Problems with 2lb.-3lb. Yorkie compared to 5lb.-7lb.
 

Hello. I don't have a Yorkie yet, but have been reading allot of different posts. Their has been mention of health problems with the smaller dogs. Could you please give me some examples. What problems or issues could arise with the smaller Yorkie that the larger Yorkie won't have? Thanks.:)

I have a 9 1/2 lb and a 2 lb yorkie. With the smaller ones you have to worry about hypoglycemia (sugar issues) and they can get hurt easily. My big boy Lex can take a stepping on while we have to watch out for Lulu all the time.

I have a 4pound and a 3pound and they are both very healthy... they haven't had to go to the vet for anything yet.. Thank God!!!. they eat twice a day and I give them nutrical once a week.... Princess is now taking nutrical twice a day cause she is nursing two little girls (chiqui and gordi) they will be 6 weeks on saturday...

I have a 6 pounder, a 7 pounder and a 2 pounder. Altho I love them all and they look so cute together, the 2 pounder (Starr) runs fast and can get into trouble faster then the others. She is more timid in emergencies and runs away from them rather then to me which can be extremely dangerous. If a vulture or owl or any animal which normally eat rabbit for example, my Lil Starr would be in for trouble so when she goes out I need to be right next to her or else she needs to learn to not mind a leash at all times which means any exercise for her to run wild is indoors only, UNLESS we have a number of adult humans standing around the yard to help out in an emergency. Chloe & Sissy can have more freedom, altho I worry about them too, it's just not as dangerous. I find the smaller they are, the more inquisitive but that might just be my girls personalities. My Lil one is the only one of the 3 that gets into trouble continuously, cords, small tight corners and chewing whatsever in it OR at least trying. I am always on top of her but because of her size I need to be. And that's without saying no gate can keep her in-she can squeeze into any crack inside or out and climbs like a monkey. I love her but it is harder then having a larger Yorkie:)

I have one just under 3 pounds and one that is 5 pounds. The vet says they are both healthy as can be. Neither has ever had hypoglycemia or any other health concern. They are very, very active and rule the house (including all 3 humans, a Jack Russell and a Dachshund). Both came from reputable breeders, have good pedigrees, with good health histories on all sides.

I think Sadie (5 lbs) is sturdier than Ben but stepping on either one of them could be horribly dangerous. Actually, I think stepping on my 11 or 13 pound non-Yorkie dogs could be horribly dangerous too.

More important than the exact size is to make sure you are using a breeder that knows and cares to do it right. Look at the pedigrees and ask about the health of parents and grandparents. Look at the conditions the puppy was raised in. Look hard at the puppy -- clear eyes, good joints and bone structure; no crusties, coughing or listlessness. The puppy should look interested, curious, friendly, and happy to be around people. Some might be a little shy at first so give them time to be comfortable around you. But don't pick a puppy who just sits and looks unhealthy. Don't pick one that looks too skinny, or undernourished. (Unless you want to rescue them, that is.) JMHO.

oh... I forgot to mentioned.. I don't let them go outside for nothing, they are always inside the house. I take them to my moms house on Saturdays and then back to sweet home:D
that's another way to keep them healthy!!! I guess!

Probably no help here. I have a 2 lb. 13 oz. Yorkie, a 3 lb. 9 oz. Jap. Chin, 10 lb. Pap/Peke mix, German Shep. 70 lbs., Belgian Malinois 100 lbs. Honestly you can't tell the difference in any of them. LOL. My little Yorkie has been unhealthy but it appears to stem from being bred in a puppymill. My puppymiller breeds 13 diff. breeds, sold me a sick dog. But my little Bijou Yorkie can run with the best of them. I do have nutri-cal on hand. I only give it to Bijou when I notice she starts shaking. Seems to cure it every time. She eats well, poops well. So most of the time I don't give it to her because she doesn't need it. Healthy appetite. Staircase at the foot of my bed (but she still can't do stairs yet). Nope, they are all the same to me. One big zoo and I love every minute of it. Not to mention, two rescue kittens, two hermit crabs and sea monkeys. LOL

2lb.-3lb. Yorkie compared to 5lb.-7lb thats not really a big weight difference
now my 18 pounder is a big difference from a 2 pounds only because he would be more sturdier
you just need to keep more of an eye on the little ones

Just like others have said I have a 9 pounder and I had a 3.5 pounder. With Summer I had to be much more careful especially when she was outside. She was very quiet so I kept a cat collar with a bell on it so you would know where she is so you don't step on her and to make sure she is okay. I have heard too that they can have health problems my little girl was very healthy up until she died and I still don't know why. She was 14 months old and I never had any problems with her. Because she was small and if you get one that small I would say you need to have them spayed or neutered. I had Summer spayed because I didn't want to take a chance with her at all, it is a really good idea to do it. She use to chew any cords she could get a hold to. One of the biggest things is you have to be much more careful with, you need to make sure that you know what she is doing all the time. Good luck!

