Teacup Yorkie - How To Avoid Buying A Sick Dog
Teacup Yorkie - Buyer Beware!
Are you looking to bring a Teacup Yorkie home?
These cute little Yorkies are more popular than ever and can make an absolutely fantastic pet. But there are some serious issues that you must take into account to avoid buying a sick Teacup Yorkie dog.
Take this reader question and answer that recently appeared in the Miami Herald as words to the wise:
“Q: My mother bought a teacup Yorkie about six months ago. The pup flew all the way from Nebraska and when we picked her up at the airport she was so sick we ended up spending $2,000 to save her life. The breeder made it clear that he would take her back but that he could not reimburse us for the medical expenses. Is there anything I can do to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else?
A: You're doing all you can by telling as many people about it as possible. Out-of-sight breeders (whose prices are often similarly stellar) are almost never a smart idea. Unless you have an excellent referral to an out-of-state breeder from someone you trust, just say no!
Unscrupulous breeders are all over the Internet, hawking their puppy-mill wares as if they were show-quality purebreds. Just because they're expensive and imported doesn't mean you're getting what they advertise online. These pups are often sickly, defective and many times aren't even representative of their breeds, regardless of their papers.
Puppy stores are not the ideal place to find the love of your family's life. The vast majority of these pups come from out-of state puppy farms or backyard breeders. Similarly, buying a pup at a roadside stand is a terrible proposition (for both you and the pup sitting in the heat).
Unfortunately, I deal with a many sad cases like yours. Teacup pups are especially overrepresented among the disasters I see. In part, that's because many teeny-tiny dogs are inherently more fragile and genetically inbred than others.”
Tips To Avoid Buying A Sick Teacup Yorkie
Here are five tips to help you avoid buying a sick Teacup Yorkie:
- If possible, only deal with a reputable breeder that you can meet in person. This will help you avoid unscrupulous "puppy mills".
- Call the breeder first to ask them about their dogs, what the conditions are like at the breeder's premises, if they could provide references to previous customers, etc. This will show the breeder that you're an educated, serious buyer.
- Visit the breeder's premises to see how the dogs are raised, the condition of the parents and to get to meet the available dogs. Resist the temptation to go home with a dog at any cost.
- Ask the breeder to see their breeder license and the veterinary records for the dog you are considering.
- Once you've purchased a dog, make an appointment with your vet to give your new dog a thorough exam and to get to know him in case of future issues.
Follow these 5 steps to protect yourself and your family from heartbreak and a sick Teacup Yorkie.
Teacup Yorkie video
Bring Home a Healthy Teacup Yorkie
Comments
Rolanda on February 06, 2020:
Hi Guys after saving for my Precious baby Chelsea she was only 8 weeks old. I had her for only 1 week. I previously purchased a healthy Puppy from this Person before She’s not a Breeder. But His name is Charlie he’s 10 months old now doing good no issues. Anyway these two Yorkies share the Same Parents. Chelsea came to me on 1/11/2019 a little prayerful she ate but wanted to sleep all the time . Well I said to my husband I don’t find that unusual because she’s a baby. But as the days went on she stopped eating and drinking so we took her to the Vet & the Vet just blew my mind told us Chelsea had Flea Anemia. Wtf I was like wth. Is that. Meaning it was transferred from her Mom . Long story short she died the night I brought her home from the Vet.$850.00 Down the drain but I’d rather have my Chelsea back. Word to Wise some Back yard Breeders just don’t take care of their Animals they are just out for money. I’m still heart broken. I miss her so much. It was several puppies sold out that bunch with Chelsea I wonder are they ok. I brought this up to the breeder, she claim the Mother was ok along with the other puppies. The Vet assured me that Puppies with Black Stool is not Healthy. She was having black Stool. I’ve never seen such a thing.please Beware.
sal on February 03, 2012:
I tried many places to find a breeder of TINY tea cup MALTEESE i did not succeed please give me a reference where do i find in Fort Lauderdale. thank you
ivy on October 08, 2011:
if you have a little dog, it needs to be hand fed several times a day when it is a puppy. they should not be left alone for the first several months. you must also keep it dressed and warm. if it will not drink water you can feed it goats milk adding water to the goats milk to get it used to drinking water. often times little dogs are allergic to food and things like yard fertilizer. they often do best on a cooked food diet. i feed my dog broccoli and wild salmon.
