He was 1 week old !! =(
 

Last year we met an adorable owner of a beautiful 3 year old yorkie female.

Since I only had a male yorkie at the time we wanted to breed him. At the second attempt we were successful and after 30 days the Vet told us there were 2 healthy puppies.

Both families were excited since each would keep one pup....so we bought many cute things for the new pup.

When it was time the female had to have a c-section since the puppies were to big and she couldn't have them naturally. The owners decided to spay the female because they didnt want her to have more puppies.

Two healthy males were born and everything was fine.

The owners of the female has scheduled an appointment with the Vet to have their tail docked when they were 6 days old.

They went for the procedure and we told the family to let us know how everything went and we would go see the puppies to see how they were.

The next day after they had their tails docked we went to the house to see the puppies....we were very excited....they told us the bad news....one of the puppies has died.

I sat there in shock...i couldnt believe it.....

The Vet had put the puppies on general anesthesia and one of them couldnt handle it got ill and died....

I cant exactly describe how i felt...everything went quiet and started to cry the loss of the puppy...

I have read books, blogs, talked with other vets, even people who have had yorkies and puppies with with docked tails, etc...and i know there are different opinions regarding if this should be done or not...if the puppies feel pain or not etc..

most of the information ive found and what vets have told me is that you generally dont use general anesthesia due to the high risk this has on the puppies (causing death) and that if you did use it should only be on the area and not put the puppy to sleep.

After i learned that after the vet did the procedure (30 mins after) he gave the puppies back to the owners of the female to take home and they werent even awake!! I mean the vet didnt even wait for the puppies to wake up and check on them to see if everything was ok.

The vet was confronted by the family and didnt want to accept that is was due to the anesthesia and at the end the response she gave was "if it was indeed the anesthesia....the pup had a bad reaction".

I couldnt believe what i was hearing i felt helpless...i was angry at the vet and angry at the female´s yorkies family because they shouldve been on top of the procedure and not allowed the vet to give them the puppies to take home until they were awake.

The whole time we talked to the family they told us everything was ok and there was no problem until the next day we found out one of the puppies died that afternoon.

The name we had picked for him was Nicholas =(

I am so sad to read about the loss of Baby Nicholas. My deepest condolences to you.

Thank you.....This happened last week =(

Aw, I'm so very sorry for the loss of baby Nicholas. RIP sweet baby.

so sorry, rip nicholas!

I'm so sorry for your loss. You had this procedure done in El Salvador?

That was unbelievable. I'm so sorry for you. Poor little Nicholas.:(

Well yes, this was done in El Salvador since I live there :P. However what amazes me is that the Vet studied in a University in the States so her behavior was really strange since after i checked with other vets and they told me they didnt use anesthesia...and if it was necessary they used local not general anesthesia.

I just ask b/c in a lot of countries they don't even allow tail docking. And, your English is perfecto! :p Also, can I give you some advice for next time? Try to find a breeder in El Salvador who knows what he/she is doing. They will also know a good vet and/or dock the tails themselves. Unfortunately when you just put two dogs together to have babies there can be complications, for example, the female having to have a C-section, and then the pobrecito dying. :( Reputable breeders will know all about the Yorkies in their line to make sure these things don't happen. I feel so bad for you right now, and I hope that you don't take what I'm saying to be "preachy." I just don't want you to have to go through this again. :ghug:

so sad...RIP little one....

Wow, never heard of docking a pup at 6 days old and use general anethesia? wow.. so sorry for your loss...

In my country the rules to follow regarding Yorkshire Terrier Breeders are ruled under an association called ACANSAL which in spanish is Asociacion Canófila Salvadoreña which is a member of Federación Cynologique Internationale, FCI in Thuin Bélgium...It doesnt recognize however the FCI from Spain or any other clubs or pedigrees associated with it.

What amazed me in this case (the reason i wanted to post the story) is that im not an experienced breeder but i do my research since i love my yorkies as if they were my kids (which they are :P).

I talk to vets, i research online and have read books, and have even talked with other breeders....and in this case what I´ve found is that even reputable experienced breeders have taken their pups to vets and they have used anesthesia (general or local) on 3-7 year old pups.

However i thank you for your advice which is completely true and dont take it as preachy :).

i guess in my country you can dock the tail if you want or leave it as it is depending on the owners preferences...however if you want your yorkie to fill the standard to be in competitions or shows the tail must be docked.

Ive never had a dog until three years ago when i fell in love with my first yorkie and i do my best to take informed decisions from even the smallest detail regarding their habits.....

Also i gave the vet a piece of my mind ....i dont take my babies there anyway i take them to a different vet which is a 24/7 hospital in case of any emergency.