I worked for a vet for many years and the tiny ones can have unseen health issues. We did an necropsy on a 2.5 lb Yorkie and his organs were fused - there just wasnt enough room for all his organs. He died at the age of 10 years so he had a good life but after that I asked a lot of questions and found that this is typical in any tiny animal. Several vets I spoke to told me that most tinys do well but it is always a concern.

My yorkies range from 3 1/2 lbs to 6 1/2 lbs. My 3 pounder definitely makes me somewhat nervous. If you walk to fast in his general direction, he yelps. He has been accidently pushed by a walking leg before...but he's learning to get out of people's way.

From other tiny yorkie owners, I've heard of everything from open fontanels, to liver shunts and hypoglycemia. I've also heard that a fall...even from the bottom step has broken legs and dislocated shoulders/hips.

Thanks for all your replies. When we do start looking I think I'll look for a 5lb.-6lb. Yorkie. Thanks again..

I have an 8 lber and a 2 lber. They are both very healthy. My 2 pounder just gets cold quicker than the 8 pounder. She has to have little sweaters on, and right now she has a little cold.

I have a 4 pounder and a 1 pound 11 ounce girl, I've never had any serious health problems with either of them. The biggest thing with tiny ones to me is just being aware that they are there and seeing things from their level so to speak. There are lots of things they could get into that can be potentialy dangerous so you have to "puppy proof" your house and watch what you do. A full box of cereal falling on my little girl could be a real problem... with a bigger dog, not so much, it's the little things like that, that you have to remember.

Wee Doggies !!!
 

My first was supposed to reach 7lbs in weight as I didn't think I wanted a tiny one....that is her left, TARA, and she only grew to 4lbs !
She has a collapsed trachea, and was only supposed to live to 4yrs at most so the vet said. What tripe that was....she is sooo full of beans ! I keep her settled, but she still goes demented round our livingroom, and runs accross half the huge beach to say hello to some stranger that she thinks looks nice and who should be speaking to her, "the queen" !!!, and runs back full pelt to our heels - quite chuffed with herself !
She does have coughing fits, but not often, and I just massage her throat, and it comes ok. It doesn't phase her at all. I think she will live just as long as others. She is spayed.
My other two, CASPER and TAMMY are 4lbs too.....and have no health problems at all.
I love their size now.

I think small is fine, you just have to be carefull with them....the thing is they think they are huge, and will shock you at their behaviour of not being any different to any other dog !

So don't be too concerned about size....it depends on the dog. Any dog can have health problems. Just look very carefully at the parents of puppies, and conditions, talk to their breeder, and for goodness sake, don't do as many of us do and fall for the first pup you see....says she who has done this herself, lol - easier said than done !
......Look at a few puppies from different breeders.
Also, you could choose to see yourself as the good samaraton and give the not so perfect one a good home....invest in good pet insurance and just take each day as it comes....enjoy every day you have with it, and if it isn't a long living dog, know you gave it a happy life for however long it had.
GOOD LUCK !
:animal-pa DEBRA x x x

My pup has been on both ends of the scale...I got him at 1.5 lb and for quite a while, he was 2-3 lbs. We put a bell on him as he was so tiny and we were scared we'd step on him (he used to 'sneak up' and sit at our heels :eek: ). He fell off a step trying to climb up and had to go to the vet as he was limping. I was really glad he started to put on weight. And out on weight. And put on weight :) . He's now a healthy boisterous 6 lb jumping bean and I'm not afraid to take him for a long walk, leave him at his daycare for the day and my heart doesn't jump every time he jumps off the couch. I initially wanted him to stop at 4 lbs but I'm happy now he didn't.

My Yorkie is 6 lbs and has had no problems and is timid with new people but hates other dogs and is not timid when it comes to that........he thinks he is a great dane!!! lol

I hvae 2 6 lbers and a 2.5 lber. Although the size difference is obvious he sure doesnt know it . I did not have any problems witht he 2 lber growing up . I was prepared for hypoglycemia as my first yorkie that matured at 4 lbs was severe with it. He has been nothing but healthy. I can say that he has retained nearly ALL of his baby teeth and my 6 lbers did not. I am waiting for him to get a little older to egt them removed . He will be 1 in April
Bonnie

i hope you find a healthy baby. me personally, i would not get one less than 4lbs.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I am late on responding to this so maybe you already purchased your Yorkie. I think everyone gave great personal advice. It also really depends on your situation. The tiny Yorkies really need to have more time, its not fair to leave any dog at home all day, but compound that by a tiny 2-3 pound dog. The other thing for first time Yorkie owners is you see how adorable the tiny Yorkie is in their little sweet outfits (and its true) but keep in mind the tiny size, you have to be extremely careful of falls etc. Of course potty training can be difficult (well, for alot of Yorkies!). I'm really glad to see you are asking advice and researching b4 you purchase. Speaking of purchase, please do not buy from a pet store, and make sure you find a responsible, reputable breeder, it might cost more upfront, but less in the long run.