Isyss919 on September 04, 2011:
I like the teacup yorkie They are cute my aunt has a teacup yorkie and it is name mowe I want one
Audrea on August 25, 2011:
I live in Rutherford County and Im very interested in buying a teacup size yorkie...I want to buy from a TRUE breeder. Please email me at audrea.d.carney@rrd.com
ernie on August 09, 2011:
i own 2 yorkie one is 13 years old the other is 2 years old i got them from a breather the same mother and fother they are beautiful and i love them very much
this.is.me on March 27, 2011:
is it okay to buy a puppy in a pet store? the cages was huge and all of the puppies seemed healthy, and we got to talk to the lady working there, who took good care of the 5 puppies (in a huge cage each).
jade on December 31, 2010:
they are so cute and soft i like sleeping with my pup he is warm
Cheryl on October 19, 2010:
I don' think it's fair to blame the breeder when no facts are known. I recently shipped a toy breed puppy to someone. The puppy was depressed, understandably, and became hypoglycemic. Hypoglycemia is 100% preventable, and NOT the breeder's fault, yet it can be DEADLY. The owner's vet did not even check the puppy's blood glucose levels, which can be done instantly with the same type of meter used by human diabetics. I had told the owner to watch for hypoglycemia, how to prevent it, and what to do if it happened. It seems the owner did not even mention this to her vet, which I thought she would and should do. All along I thought it was understood the puppy had simply become hypoglycemic. The puppy died nine days after arriving, after he had his second hypoglycemic attack when his owners slept in on Saturday morning, causing him to miss his normal breakfast time. The autopsy found the cause of death was "inadequate food intake." They could not even put food in the puppy's mouth for a week or so to get the puppy over the adjustment period of going to a new home? The puppy spent the last 60 hours of his life alone in a cage at the vet hospital, and yet he died from lack of food, per the autopsy! (Because he had no food, his body was burning it's fat stores, which he had plenty of. The fat clogged his little liver, causing death. The autopsy stated "inadequate food intake." This college where the autopsy was performed was the same agricultural college the vet graduated from, so they were on the vet's side, trying to blame the puppy for missing his family and loosing his appetite. The puppy had no diseases, no genetic problems, and no parasites of any kind.) Do you think I should pay this vet, whom I let the owners know I did not approve of and did not hire? I was promised a second opinion days before the puppy died, and never got one. Didn't the new owners have some responsibility to hire a knowledgeable vet, or at least pay attention to my warnings regarding hypoglycemia? A hypothetical scenario: Suppose the puppy needed some antibiotics for a minor infection, but was denied some simple antibiotics. The minor infection becomes a serious infection, yet the vet puts no antibiotics in the puppy's mouth (nor through an IV) the entire 60 hours the puppy is in the hospital. The puppy eventually dies. Would this be the breeder's fault? If a vet/owner is expected to put antibiotics into a puppy's mouth to prevent serious complications, why can't a vet/owner be expected to put food in a puppy's mouth to prevent serious complications? Of course, the claim is the puppy arrived sick, even though the autopsy spells out the puppy died from lack of food, NOT an illness. Now, I don't know the situation the original poster had regarding the Yorkie pup. However, if this puppy was hypoglycemic, it was up to the owner to take care of it. The breeder could do nothing but give advice since the breeder was not there with the pup. All the owner needed to do was hand/force feed the puppy during the adjustment period of one or two weeks. I do feel that hypoglycemia should be emphasized in ALL situations where new, toy breed puppies appear to be ill shortly after going to their new homes.
caplan on March 27, 2010:
i happen to be a breeder of yorkies and i have 2 akc registered yorkies for sale, they are vet checked contact caplanjohnson03@gmail.com
Meghan on September 12, 2009:
Whose puppies are those in the pcture of the three yorkies??
amandagurl on May 27, 2009:
angie be aware that you might never actually know when your dog is sick unless you take him/her to the vet and the dog might show sighns of an illness
angie on May 15, 2009:
thank-you so much for this information. my mother and i have just gone and bought a yorkie and it was great that we knew how to get a happy, healthy puppy.
amandagurl on April 03, 2009:
me and my sister just bought a female named isabell 3 pounds and me and my sister thought she was healthy but just to be sure my sister and i took her to the vet the day after we bought her and the veterinarian said she was going to have heart problems in the future but her next appointment the doctor said it was just a false alarm then my sister got really mad and started cursing the vet out and my sister lifts lots of weights and it took 10 security guards just to get her to calm down but she wasn't done with are vet when she was finally alone with the vet she started slapping her and punching her then the lady at the desk called the police but my sister was gone by the time the police was there but when she came back for me and isabell there were an ambulance and a police officer and he did not look happy cause my sister knocked the vet right into the wall that's why you should never play around when theres somebodys life involved
anonymous on February 25, 2009:
i myself have a female yorkie who has just had puppies how do i tell if any of them get sick??
Gloria on February 04, 2009:
Sebastian was 12 weeks old when i bought him, he was sick and has been sick for the past 9 yeays, he is 9 years old, after a bout with aspiration phneumonia!!! please guys get info about this illness he is ok with that but has a collapsed thrachea very severe, he may not make it but I just want to say I am happy that i was able to care for this lille guy and give him some kinda decent life even though he was always sick. Please pray that my Sbastian can have a miracle healing because that's what its gonna take a miracle.
mayo on January 10, 2009:
sufroooooooooooooooooooooooooooo por no tener un yorkie....!!! quiero tener un yorkshire tea cup...!!
