Health issues common in Yorkshire Terriers.
Here we will show you some of the most common Yorkshire terrier health problems. As any other dog breed, Yorkies are prone to a certain health conditions.
#1 Hypoglycemia
This disease generally affects the toy breed dogs.
The Yorkshire Terrier are a smaller breed and are susceptible to hypoglycemia. it generally appears between birth and the fourth month.
These first few months are the critical period in which the owner should keep an eye on the dog’s health.
What is Hypoglycemia?
This is when the level of the blood sugar drops really fast.
Sugar in the bloodstream is really important, because every part and element of the dog’s body depends on the proper balance of this substance in the blood.
The liver produces glucose and it is stored there while needed.
Some other important materials used for the process are stored in the muscle tissues.
Hypoglycemia affects the function of the brain, as well as the motor skills and when it happens there is only a little time when the puppy can be treated.
The symptoms that can appear quickly or one after another are shaking, drowsiness, seizures, confused behavior, weakness, depression, tremors and even coma.
What can you do if you see these symptoms?
The first thing that every breeder should keep on hand is nutrical, which is immediately given on the dog’s gums or tongue.
Warming the body temperature can be achieved with warm heating pads, which should be placed around the body of the little puppy.
#2 Legg-Perthes Disease
This is an illness of the hip joint.
When the bones in the hip area begin to get inadequate circulation of the blood, they become weaker and after time they collapse.
Legg Perthes can be caused by a fall, knock or blow to the femur, the top of the hip bone in the rear legs, thereby impeding the blood flow and causing the degenerative bone disorder.
Legg-Perthes Disease usually appears when the dog is little, eventually between the fifth and the eight month.
The symptoms are signs of pain, limping, leg going lame.
Seeing these signs, the diagnosis can be confirmed with an X-ray examination
the treatment for the Legg-Perthes Disease is a surgery.
#3 Progressive Retinal Atrophy
The progressive retinal atrophy or PRA is a genetic condition in dogs that can cause bilateral (two-sided) retina degeneration. It can lead to partial vision loss or complete blindness.
If a puppy has PRA this will be known after the first two months and if that is the case, the dog may get blind by its first year.
There is a genetic test for pra.
There is no cure, any dog that has PRA would live pretty decent life, because when the progressive blindness occur, the other senses will get much stronger and will keep up for the loss of the vision.
#4 Luxating Patella
It is also known as Kneecap Dislocation and happens when the kneecap gets loose of the hold, which is usually strong.
The kneecap of the little dog can remain out or it can move in and out.
Unfortunately Luxating Patella is a very common issue with small breeds.
The symptoms that will give you a sign that the puppy is in pain and there is something wrong, is when it cries a loud ‘yelp’ when the kneecap slips out of its place.
Injury and jumping on and off furniture can cause this issue precaution should be taken.
Surgery can fix severe luxation patella.
#5 Collapsed Trachea
As the name shows, this disease is connected to the trachea when it gets narrow or collapses.
This illness usually affects toy breeds, and that is why Yorkshire Terriers are also prone to it.
There are few reasons because of which this can happen:
when there is a genetic weakness of the trachea,
A tube for intubation is used,
or when a dog of such a small breed is attached to a collar or a leash and the owner pulls back too hard, this can cause collapsing of the trachea rings.
To avoid such a case, it is recommended to walk the Yorkshire Terrier with a harness instead a collar.
For diagnosing the disease, you need to take your dog to a veterinarian for examination and perform an X-ray.
The treatment is done step by step for reducing trauma and open again the normal airways for breathing. If it is a severe case, then a surgery is the solution for this situation.
It is a good prognosis after a surgery and most of the dogs live an active lifestyle after that.
#6 Jaw & Dental Issues
The Yorkies are small dogs and it is logical that they have quite small jaws and mouths.
This can lead to some issues like overcrowded mouth. The dogs can also have teeth problem when their puppy teeth do not fall before the adult ones growing up.
This can lead to a disease of the gums, tooth loss and bacteria building in the mouth.
Issues like these can be healed easily with regular teeth brushing. Regular teeth brushing is recommended along with yearly dental cleaning.
You can also take your dog to the veterinarian for tooth extraction when the mouth get overcrowded.
If you do not do this, your puppy/dog might suffer from pain in the mouth and the jaw and this will lead to hard eating and the dog can become malnourished.