Gemy:

Our son is not a breeder. He and his daughter have simply enjoyed their Yorkie so much that they wanted us to have the same opportunity. This was the only time he had planned to breed her - and she has subsequently been spayed. As for him helping out with any future issues, I can assure you that in the present economy we retirees are far better off financially than a lot of our kids - even with their engineering degrees!!!

I agree with the other posters who suggested getting insurance for your pup. It would help with any future bills. Good luck with your new puppy!!

Awh okay, so you will be on your own in terms of health warranty/guarantee.

It sounds to me like you are doing a lot of research, which is a good thing.

Just to clarify something there is only one actual "genetic" test that has been developed that Yorkies can be tested for prior to breeding. And that is for the hyperuricosuria gene.
The other tests are done prior to breeding to see if the intended breeding pair are free of; LS< LP, PRA, hip/elbow dysplasia. then the health of the lines are looked at for eg; were the grandparents great grand parents free of the above. You also try to gather information on siblings and half siblings. Having said all of this; there is a program you can use to determine the breeding co=efficients to help you determine how "good" in this respect how healthy the pups will be.

Unfortunately we do NOT have good statistical studies for the Yorkie population as a whole on varying health issues; but here would be my top three concerns vs a vs health:

No 1 LP if Mom had LP with no siblings of hers with LP and none in the grand parents background...... Risk of pup 10-15% If Mom and Dad both have LP and LP is in sibling background, and say great grandparents background; that risk will jump up a LOT 40%

Now that doesn't quantify the grade of LP, the higher the grade the more serious the condition. A mild LP, with some common sense can be managed quite nicely over the lifetime of the pup.

No. 2 LS - how common is it? I've not seen really good stats on it; but I've heard as high as 33%. Here is where you really want to know the background health status of the pedigree. I certainly don't believe it is as common as LP.

No.3 Pancreatitis. This I'm sorry I have no facts or stats to share with you, but it is certainly a concern.


All breeds have their health concerns and challenges. What I think a fair statement is; is to be prepared that your Yorkie may have at least one health concern over their life.

Lol, very true:)
Honestly, I wouldn't stress over the "what ifs". Have a plan for if they do happen such as insurance, savings or a credit card, but don't get too hung up on health issues you see being mentioned. The only issues with a Yorkie I'd really consider being specifically proactive about is luxating patella and pancreatitis. Sooo, no jumping from anything even remotely high and stick with a holistic dog food that's low in fat (grain-free is a good idea too) and avoid table scraps and crappy grocery store treats like the plague. That's really all you can do. Just take good care of him, love him, and everything else you just cross that bridge when you come to it, hopefully with some sort of plan in place, and then you do what you can. I got my Yorkie from someone my aunt works for. She was Free and came with no health quarantee, the parents weren't genetically test or anything like that (I certainly didn't dish out big bucks to get her though, not that you are, just saying some people do and that's not smart without all those things I just mentioned). She has a "clicky" knee which is a sign of very early luxating patella so I put her on a glucosamine suppliment.

I used to work as a vet tech - we had a client (well a family of clients) who where VERY VERY wealthy. One of their dogs was diagnosed with cancer and was going down hill fast. They sent the dog to Cornell university and spent $25,000 on cemo. and treatment for this dog. He lived about 8 more months before nothing could be done no matter how much money was available. Now, obviously most people could never in a million years do that, so what WOULD they do? - Use possibly holistic treatments to make the pet feel better and have a quality of life for as long as possible. When that was no longer working, humane euthanasia would be done. Happens every single day, you just do what you can. Not trying to be a bummer, just letting you know that most people who own pets don't have huge amounts of money either. I think as long as you have a reasonable amount set aside somehow for possible "emergencies" and you can afford regular wellness care and other "normal" vet costs with the ocassional bigger ones (such as dentals etc.), high quality food and other regular expenses, you're fine.

Proactive we can handle - as well as paying attention to the advice available on the Forum! With respect to insurance, I've already contacted Trupanion and, at present, pet insurance has not yet been approved in Maine - at least for Trupanion. I guess it's time for me to make a pest of myself with the State Insurance Commissioner.

Yup, going through this now. I have spent a lot of money in the last month on just one leg. I still need to get the other leg fixed. Start putting the money away or have a credit card with a high limit.

Really? Hmm, I didn't realize that was state mandated. I'd bug them if I was you, that's rediculous.