Taii on December 09, 2008:
I purchased my puppy from Kidd Yorkies. They breed beautiful, healthy show dogs and the breeder Debbie is so nice and knowledgeable about yorkies.
melissa on November 13, 2008:
If you are looking for a puppy,try www.akc.org. You can search in your area.
pam on November 02, 2008:
this is in response to the last statement from Nancy, apparently Nancy has NO love or compassion for animals...because if she wishes you thousands of dollars on vet bills she is wishing pain and suffering on the pet. HOW SICK YOU are!! I understand her wanting to clarify the true description of the Yorkie but your anger speaks for itself. I would not have a pet from her no matter the cost.
Nancy on September 20, 2008:
It's so sad that you're posting good information about how to buy a dog - and yet you're perpetuating the myth! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "TEACUP" DOG. The Yorkie is a toy breed and is small to begin with; the standard is 4-7 lbs. There is no need to breed them any smaller. In fact, those that grow to less than 4 lbs. usually are the runts of their litters and have lots of health problems.
"Teacup" is usually a word used by a bad breeder who wants to jack up the price of the dog by promising that it will be really small. Yeah...good luck with these dogs, and I hope you have many thousands of dollars for vet bills. If you don't believe me, check with the AKC on this.
Yorkie Fan on June 29, 2008:
I always avoid "Teacup" breeders. Most of them breed them in cruel and unethical ways.
puppylover on April 08, 2008:
uh oh...
i just bought a 8 week old teacuop yorkie just recently and i didn't even think about any of those things above...
i bought him for $1000 and he came with a vetinary record... but that's it. i iddnt ask the breeder for a license or anything!
he doesn't seem sick at all... he's very acive but he's afraid to go outisde... and sometimes the tiles in the kitchen are too slippery for him to walk on.
HELP?
Toto on March 31, 2008:
My teacup yorkie...is very sick all of a sudden...she is very playful but suddenly at 10pm she started to throw up and suddenly had a lose of appetite and also became very weak and couldn't even stand up ~ what do you think the problem is?
skings81087 on March 23, 2008:
Oh, thanks a lot for this. I am about to buy a new yorkie and I definetly don't want a sick one that's going to die on me the first week. These pups are expensive!
rabia06 on March 22, 2008:
Very informative tips. Wonderful ..i didn't know these things before.
Sarah Eve Nichols on March 22, 2008:
It's so sad that there are shady breeders out there :-( Thank you for the advice on how to avoid them!
s0m1c on March 22, 2008:
nices tip.Thanks you.
solowpoet on March 22, 2008:
2'000...........That question and answer segment is golden,and i shall pass it along
Navs on March 21, 2008:
Quite an impressive guide for pup buyers!
Union on March 21, 2008:
Thanks for the informative tips, I will ask my friends to look up this article if they want to buy a Yorkie one day.
feyi2007 on March 21, 2008:
Excellent information which will go a long way to help in getting a yorkie, what is their life span?
nixbox on March 20, 2008:
Nice set of tips. Quite helpful!
indrapramit on March 20, 2008:
This one is a real help, has given me an idea how to go about buying pups!!
progolfer79 on March 20, 2008:
Are there national rescue groups for toy dogs? I don't think I've ever seen a little dog at the shelters around here.
LindsayD on March 20, 2008:
Other than from a shelter, my policy is to never purchase a dog whose dame you haven't met.
Chris Miller on March 19, 2008:
I'm a dog trainer with several clients that bought Yorkies - many of whom are dealing with the after effects of bad breeders now.Insist on health tests of parents for any puppy or walk away.
krazy kelly on February 04, 2008:
excuse me, does anyone know where i can get a good yorkie puppy???? Its my first time and i dont really know that much about this. I have been doing research but i think i still need a few good sources and help. thankyou
no on February 04, 2008:
thank you
Pam Palazzolo on December 03, 2007:
Your info. was wonderful. I am now in the process of getting a tea cup from the internet. I found the breader on line and have been talking to her almost every day. She is in Ok. and Iin Ct., so, I must trust her, and I do. I have seen pictures of the mother and father, and she has told me how she and her family hand raise the puppies in their home. I told her I wasgoing to name the dog Rosie, and she and her family hav been calling her that for a week and she is starting to know it. She is also going to be putting her in the crate for 1 hour a day to get her use toit for the plane ride. I hope this all works out because I already love this littlt dog. I jusr have to have faith. I expect Rosie on Dec20. I will write again and let you know how it went.
Katywozere on November 30, 2007:
Without wishing to boast, a comment made by my son was 'How come the pets you have had are always really special? Well the reason for this observation is simply that I try and find something special in each pet I have chosen. I absolutely would never buy a pet I have not seen and handled. I recently lost my 17 yr old cat and a person said 'It's your birthday soon, I'll get you a kitten'. My answer 'Don't you dare!' I was horrified at the very thought. It is so easy to assess an animal by the way they react to you and the feeling you get from them. Please don't ever buy a pup-by-post, it will surely be disastrous. They are not clothes from a catalogue, meet your pet in person, spend as much time as allowed and be positive this is the one, you'll be glad you did.
Suzanna Stinnett from SF Bay Area on September 19, 2007:
Thank you for this excellent information! Anyone looking to get a Yorkie should see it.
Suzanna
