8 Health issues of Yorkies? | Veterinary approved

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Whats up guys! Im doctor Lindsay a small animal veterinarian and today we are going to discuss 8 Yorkie Health issues! The Yorkie is one of Americas most popular dog breeds due to their small toy size and cute small bear like appearance.

In this video I am going to quickly talk about 8 health issues that Yorkies commonly have:

#1. Hypoglycemia – This is low blood sugar that usually occurs in yorkie puppies less than 5 months old. Since yorkies are a very small breed they lack the muscle, fat and liver storage space for glucose, and therefore they get low blood sugar every few hours and need to be fed small meals throughout the day to combat this until they are older.

#2. Collapsing trachea – Dogs tracheas are not full cartilage rings like humans, they have a C shaped trachea with a smooth muscle membrane on the top creating the full tubing. In Yorkies and other small dogs its common for areas of this smooth muscle to collapse in creating breathing difficulties and sometimes if the entire trachea is collapsed it can be life threatening. To prevent this you can use a harness to stop irritation on the trachea. Keep your Yorkie thin, because Overweight Yorkies are more prone to collapsing trachea. And visit your vet often for cough syrups and medications to help soothe their throat. The less coughing the less irritation on their trachea.

#3. Pancreatitis: Yorkies pancreases are prone to over secreting digestive enzymes that lead to pancreatitis, intestinal inflammation and diarrhea. Pancreatitis is due to a diet high in fat or overly processes food. Feeding your Yorkie a bland and consistent diet will help avoid pancreatitis.

#4. Luxating Patella : Yorkies are prone to dislocation of their knee caps! This causes them to have a limp or hop in their step. This typically occurs in young yorkies, but symptoms may not be evident until the dog is older, mostly before 3 years old. There is a surgery that an orthopedic veterinary specialist will perform to correct Luxating Patellas and it works great. Some owners opt out of surgery and don’t mind their pooch with an occasional limp when their knee cap is out of place.

#5. Liver shunts: This is a birth defect very common in toy breed dogs, when a part of the puppys livers blood vessels do not develop properly and by pass the liver circulation to clean the blood from toxins from the gut. These toxins circulate in the blood stream and cause seizures, vomiting, lethargy, and poor growth. There is not a straight forward way to avoid getting a toy breed with a liver shunt, but if you choose a Yorkie that is on the bigger side you have less chance of getting one with a liver shunt.

#6. Periodontal Disease: Yorkies are known for needing routine dental cleanings due to so much frequent and frustrating tartar build up. This is thought to be from their mouths being so tiny and overcrowding of their teeth that trap more food and build up plaque quickly. Simple, dental care routine and professional cleanings every 6 months will help greatly with this!

#7. Legg-Clave-Perthes Disease: Is a disease in small breed dogs where blood vessels around the hip joint become compromised with either clots or degenerate leading to no blood flow to the head of the femur and the bone begins to deteriorate. Owners will notice the pet being painful in their hind end or limping. Over time the entire head of the femur may deteriorate and the dogs do fine, or some dogs will need surgery to remove the head of the femur and they recover well.

#8. Retinal Dysplasia: This is a genetic disease that involves the abnormal development of the retina. This can at birth, weeks after, or in early life and can be partial where they will still be able to see or a complete detachment leading to blindness. There is nothing you can do to avoid this.

Not all Yorkies will have these health issues! And these health issues go for most small and toy breed dogs! I love Yorkies and highly recommend them to my clients.

Dr. Lindsay Butzer