Yorkshire Terrier Health Problems: Hypoglycaemia, Tracheal Collapse, Knees, Liver Shunt and More

Yorkshire Terriers are, for a pedigree breed, a healthy one: no breathing crisis built into the face, no spine designed to fail, thirteen to sixteen years on average. What they have instead is a list of problems that come from being very small, and a few that come from the gene pool. Most are manageable and several are emergencies, and the difference between a good outcome and a bad one is usually whether the owner knew what they were looking at. The usual honest line: we are not vets. This is what to watch and when to ask.

Hypoglycaemia

Low blood sugar. Toy puppies under about twelve weeks and a kilo, and tiny, old or ill adults, have almost no glucose reserves. A missed meal, cold, diarrhoea, a stressful day or an hour of frantic play can drop them. Signs: quiet and wobbly, glassy eyes, a drunken walk, trembling, drooling, then limp, then seizures. Rub glucose syrup, honey or sugar water on the gums, wrap them warm, ring the vet. Prevent it with four meals a day in puppies, never skipped, and by not buying a 'teacup'. Urgency: emergency.

Tracheal collapse

The windpipe in toy breeds is held open by rings of cartilage that weaken and flatten with age. The sign is a dry, honking cough like a goose, worse with excitement, pulling on a collar, heat, eating or drinking, usually starting from middle age. It ranges from an occasional honk to a dog who struggles to breathe. Harness, never a collar; lean weight; no smoke; cool in summer. Treatment runs from cough suppressants and anti-inflammatories to stents in severe cases. A honking dog who is gasping, blue-tongued or collapsing is an emergency. Otherwise: vet this month for a plan.

Patellar luxation

The kneecap slips out of its groove. The classic sign is a dog who skips a step or holds a back leg up for a few strides, then carries on. Graded one to four; low grades are managed with lean weight and muscle, high grades or a dog in pain need surgery, which works well. Common in the breed; ask about the parents' knees. Urgency: vet to grade it, not an emergency.

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease

Between about four and twelve months, the blood supply to the head of the thigh bone fails and the bone crumbles. A progressive back-leg limp in a puppy, pain when the hip is stretched, wasting of the thigh. Diagnosed on X-ray, treated by removing the femoral head; small dogs recover well and walk normally on muscle. Urgency: a puppy limp that hasn't resolved in a few days is an X-ray, not a wait.

Liver shunt

Yorkies have the highest rate of portosystemic shunt of any breed: a blood vessel that bypasses the liver, so toxins reach the brain. Signs, usually before two years: the smallest puppy in the litter who doesn't grow; dull or dazed after meals; drooling; head pressing, circling, staring, seizures; drinking and peeing a lot; bladder stones; slow to recover from anaesthetic. Diagnosis starts with a bile acid blood test before and after a meal, then ultrasound or CT. Surgery cures most; diet, lactulose and antibiotics manage the rest. Urgency: bile acid test this week for any small, strange puppy. The feeding guide covers the diet side.

Pancreatitis

Yorkies are one of the breeds prone to it, and the trigger is often a single fatty meal. Vomiting, a hunched back, a painful belly, off food, lethargy. Blood test, fluids, pain relief, and a low-fat diet for life if it has happened once. Urgency: vet the same day.

Dental disease

The most common problem in the breed, and it deserves its own article: the teeth guide. In short: crowded teeth, retained baby canines, gum disease by three, tooth-root abscesses that show as a swelling under the eye, and bacteria that reach the heart and kidneys. Daily brushing, professional dentals with X-rays, extractions where needed.

Eyes

Dry eye, where the tear glands fail: a dull eye, thick discharge, repeated infections; diagnosed with a simple tear test and managed with drops for life. Corneal ulcers from hair or scratches: squinting, holding the eye closed, a same-day vet. Cataracts in older dogs, which can be removed. Progressive retinal atrophy, inherited and untreatable, which good breeders test for. Keep the hair out of the eyes.

Fractures and falls

The most common fracture a vet sees in a young Yorkie is both bones of the forearm, from a jump off a sofa or a fall from a child's arms. Steps at the sofa and bed, children holding the dog on the floor, and a carry that supports chest and bottom. A dog who won't put a leg down after a fall or has a limb at an odd angle is a same-day vet.

Bladder stones

Common in the breed, sometimes linked to a shunt. Straining, blood in the urine, frequent small pees, accidents in a trained adult. A urine test and an X-ray find them; diet dissolves some kinds and surgery removes others. Urgency: vet this week, or today if the dog is straining and producing nothing, which in a male can be a blockage.

The senior list

Mitral valve disease, a leaking heart valve most Yorkies develop to some degree: a murmur found at a check-up years before symptoms, then a night cough, tiring on walks and faster breathing at rest; medication adds good time. Chronic kidney disease: drinking and peeing more, weight loss, a dull coat; a blood and urine test catches it early enough for diet to help. Cushing's disease: a pot belly, thirst, thin skin, hair loss. Cognitive decline: night pacing, staring, forgetting the routine. All are covered by age in the health by age guide.

The one rule

Insure before the first vet visit, because most of this list becomes pre-existing the moment it is noted. Then: harness, steps, regular meals, lean weight, brushed teeth, and a vet who knows what a strange Yorkie puppy might mean.