Good Luck, they are an awesome little dog (oh my Yorkie is 11lbs and I own a Biewer who is currently 7lbs (5mos). They are the best!

Kathy

my experience
 

My yorkie is 16 weeks old and weighs 1.9 lbs she is small, but she isnt as indestructible as she sounds. Shes a climber, and she think shes a vicous rottwiler she chases my pom arround like crazy. my poor oliver she never leaves him along. She hasnt had any health problems yet that have stemed from her age, just her eye problem that came from the bad breeder, it has nothing to do with her size. I think decideing factor is more of how much time you want to have to spend with the dog and what you want to do with it. I wanted a dog id could carry arround in a little doggy purse etc and put in little dresses and take places with me, but I do have to watch her like a hawk to make sure she doesnt wander off she is so small shes hard to see sometimes. I think it depends on you as a dog owner.

HEALTH V. SIZE

Health
I don't think tiny dogs are prone to more health problem IF you get them from a reputable breeder. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) may be an issue but they shouldn't have any genetic problems if they were bred well. My tiny (1 lb and 2 oz) Chihuahua is extremely healthy because she was bred well.

Size
Just be aware that they can get hurt more easily. My Chihuahua, Cali, can not jump on the couch by herself and can NEVER jump off the couch. In fact, once she was playing with Tia and she accidentally fell off and she SCREAMED!! Have you ever heard a dog scream before? Take it from me, it's a god-awful sound and it just about broke my heart! We rushed her to the emergency vet (I won't even tell you what it cost) and after x-rays and an exam, she was totally fine. She was just sore from the fall (thank god there was nothing else wrong with her).

I don't know much about the health problems of the little ones, but I have a 12 pounder and she is as healthy as can be, even though we got her from a shelter. After researching yorkies and hearing about how fragile they are, I am baffled by how sturdy she is. She jumps from high places and has run into things at full speed when she is playing, and she has yet to be injured.

We arrived at my sister's on Thanksgiving at like 4AM and I let Tahoe (my 10 lber) out of the car to pee. He proceed to to walk off a 5 foot tall retaining wall that my sister didn't mention that she had installed. He fell down onto 3 rocks, each about the size of his head. He was limp when I jumped down to pick him up and he was unresponsive. I thought he was dead. I tried to stand him up after I handed him back up to my mother on the driveway and he was totally disoriented and wobbling around. I was prepared to call the vet at 4AM on Thanksgiving. But after a little while , he was walking around like nothing happened. I was the only one freaking out and all my nerves were shattered. My sis's vet finally called and said that he'd probably be fine...if he's walking around and not wailing, he hasn't broken anything and he probably just blacked out on the initial fall. I like to call Tahoe "Superman"...flying leaps and bounds. When I got Tahoe thoroughly checked out by his regular vet, he said there wasn't anything wrong...he was fine and that I was the only one affected by the fall.


Sometimes they actually can take more than you think. I'm paranoid and don't let Tahoe jump on the couch (or off the bed) at 14 because I know he has arthritis. I'm sure he thinks I'm a neurotic nut, but I try to be careful with my baby!!!!

T-Cup -v- Standard
 

I'm not a kennel but have been raising & breeding 2 to 5 lb Yorkies for 12 years. Regaurdless of size there all beautiful but with ALL small breed dogs there are things to look for because they eat soo little, the smaller, the less they eat so the #1 thing to remember is feed only High quality dog food and stay clear of anything that uses by-products in it. With tiny ones you need to monitor how much they eat and suppliment there diet if needed to avoid not just Hypoglycemia but also insure good health. #2 tiny ones can't be left alone with small children & you have to watch were you walk and make sure they don't jump out of your arms because they can break. I have a website that has all kinds of good info and care on the tiny yorkies but I don't know if it's aloud to post the address here, but if someone can tell me if it's ok then I'll give you the address.

Thank you for your reply. Could you please send me a private message with your website, would love to learn all I can.

i would like that site to i have a 2.6oz furbaby i like all info.i can get on a small one thank you.cherity

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that smaller dogs tend to me more fearful and neurotic. When you weigh 4 lbs, an 8 lb dog is literally twice your size. A labrador is like a t-rex.

A smaller dog is more likely to have persistent fear issues even with their owner. Some of these fears are practical. Like, Thor has the HARDEST time sitting still while I give him a treat, because to do that I have to bend over, and there's a very small chance my purse might take him out. Even if I squat down to his level, that means my knees suddenly jut out and loom over him. Or if I have him Sit at a street corner for a light, I've accepted that he might repeatedly get up and move, just so he won't get stepped on by other pedestrians. The world is a lot scarier at that size.