YORKIE INFO AND HELP

LOW SUGAR print and keep on hand!!

Once your puppy gets there with you, he/she will need to be in a playpen or
something where he/she doesn't become over-exerted and his/her blood sugar
drop out. He/She will need to be kept in a confined area for several months as
they are just so tiny and just a trip across the living room or kitchen floor can or
will totally exhaust them and their energy level.....dropping drastically just that
fast.

Playing should be minimal for several months like maybe only three 15 minute
playtimes out of the playpen per day until they are older....

He/She will need nutri-cal or a bit of syrup daily before bedtime, this keeps the
blood sugar up and helps with calories he/she may need that they didn't get
throughout the day.... I will usually feed about 2 - 3 Tablespoons of soft dog
food as well.

He/She will need hard puppy EUKANUBA TINY BITE SIZE, Royal Canian (Dry food) and
Puppy sm canned food with them daily along with fresh water that
has had Corn Syrup added to it to keep the blood sugar level up.....

Having one of these tiny little ones is a lot of work and takes a lot of time,
he/she will also not be able to be left alone until he/she is at least 6-9 months
old as once the blood sugar level drops you have a matter of minutes before
brain damage occurs and a coma sets in....so being there with him/her is VERY
IMPORTANT!!!

Things you should be aware of in the Toy breeds: Print this and keep it on
hand!!!!

Playing should be minimal for several months like maybe only three 15 minute
playtimes out of the playpen per day until they are older....

Once a puppy is down, you will need to first give him/her a 1 cc of straight corn
syrup then wait 10 minutes and give another 1 cc.... Keep him/her in a towel
while he/she is down until he/she comes around as their temperature drops
during this time also or place a plastic pop bottle with worm water in it in the towel too.

After he/she is up and walking again, they will immediately want water and lots
of it, BUT DON'T GIVE THEM ANY for at least 1 hour as that will dilute the
sugar and it will drop out again. After he/she is up again, offer some canned
baby food. Chicken or Turkey (bland) is the best and then after he/she eats, let
him/her rest.

Check on them every 2 hours at least to be sure they are ok.

Give the nutri-cal before bedtime to get him/her through the night...

IF ever you feel he/she is having an episode that warrants the vet's assistance,
then PLEASE give the 1 cc karo on the way out the door, this could be the
difference of him LIVING and DYING!!! Sometimes they are down so far that they
will need IV Fluids from your vet..But the karo is important to give until a Vet can
be seen..

PLEASE DON'T BE AFRAID by what I have written, this is just
things that you need to be informed of and prepared for in the
case of it happening. It doesn't happen in all the tiny ones but is
better to be SAFE than sorry.

Hypoglycemia: This condition is caused by low blood sugar, It occurs mainly in
Toy and small breeds such as Tea Cups puppies between 6 and 12 weeks of
age also in dams that are nursing. Often it is precipitated by stress. The first
signs are weakness or depression lack or puppy will just sleep and not want to
eat. This can occur if puppy has missed meals. This is followed by muscular
weakness, tremors (especially in the facial muscles) and later, convulsions,
coma and death. This entire sequence is not always seen and puppy will
appear to be just tired and sleep. The puppy may appear to be depressed, or
he may be weak wobbly and jerky or he may be found in a coma.

Hypoglycemia can occur without warning when a puppy is placed in a new
home, or while being shipped. It might appear after a puppy misses a meal,
becomes chilled, becomes exhausted from too much playing, or has a digestive
upset. Upsets place an added strain on the energy reserves of the liver and
bring on symptoms if the puppy is susceptible. Puppies who are fed human
food rather than a quality puppy food are more likely to develop hypoglycemia.
Their diet is deficient in certain ingredients needed to sustain the liver. Puppies
may also just forget to eat! It is important to make sure your puppy is eating
three meat a day. Kibble or dry food and water should be placed where puppy
can get to it's food at all times. Check to see if puppy has eaten it's food if
puppy has not eaten then you need to give puppy his food by hand and make
sure puppy eats. Baby food is a good meal to give puppy so is chicken and
rice. If your puppy does not want to eat seek medial attention immediately and
give Karo Syrup immediately to puppy.

Toy and small breeds of puppies have limited body energy reserves and an
immature mechanism for breaking down large sugar complexes into smaller,
more useable, short chain sugars. They also have a higher metabolic demand
for sugar. Puppies lack the feedback mechanism between the blood and the
liver. In the puppy, when the blood glucose levels fall below a certain point the
liver will not start to increase conversion of food to to useable blood sugar like
it would in an adult dog.

