Are Yorkie's generally a healthy breed?

[mscat]

I really need to stay away from the sick and injured threads..... I need to know if most of our little Yorkies on the healthy side? I am now very nervous about the liver shunts, hypoglcemia, pancre.sp ,and the colapsed trach. that sometimes this particular breed has.
However, aren't they usually healthy? I donot know what I would do if Suzi became very ill.... How do people afford the costly medical expenses? AND the emotional turmoil?

[morningsting]

I have been wondering the same thing. I hope that someone can give us an answer

Amy

[Beabble]

To tell you the truth, I don't know if this is normally a healthy breed or not, as Maggy May is part yorkie and part chi and she came from horrible conditions at only a mere 6 weeks old. I think every breed has things it's more likely to get than any other breed, like boxers, they are known for getting cancer :-( As far as how do we afford the medical expenses, well, they're just like our skin kids & they depend on us to take care of them, when they get sick, somehow, someway, we take them and get them the treatment they need.

[NuggetsMom]

actually purebred dogs are more likely to get sick and have health problems...i forget my vets exact explanation but one example was golden retrievers and hip dysplesia (sp?) it's almost like inbreeding because when you keep mating specific breeds together....kind of like if cancer runs in your family, you're more likely to get cancer....does that make any sense i hope so...anyway we have never had any health problems with nugget...i have noticed though the smaller the dog the more likely they are to get sick/hurt...and theres also pet insurance if you're worried about something happening to your baby

[luvinmyyorkies]

I don't know the health history either, but I do know that I've had yorkies for over 20 years and have never had any major health problems with any of them. They have all have lived to 15 yrs and longer. I think they are a great breed of dog.

[Brookef18]

So far my two are very healthy. Chewy is from a pet store...And Sadie is from a great breeder.

The only thing we have delt with is them eatting things they should not, that makes them sick... (People food does not set well for Chewy)

And we had them both fixed, and their teeth being removed and cleaned. Save some money for those things and be careful not to drop any people food on the floor.

I pen them in an xpen when we are not home so we don't have to worry about them jumping off the couch and getting hurt.

[YorkieRose]

Yorkies are known to be the hardiest of the toy breeds...but alot is up to the breeder to do it right.
I have literally owned several dozen in 35 yrs and if they were not a strong, healthy breed, I would live in the poor house.

A good diet and good dental care prevents heart and kidney problems as the Yorkie ages. I scale all my Yorkies teeth monthly and brush them weekly. I do not give annual vaccines...yearly parvo and rabies after the series of puppy shots..seem too many peoples pets wind up with autoimmune problems..
Keep the weight in check, medium exercise and lots of love.

PS..mine used to have a problem with gastric upsets..mine were on a ridged NO people food diet...now I believe a dog that gets lots of different foods can tolerate variety...mine eat many types of people food with their dog food and never have bowel or stomach problems.

[morningsting]

Originally Posted by YorkieRose

Yorkies are known to be the hardiest of the toy breeds...but alot is up to the breeder to do it right.
I have literally owned several dozen in 35 yrs and if they were not a strong, healthy breed, I would live in the poor house.

A good diet and good dental care prevents heart and kidney problems as the Yorkie ages. I scale all my Yorkies teeth monthly and brush them weekly. I do not give annual vaccines...yearly parvo and rabies after the series of puppy shots..seem too many peoples pets wind up with autoimmune problems..
Keep the weight in check, medium exercise and lots of love.

PS..mine used to have a problem with gastric upsets..mine were on a ridged NO people food diet...now I believe a dog that gets lots of different foods can tolerate variety...mine eat many types of people food with their dog food and never have bowel or stomach problems.

Thank you for your wisdom & great advice!

Amy

[RONLYNN]

My vet had a chart with all the breeds and the levels of likelihood of certain conditions and the only breed that I saw on there that had no likelihood of any conditions was poodles. Every other breed had something that that breed was prone to whether it was ear infections or his dysplacia or bad teeth. I thought it was very interesting. I have a standard poodle that will be 14 years old in a few months and she has never had anything wrong with her.

[YorkieRose]

Poodles are very healthy dogs also...but they are more prone to ear problems as they have flop ears...my friend has two poodles with chronic ear infections..the vet used to tell her to "pin" the ears back and allow air to get in and heal the infections...

[Katylou]

I think there are healthy dogs and dogs prone to diseases in any breed.
My toy poodle has several health problems and he is only 7 years old. He had luxating patellas and had surgery on both hind knees, he has chronic ear infections and skin problems, and "dry" eye. My bichon has skin problems from food allergies and had both eyes operated on for cataracts. My yellow lab had chronic ear infection, was a diebetic and as a result of the diabetes also had both eyes operated on. She passed away at age 11 last year. She was a very loving and sweet dog and we miss her so much. I hope I have better luck with my new yorkie baby. Sorry to sound so negative.

[kezza]

well..all i can say is i had my Heidi (passed may 07) for 14 years and apart from a few inevitable problems in old age..she had a very long & healthy life, I'm hoping my 1 year old Pixie is as lucky.

[cinnamonmon]

Im not a breeder like a lot of people on this board, just a dog lover and long time dog owner. This is my first Yorkie and she has been the highest maintenance dog Ive ever owned, health wise and temprement. We have not had any of the major problems, thank goodness, but lots of little problems. I have definitely spent more money at the vet on her than any other dog Ive had. Part of the problem is her delicate digestive system...I have to be so careful of what I feed her....I know Yorkie talkers are very particular about the food they give their babies (you should have heard the comments when I said my Mom liked to feed my dogs a piece of bacon when she watched them)and Ive tried to watch very carefully, but still she seems to get upset stomachs very easily. On the other hand, she was bought from a pet store (not by me) and probably was a puppy mill dog, so maybe thats why she has problems. I have three little dogs and I can feed all three something and only she gets sick from it.
That said, she is by far the most loving dog Ive ever had and I wouldnt trade her for the world. Hopefully you will have a healthy baby.

[Erin]

It totally varies by dog, and unless you really research your breeder you won't know what you are going to get!

Sammy had to have luxating patella surgery on both knees, but otherwise so far she has been extremely healthy! We have had her for over a year now and except for a UTI and other stuff directly related to her surgery I have not had her to the vet just because she was sick. She recovered very nicely (and quickly) from her surgery. Even though she is a skinny 6 lbs she is very "hearty" IMO.

Loki had tummy problems as a puppy and he was at the vet all the time. Once that was solved, we had to figure out his bladder problems - he has a genetic disease that is extremely rare. He takes two daily medications, one of which is expensive, but other than having to pee every 45 minutes I think he is pretty healthy now. He is the SMARTEST DOG EVER. Seriously Loki knows 50+ words and commands. We have to spell things around him.

Both of them are AKC.

[scoobiedooiscoo]

i think almost every breed has flaws to watch out for, that is why who ever buys a dog should be ready for what ever problems that may run in that breed.