What Are Common Health Problems in Yorkies?

Yorkies, as earlier stated, are generally very prone to health problems. Most of these problems are related to genetics, nutrition, and age. However, trauma also plays a huge role as the little doggies get injured easily.

There are several genetic conditions that affect yorkies with some being more serious than others. Here is a list of the most common ones and what they cause in the little pooch.

Periodontal Disease (Dental)

A common one here is retention of milk teeth which in addition to causing pain exposes the dog to the risk of dental infections.

 Portosystemic shunt of the liver

This is a disease of blood vessels that tampers with liver function by causing blood toxin and nutrient-rich blood from reaching the liver.

Distichiasis (Eye)

This is the sprouting of eyelashes from the wrong position on the eyelids. It often causes irritation of the eye and may eventually lead to ulceration of the cornea.

Yorkies also suffer from several skeletal disorders including skeletal hypoplasia, luxating patellas collapsing of tracheal rings and Legg–Calvé–Perthes syndrome which affects the femur head.

For the most part, these skeletal issues are either genetic or spontaneous. However, they can be as a result of trauma in which case traffic accidents and at-home falls are the commonest causes of injury in yorkies.

Finally, you have to look out for malnutrition disorders when raising a yorkie. These include both undernutrition and overweight states including obesity. The best way out of this is through good nutrition in which case Hill’s Science Diet Healthy Mobility Small Bites is a winner for yorkie. In addition to being rich in healthy nutrients and low in fats, it contains compounds like EPA and chondroitin which helps with joint and bone health. Call that a win-win.