Hypoglycemia treatment is directed at restoring blood levels of glucose. Begin
at once prolonged or repeated attacks can cause permanent damage to the
brain. If the puppy is awake give him Karo Syrup, honey, or sugar in water by
mouth. He will begin to improve in 30 minutes. When he is unconscious, he will
have to be given a Dextrose solution intravenously. It may be necessary to
treat for swelling of the brain. A veterinarian should be called at once. Prevent
recurrent attacks by feeding high quality kibble diet, and add to it syrup, sugar
or honey. See that the puppy eats and drinks regularly. Don't assume he is
eating and drinking regularly. Food and water must be available at all times

Read about Yorkshire terrier sizes and shapes;
Everyone seems to be looking for a small teacup Yorkie. Beware, most Yorkies are not show dogs but they are all good pets.
Let me make one thing very clear, Yorkshire terriers come in many different sizes and styles. I have seen many pure bred A.K.C. & C.K.C. papered and pedigreed Yorkies that while they all look the same at a glance they are really not all the same.
Teacup myth
Teacup Yorkies are really toy Yorkies that run under 3 pounds when full grown, which can take a couple of years or they sometimes quit growing at a about 1 year. They are not a special breed they are just runts. Runts are usually very obvious as soon as they are born as they weigh only about 2 ounces, while the normal size is 4 to 6 ounces. These little jewels die very easy and require very special care all of their lives.
Yorkshire terriers range from 2 and half to 15 pounds.
Yorkie bodies can be boxy or long. Their legs range from short doxie like legs to too long. I like the small to medium length legs. Yorkie hair comes in a wide range of styles, some a complete nightmare others have very manageable hair. Long haired Yorkies require daily care and should not go out in the woods. Yorkie Hair is ideal when it hangs down straight and not too stiff but also not too light and fury. And then of course a part down the middle from head to tail.
You will always be taking a chance that your puppy will be bigger that you wanted. The good thing is that your Yorkie will be so great you wouldn't want him/her any other way. Please remember that a really little dog requires daily special care and should live in the house.
We have a 8 pound female whose father was a 2 1/2 pound and mother was under 5 pounds. But she throws small puppies that are really fine under 5 pounds. I have seen a very large puppy grow up to be the smallest in that litter. I have seen very small puppies keep growing and keep growing to the 7 or 8 pound range.

The lifespan of a healthy Yorkie is 12 to 15 years. Undersized Yorkies that are three pounds or less generally have a shorter lifespan, as they are especially prone to health problems such as chronic diarrhea and vomiting, are even more sensitive to anesthesia, and are more easily injured.

Health issues often seen in the Yorkshire Terrier include bronchitis, lymphangiectasia, hepatic lipidosis, cataracts, and keratitis sicca. Additionally, injection reactions are common. Yorkies often have a delicate digestive system, with vomiting or diarrhea resulting from consumption of foods outside of a regular diet
As with many purebred dogs, the Yorkshire Terrier is prone to certain genetic disorders. The following are among the most common congenital defects that affect Yorkies:

Distichiae
Hypoplasia of dens
Legg-Perthes disease
Luxating patellas
Portosystemic shunt
Tracheal collapse

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is a common problem with all toy breed puppies including the yorkshire terrier. Hypoglycemia is the medical term for low blood sugar, which is a condition in which there is a drastic, sudden drop in the level of blood sugar in the puppy. In small breed puppies from post-weaning to 4 month of age, the most common form of hypoglycemia is called Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia: “Transient” because the symptoms can be reversed by eating; "Juvenile" because it is seen in young puppies. Veterinarians unfamiliar with toys often mis-diagnose the condition as viral hepatitis or encephalitis. As a toy yorkie breeder or pet owner, it is important to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and know how to treat it. Hypoglycemia is easily treatable in the early stages, but fatal if allowed to progress. Many puppies are lost needlessly to hypoglycemia because of ignorance on the part of their owner or veterinarian.

It is important to understand that just because a puppy has an episode of hypoglycemia, it does not mean that the puppy is truly "hypoglycemic." True hypoglycemia is a chronic condition caused by overproduction of insulin by the pancreas. Even though the pancreas may normally function properly, toy puppies can still have an isolated hypoglycemic incident in reaction to stress or fasting. Pups of any breed are more likely to develop hypoglycemia than adults, because their skeletal muscle mass and liver size are smaller and brain size, larger, in proportion to the rest of their body. Therefore, there is less glucose being put out into the blood and more being used by the brain, which is dependent upon adequate glucose in order to function. In small and toy breeds, this discrepancy is more pronounced. Even a brief period of fasting or stress in a toy breed puppy can trigger a hypoglycemic "attack. Yorkie puppies with Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia have normal liver size and function, but inadequate glucose precursors or glucose in its stored form (body fat). Hypoglycemic incidents are almost always preceded by a stress of some kind. Some examples of common stresses include: weaning, teething, vaccinations, a change in environment, shipping, over-handling, cold temperatures, intestinal parasites, infections, anorexia, etc. Many yorkie puppies simply play too hard and stress their system or forget to eat. I have heard of young males experiencing hypoglycemia when a female in heat is around. They become so worked up over the female that they do not eat and their blood sugar drops.

