Rescued Senior Yorkie
 

Hello Everyone! I'm a newbie. I've been rescuing dogs for the last 20 years, and this is my first yorkie. We've decided to keep her rather than place her.

The vet thinks she's about 10 years old. She's 6 lbs, blind in one eye, and only has 6 teeth left (and 5 really need to go). We're also pretty sure she's pregnant...maybe 4 weeks along.

We're all in agreement that she was probably a "breeder". Her teets are permanantly dropped and large (although not infected). She's not unfriendly, but very docile. She will sit where ever you put her. She's unfamiliar with being pet, although she's starting to accept and enjoy it. She had no concept of a leash, but is doing well with that. Remarkably, she's housebroken and we've had no accidents.

She wouldn't drink for a few days, but I've found if I use a hamster bottle, she will. She also came to us only willing to eat in her kennel with the gate locked. Now she will eat on a dish in the kitchen, but has to be on the island because we have another dog, and will not eat on the floor.

So..... any pointers or advice? We have her on puppy food until we're sure she's pregnant (and not sporting an enlarged liver).


I've purchased her a new harness, and made her 2 sweaters since it's COLD here right now. :)

Thanks for any input! I'm going to read some threads now and give myself a quickie education.

:)
 

God love her. And God Bless YOU for helping her live her last days happy and loved. I cannot understand how someone can treat an animal like this. Is she going to do okay having puppies at 10 years old? I sure hope so. Again, God bless you for keeping her.

Oh my gosh. :(

I teared up from reading this. BLESS HER! And YOU for caring! I can barely think of what her world was before she found you. I bet she will blossom over time.

I bet she wants to eat in her locked kennel bc that's what she was used to (and to "keep it safe" from other dogs). Poor honey. She will probably change about that as she learns about her safety with you. To get her to drink, you could sweeten her water a touch w/ some Karo or Honey or Pedialyte.

For eating, it sounds like you're waiting to r/o an enlarged liver, right? I wonder though, in the mean time, if you could get her a lower protein canned food to mix in w/ her dry and see if it would stimulate her appetite.

I hope she is okay, please do keep us posted on this little punkin'. :)

Btw, giving doses of Nutrical will also give extra vits/mins - and has been known to help stimulate appetite as well. You can get it at any Petsmart/Petco. :)

No Advice, but Welcome! Good luck with your new lady. How lucky she is to have found you!

Bless you for taking in this sweet little girl. It looks like you are getting great advice, so I just wanted to say, Hello and Welcome to YorkieTalk! We are so glad you are here. :D

God Bless You! This poor girl!

Thank you
 

Thank you all for your kind words. Very much appreciated.

We are going back in to the vet in a week, and as of now I believe it's pregnancy, not an enlarged liver, and I think it's just one pup. Because of her condition in general, putting her under to end the pregnancy would have been riskier than letting her go through to term (fingers crossed). We are going to keep a close eye on her and are fully prepared for a c-section if it's needed.

She's still not drinking much, so I'm just adding water to her food which seems to be working. :) She's passing urine throughout the day and showing no signs of dehydration. And about the food... she can ONLY eat wet food. Of her remaining 6 teeth, only one is viable and it's the lower canine. The other 5 are so badly fused together with tarter that she can't put any pressure on them at all. As soon as the baby is here and she regains her strength, we are going to try and take care of that... along with the cataract and cholesterol deposits on her eyes. That should cure the blindness. But ONLY if she can handle it.

I'm going to pick up some of the vitamins discussed, after speaking with my vet. We have her on regular adult food, rather than puppy food, just incase it is the liver. Her hair is already starting to look better and feel softer.

Thanks again.... I'm going to be reading and learning!

~Mizelle