesn't look like she is going to make it. This makes me so sad. Poor little puppy. I realize finding a healthy puppy is not something to rush. I will wait for the right Yorkie puppy at the right time. I would love any advice on choosing a reputable breeder or if you know a reputable breeder in North Carolina.

Please give this email to that breeder, just in case she might be interested in surrendering the puppy to a rescue. I cannot promise we could help, but wouldn't hurt to give it to her: yorkiehavenrescue06@yahoo.com

I don't know any breeders I would trust in NC but as mentioned above, I would look to see if the YTCA has any listed.

I don’t have any control over what animals are taken into rescue, unfortunately.

I would take the baby myself if I thought I might be able to save her, but I seriously doubt the breeder in question would give her away if there were any chance of getting $$ out of her.

Saving her doesn’t seem likely from the poster’s recent update.

You’re better off with reputable breeders you’ll find through the Yorkshire Terrier group Ladyjane suggested. There are a lot of puppy mills and poor quality backyard breeders in NC, and there are even more in Virginia to your north. I wouldn’t trust any breeder I found through puppyfinder or any sales site (Hoobly, craigslist, etc).

Oh, I doubt she would but it never hurts to put it out there.

One never knows...if she is ill and is in the breeder's hands I doubt she could be saved. She likely would not spend the money. That does not mean the puppy could not be saved.

If the breeder told her the puppy is still at the EC, I imagine she is probably already gone. I have my doubts she would pay to leave her there that long.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I suspect you’re right about that. And an emergency weekend clinic probably couldn’t do the kind of emergency surgery such a tiny baby might need, even in the unlikely event the breeder was willing.

Since you already gave your email, and we don’t even know whether she will be back, I’m not going to send a private message. But if you do hear from the breeder, and you need someone to step in, I’m willing to do anything I can. I’m probably not more than a few hours away if the poster was planning to drive to pick up the puppy.

Thank you. :)

The puppy did not make it. Poor little thing! I appreciate all the advice and education from reading comments and articles on here. I believe I am on reputable
breeders waitlists, according to guidelines I have seen on here, there are no red flags. If I have to wait a year to get a puppy, it will be worth it if she is healthy. As far as the breeder of the puppy, after talking with her I believe she may be a backyard breeder. This was her first litter of pups from the mother. The father had only been bred one other time with someone else's dog. She seems genuinely upset and didn't give up until the vet said there was no hope. If anything, I think she was probably just in over her head. I've learned through this process, there is a lot more to breeding puppies than just finding homes for the cuties.

I’m sad but not surprised to hear that the baby didn’t survive.

Being in over her head is probably the kindest possible interpretation of the backyard breeder’s motives and actions.

I will say, though, that for a teeny-tiny nine week old puppy to go from “the vet said it’s worms” to “the vet said it’s a more serious gastrointestinal issue but we caught it in time” to “the vet said there’s no hope” in such a short time frame indicates there’s more wrong with this situation than inexperience.

Poor puppy.

Hang in there, you will get that perfect, healthy baby :love:

I am so sorry for your loss. Just getting a new puppy won’t necessarily fix your other dogs depression because you can’t just replace his sister. Also the Alpha theory has been long debunked. There isn’t necessarily an alpha in a pack or a hierarchy per say. Normally the oldest is the one that respected due to age in the pack so a new puppy won’t just come in and be an alpha for many reasons and they may not even have that personality. Reputable breeders don’t post on puppyfind nor do they breed a female under 4 pounds so with that said I’m sure they didn’t do anything else reputable breeders do like health testing. What you are saying happened to the puppy is bloat and that is not normal in a yorkie so either something else went on or there might be something genetically wrong with that puppy.

So sorry that little one didn't make it. Such a heartbreaking story - poor little thing. would definitely wait longer for a healthy, normal-sized Yorkie as the tinies really do have so many problems just staying safe and living life. They cannot live a normal dog's life due to their tiny size, even if you are blessed enough to get one w/out physical and/or congenital problems or family history of medical problems.

Just a seemingly simple jump from the bed or couch can end up in an injury, should the dog's doggie stairs get accidentally displaced and terriers are usually too impatient, spontaneous and lacking in judgment to avoid trying to jump off things they shouldn't.
So many tiny dogs have congenital conditions that do \n't manifest for years and the rewards of a healthy, happy dog that can live a normal dog's life(even with normal sized Yorkie you have to be constantly vigilant as they are still very, very small dogs which increases their chances of accidents and danger. Save yourself from the heartbreak of buying and living with a very tiny dog. I once waited 18 months for a breeding, pregnancy, whelping, infanthood, weaning and at 4 1/2 mos. of age, finally got my seemingly perfect dog home and she was healthy and sturdy enough to be able to live a normal toy dog's life. Then at age 18 mos., weighing 7.6 lbs., she had a heart attack, didn't survive.

I've never been able to talk about her before on YT as she was from a perfectly healthy breeding pair w/history of healthy lineage going back 6 generations, health certificates from vet, reputable breeder from all I could find out. Beautiful dogs in the line, healthy, sturdy, good bone, perfect temperament, no health history in family history for generations and then she just essentially dropped dead. You just cannot be too careful in searching/finding a reputable breeder with history of healthy dogs and still things happen so starting out with a tiny just increases your chances of heartache. Best wishes and hope you find your perfect little one very soon.