The first sign of hypoglycemia is the yorkshire terrier puppy slowing down and then acting listless. The puppy will then begin to tremble or shiver. This is a reaction caused as the brain is starved for glucose. More signs of an attack are a weakness, confusion, wobbly gait, frothing or drooling from the mouth - sometimes even a seizure and drain of blood from the head. His body will be limp, lifeless, and a check of the gums will show them to be pale, almost a grayish white in color rather than a healthy bright pink.. The body temperature will be subnormal. After a time, the puppy will become comatose and may even appear to be dead. The puppy can go into shock and, if not cared for properly and promptly, may even die.

If Yorkie hypoglycemia is caught in the early stages, rub Nutri-Cal (Caro syrup will do if you have no Nutri-Cal) on the puppy's gums, under the tongue, and on the roof of the mouth. Get a heating pad or heating blanket and slowly warm the puppy to proper body temperature. If the puppy responds, all is well. Feed a quality, canned food containing, high-carbohydrates and protein right away (you may want to mix it with egg yolk) and then monitor the puppy to be sure that the condition does not recur. Be sure to eliminate the stress that caused the episode if at all possible.

If Yorkie hypoglycemia is caught in the more advanced stages, rub Nutri-Cal or Caro in the mouth, and carefully insert a small amount in the rectum. Slowly warm the puppy to normal body temperature (101-102 degrees F) and keep him warm continuously with light heat. If the yorkie puppy still does not respond, carefully eye dropper dextrose solution or Caro water into the mouth, a little at a time only if the dog can swallow. Call your veterinarian immediately and inform him that you have a hypoglycemic yorkie puppy.

MALE OR FEMALE

Observations
Many people believe that female dogs make better pets...female preference seems to be ingrained in
these people. Most calls for pet dogs have people wanting a 'sweet girl'. They don't think females
display alpha behaviors like 'marking' and/or 'humping'. They believe that they are more docile and
attentive and do not participate in fighting over dominance. Well folks, this is not true and they don't call
them a 'bitch' for nothing!

In the dog pack makeup, females usually rule the roost, determine pecking order, and who compete to
maintain and/or alter that order. The females are, as a result, more independent, stubborn, and
territorial than their male counterparts. The females are much more intent upon exercising their
dominance by participating in alpha behaviors such as 'humping'. There IS a reason people utilize the
technical dog term of 'bitch' in a negative way-and it refers directly to the behaviors exhibited by the
females of the dog world. Most fights will usually break out between 2 females. Males, on the other
hand, are usually more affectionate, exuberant, attentive, and more demanding of attention. They are
very attached to their people. They also tend to be more steadfast, reliable, and less moody. They are
more outgoing, more accepting of other pets, and take quicker to children. Most boys are easily
motivated by food (how true!!) and praise, and so eager to please that training is easy. However, males
can be more easily distracted during training, as males like to play so often. And no matter what age, he
is more likely to act silly and more puppy-like, always wanting to play games. Boys are fun loving until
the day they die. Females tend to be more reserved or dignified as they age. Witness the human
equivalent of the twinkling eyed Grandpa still playing catch at age 70, while Grandma quietly observes
from the porch.

Boys do get bigger than girls, but only by an average of 1-2 inches and 3-5 pounds in the Cocker. In the
Toy Poodle a variety of sizes can be found regardless of sex. There are a lot of self claimed 'Miniatures'
in any breed out there, but those Breeders are not breeding to the standard as it is written for each
breed. The difference between sizes and sexes is minimal, if bred correctly, and for improving the breed
according to the standard.

Neutered males rarely exhibit secondary sexual behavior such as 'humping', or 'marking' and lifting of
legs. Once the testosterone levels recede after neutering, most of these behaviors (if they ever existed)
will disappear. Boys who were neutered early (by 5 months of age) usually don't ever raise their leg to
urinate.

And while the female will usually come to you for attention, when waiting for your attention and near at
hand. Females are usually less distracted during training, as she is more eager to get it over with, and
get back to her comfy spot on the couch. The female is less likely to wage a dominance battle with YOU,
but she can be cunning and resourceful in getting her own way. She is much more prone to mood
swings. One day she may be sweet and affectionate-the next day reserved and withdrawn or even
grumpy. The female also has periods of being 'in heat' unless she is spayed. Seasonal heats can be a
month long nightmare-not just for the female, but you and every male dog in the neighborhood. If you
are not breeding, you'd be best off to have her spayed. Since during this time she can leave a bloody
discharge on carpets, couches, or anywhere she goes. She will be particularly moody and emotional
during this time. A walk outside during this period can become hazardous if male dogs are in the
vicinity, and she will leave a 'scent' for wandering intact males to follow right to your yard, where they will
hang out, and 'wait' for days.

Before deciding on male or female, give consideration to any other dogs that may be in or around your
home.

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