Does anyone have a Yorkie that hasn't gotten sick?

Question

Everyone says that yorkies have all these health problems. I am really wanting a Yorkie but I don't have hundreds and hundreds of dollars to spend at a vet. I have a couple of friends who have yorkies and they havn't gotten sick. The one breeder I found has them for $200, AKC, but am I getting ripped off?

Answer 1

for $200, that is very low, it's probably not a good breeder. Where do you live? I worry less about good breeding if it's just a small pet dog, but you still want to be aware- you will have this dog for the next 15 years. I have a Yorkie, she is 3.5 and has never been sick, and temperament (personality) is also a part of breeding. Make sure the breeder is not selling them under 8 weeks old, 10 is best. See the mother dog and you will get an idea what the dogs will be like. No shy or timid dogs, they should all be friendly, active, outgoing, curious. Find out how many litters the breeder has each year to rule out it being a puppy mill. Common health problems can also happen if a dog is too small, like under 5 lbs. I see a lot of Yorkies that do not fit the breed standard, they are bad breeding, one sign is if they are over-sized. They can have eye problems, luxating patellas, weak teeth, etc. AKC says Yorkies must be 7lbs. or under, with only certain colors of coat.
By the way, being AKC registered is only a small part of finding a good dog, there has been cases of forging papers, or getting puppy papers that are from another dog, etc. Registration means very little, ok it's purebred, but so are tons of poorly bred dogs. When you get your dog, please spay/neuter it. There are tons of Yorkies being bred way too much, and they have risky pregnancies anyway. Check out Yorkshire terrier club of america's site for more info, and join a Yahoo group for Yorkie owners.

Answer 2

Two hundred dollars is very low for a AKC Yorkie, I would check the breeder out carefully because the key to getting a good healthy dog is a good breeder and good genetics. You might look into getting your Yorkie a Health Insurance policy, which can help a lot if unexpected medical bills arise. I have a friend who's Yorkie has been very healthy, she keeps it's shots currenty, feeds her a healthy dog food and the right amount to ensure she doesn't get overweight, etc.

Answer 3

i have a Yorkie and he is 15years old and has never been sick once,the only time he went to vets was to be neutered