YORKSHIRE TERRIER HEALTH
CANINE HEALTH ISSUES
THIS SECTION IS FULL OF ARTICLES AND WESITE LINKS TO HEALTH ISSUES IT IS INTENDED FOR A REFERENCE ONLY. IF YOUR PET IS ILL PLEASE CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN
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Yorkie Genetic Diseases
Listed below is a short description on some of the known health issues that affect the Yorkshire Terrier. These are only meant to help you know a little bit about the disease, and not to be used as a diagnosis. Only your vet is qualified to diagnosis your pet.
PATELLA LUXATION (slippping kneecaps, slipping stifle*)--is a relatively common condition in the Yorkie and often results in the intermittent lifting of one or both hindlegs when walking or running. It is possibly recessively inherited and therefore it is sensible not to breed from afflicted animals. Today, veterinary orthopaedics are such that corrective surgery is usually extremely successful.
REVERSE SNEEZING (Pharyngeal Gag Reflex*)--is a dramatic, rapid inhalation and exhalation of air through the nasopharynx. Dogs may do this when they have a mild irritation at the back of their throat. Often confused with seizuring or gasping for air, it is usually a harmless event.Reverse sneezing isn't really a health problem, but something that dog owners should be aware of as it is very common in toy breeds. It is characterized by honking, hacking or a snorting sounds. It usually happens when a dog is excited or can sometimes happen after drinking, eating, running around, or while pulling on the leash. The dog will usually extend his/her neck while gasping inwards with a distinctive snorting sound, it is reverse sneezing.
Usually by gently rubbing the throat of your dog, the spasms will stop after they swallow a couple of times and that's the end of it. Other dogs respond well by taking them outside for some fresh air. Or you can plug the nose holes forcing the dog to breathe through her mouth and that will usually stop an episode as well.
Reverse sneezing is a harmless condition and medical attention is not necessary. It is important to not confuse reverse sneezing with a collapsing trachea.
COLLAPSING TRACHEA -- Collapsing Trachea is a problem common to Toy Breeds. The trachea is a long tube that carries air from the neck to the chest. It is reinforced with rings of cartilage that help keep it rigid as air moves in and out of the tube. When the cartilage weakens, the trachea may collapse while the dog is breathing. While many affected dogs do fine, this isn't the case in all of the Toy's. The round cartilage rings may flatten, forcing the dog to try to breathe through an extremely narrow opening.
The symptoms of the condition---shortness fo breath, coughing, fatigue---usually appear after the age of five, although they can begin as early as birth. Generally young dogs tolerate collapding trachea pretty well until they get older.
COCCIDIOSIS -- Coccidiosis is a diarrhea disease caused by a species of coccidia commonly found in the feces of puppies, and occasionally, adult dogs. Coccidia are not worms; they are microscopic parasites which live within cells of the intestinal lining. Because they live in the intestinal tract and commonly cause diarrhea, they are often confused with worms.
GIARDIASIS -- Giardiasis is caused by a protozoan of the giardia species. Giardia are one-celled organisms that live in the small intestines of dogs and cats. Dogs get the infection from drinking water from streams or other sources contaminated with infective oocysts. Young dogs can develop diarrhea that may be acute or chronic, intermittent or persistent, and may be accompanied by weight loss.HYPOGLYCEMIA-- If you are going to become a toy dog owner you will want to familiarize yourself to the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar levels (glucose) fall well below normal. Glucose is what the body uses as fuel and is necessary for the brain tissue and muscles to function. Hypoglycemia is often seen in toy breeds, and frequently in young toy puppies. It can cause your puppy to become confused, disoriented, drowsy, have the shivers, stagger about, collapse, fall into a coma, or have seizures. Typical signs are listlessness, depression, staggering gait, muscular weakness, and tremors -- especially of the face. Puppies with a severe drop in the blood sugar develope seizures or become stuperous and go into a coma. Some puppies may only exhibit weakness or a wobbly gait, and occasionally a puppy that seemed just fine is found in a coma. Most of the time the symptoms can be controlled by eating, or by giving 1cc of karo syrup to the puppy. If not treated it can result in death.
How to Give Canine CPR
By Lori S. Mohr (as referenced by First Aid For Dogs by Tim Hawcroft)
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the process of breathing life back into an unconscious human. A similar technique can also work effectively on dogs.
The signs that indicate the need for CPR include unconsciousness, lack of arousal, lack of physical movement, or eye blinking. These symptoms can occur from drowning, choking, electrical shock, or a number of other situations.
The key to canine CPR is remembering the ABCs:
Airway,
Breathing, and
Cardiac compression.
To perform the three techniques, follow these steps.
Lay the dog on a flat surface on its right side and extend the head back to create an airway.
Open the jaws to check for obstructions, and if any exist and are not easily removed, do one of two things, depending on the size of the dog.
For small dogs, hold them upside down by their back end and shake vigorously to try removing the obstruction.
For large dogs, lay them on their side and, if necessary, use long-nosed pliers to remove the obstruction.
Cup your hands around the muzzle of the dog's mouth so that only the nostrils are clear. Blow air into the nostrils with five or six quick breaths, again, depending on the size of the dog.
Small dogs and puppies and require short and shallow breaths.
Larger dogs need longer and deeper breaths.
Continue the quick breaths at a rate of one breath every three seconds or 20 breaths per minute.
Check for a heartbeat by using your finger on the inside of the thigh, just above the knee. If you don't feel a pulse, put your hand over the dog's chest cavity where the elbow touches the middle of the chest. If you still don't find a pulse, have one person continue breathing into the nostrils (mouth to snout), while another gives cardiac massage.
Give the dog a cardiac massage by placing both hands palms down between the third and sixth rib on the chest cavity.
For large dogs, place your hands on top of each other.
For small dogs or puppies, place one hand or thumb on the chest.
Use the heel of your hand to push down for 10 quick compressions and then check to see if consciousness has been restored. If consciousness has not been restored, continue the compressions in cycles of about 10 every six seconds for 10 cycles a minute.
After each cycle of compression, the other person should give the dog two breaths of air in the nostrils. If only one person is present, this procedure can still be done successfully.
Once the dog has started breathing, contact a veterinarian immediately.
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