Health Information
Although the Yorkshire Terrier is a fairly healthy breed there are a few known health problems that are common in the breed that owners should be aware of.
In a yorkie with a portosystemic shunt (PSS) there is abnormal blood flow in the liver. Blood should flow from the digestive tract to the liver via the portal system into the blood vessels of the liver, and then to the caudal vena cava which is the large blood vessel carrying blood back to the heart. In a portosystemic shunt, as the name implies, portal blood by-passes the liver and goes directly to the systemic venous circulation (caudal vena cava). One important function of the liver is to clear toxins, many of which are by-products of protein digestion, from the blood. In PSS, these toxins are not cleared, and circulate in the body. This causes the clinical signs associated with PSS, many of which are neurological. The complex of neurological and behavioural signs caused by liver dysfunction is called hepatic encephalopathy. Portosystemic shunts may be acquired secondary to another disease, or they may be congenital - that is the yorkshire terrier is born with a shunt. A congenital shunt usually occurs as a single abnormal blood vessel that is a remnant of normal embryonic development. These shunts are defined as intra-hepatic or extra-hepatic depending on the location of the blood vessel in relation to the liver. Most yorkshire terriers with congenital portosystemic shunts show clinical signs before 6 months of age. Where signs are subtle, the condition may not be diagnosed until much later.
Clinical signs are often seen at a young age and may include poor growth, behavioral changes (circling, disorientation, unresponsiveness, staring into space, head pressing, blind staggers), seizures, and quiet demeanor. Many of the clinical signs may be confused with puppy hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Other less common signs include diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive drinking or urinating. In many animals the signs are seen 1-3 hours after eating meat or puppy chow. Proteins in the food are broken down by intestinal bacteria to ammonia and other toxins which are absorbed and, instead of being filtered by the liver, are allowed to reach the brain. The depression and signs are often temporary; once the proteins are emptied from the colon, the signs usually abate. Some animals may not show clinical signs until they are anesthetized to be castrated or spayed. These animals may take days to recover from anesthesia, depending on what drugs were used. Other animals show no signs until they are older, when they develop bladder and kidney problems from excreting toxins and forming urine crystals and stones.
The knee cap (patella) normally fits into a groove in the thigh bone (femur). The patella slides up and down in this groove as the leg bends and straightens. Patellar luxation means that the knee cap has slipped out of the groove. There are several reasons why this happens, including malformation of the groove. Luxation may happen only occasionally, or may happen continuously. The knee cap may pop back into the groove on its own, or your veterinarian may need to push it back into place. Your yorkie will be lame when the patella is out of place. Over time your yorkshire terrier may develop other degenerative joint changes, such as osteoarthritis. To avoid damage to the patellas, please do not allow your yorkie to jump up to or down from high places. This puts a lot of stress on the patella and can lead to an injury.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
Hypoglycemia is a condition found in toy breeds less than 5 months of age and can occur in full grown adults weighing 3lbs and under. Hypoglycemia is defined as a blood glucose or blood sugar concentration of less than 70 milligrams per deciliter(mg/dl) of blood. Puppies, especially small breed puppies are particularly susceptible to low blood sugar because their liver is not able to store sufficient amounts of glycogen, as they require more glucose for brain function. Other causes may include: excessive exercise or stress such as a routine car trip, which occurs in the absence of a meal. Pups need to eat every 3-4- hours.
Signs: Weakness, tired or droopy, listlessness, and loss of appetite. These may be followed by a loss of mental alertness, wobbliness, muscle twitching or shaking, seizures and death can result. Not all the above signs mean your pup has hypoglycemia as many other illnesses have the same symptoms. If you are unsure whether your puppy has hypoglycemia or something else, please get in touch with your vet immediately.
Treatment: If puppy is awake, give it honey, Nutri-Cal, Pedialyte, or Karo Syrup my mouth or use a syringe.
Prevention: Regulate play time to 15-20 minutes at a time followed by a nap or rest. Do not allow your puppy to get too tired. Make sure to keep the following items on hand: Pedialyte or Nutri-Cal, meat baby food, yogurt, canned puppy food and a syringe or easy read medicine dropper found in the baby department that comes with a travel cap.
Tracheal collapse is a narrowing of the inner diameter of the trachea (windpipe), that fluctuates with the stage of the respiratory cycle. The rings of the trachea (made of cartilage) lose their ability to maintain their shape, and collapse when the yorkshire terrier breathes, causing a harsh cough. Most often this disorder is seen in middle-aged toy and miniature breeds. Chronic respiratory infection, obesity, and heart disease can all contribute to the development of the condition, but it appears that there is also a congenital deficiency (ie. a yorkie is born with it) in the make-up of the trachea itself. Heat, humidity and excitement exacerbate the problem. A dog will have trouble breathing and may try to vomit to clear his airway. A dog with a collapsed trachea usually can't exercise without having problems and in some severe cases, may even pass out from lack of air. Any exercise is likely to fatigue him. If your dog does develop symptoms, the condition usually can be managed with medication and restricted activity. To avoid damage to the tracheal, please wear a harness on your yorkie when walking him. Having a collar on a yorkie who pulls can cause serious damage to the tracheal causing it to collapse.
Dog owners are often frightened when their dog suddenly begins wheezing and snorting, appearing to be unable to breathe. It is a frightening sight if you have never seen it before. Fortunately it may not be quite as serious as it looks. This "snorting" is called reversed sneezing. Medically speaking, it consists of short periods (one to two minutes) of severe respiratory dysnpnea characterized by extension of the neck, bulging of the eyes and abduction of the elbows. Respiratory dyspnea simply means a type of "air hunger". Swallowing causes the attacks to stop. It can be mimicked by a person pressing the base of the tongue upward and then trying to inhale through the nose. It is the incomplete closure of the nasopharynx (above the soft palate) that results in the snorting sounds. This closure is normal during swallowing and is inhibited at the end of the swallowing process, which explains why swallowing helps stop and attack of reverse sneezing. Sometimes irritation of the nasal passages from dust or allergens can cause this. Our Yorkies are so close to the ground it is easy for them to breathe in dust particles. When you see your dog "snorting" like this, what you need to do is make the dog swallow by massaging the pharyngeal area (the upper throat area) or by briefly closing the nares. (Nares are the two little openings in the nose.) Relief should come almost immediately. We have found that the latter method works best for our dogs, and is the easiest and quickest method. We just place our fingertips over the little nose openings and the snorting stops almost immediately. It is important that the dog owner be sure that what the dog is doing is actually reverse sneezing. There are other types of sneezing and coughing that can be more serious. You must differentiate between the sneezing on inspiration - as the dog breathes in like with reverse sneezing - or breathes out. Some of the types of cough to watch out for are congestive heart failure (usually nocturnal coughing); or pulmonary lung disease (soft, infrequent coughing). A productive cough (fluid or mucous) suggests infections, kennel cough etc... Rarely reverse sneezing can be caused from a malformation int he nasal passage - but that causes very frequent and severe sneezing. More than likely what you will be seeing in your Yorkie IS reverse sneezing - it is quite common in this breed and other small breeds. But to be safe, watch the dog very carefully and see if the closing off the nostrils makes it stop. If so, it is probable reverse sneezing. If you have any doubts, it is better to ask your vet. If you are worried about what will happen if your dog does this while you are not around, don't worry, he will be alright. They look as if they are really struggling, but can and do recover without us.