QuestionI have a yorkie pom mix that is 18 months old and weighs about 3.5 lbs. I bred her for the first time with a full blood yorkie who is about her same size, maybe 1 lb. heavier. They tied 2 times, she was fine the first tie but seemed to be in a lot of pain the second time. Is this normal?
AnswerDelana,
Stop breeding her at once! She is too small to have puppies and the male is definitely too large to breed with her. Dogs that are under 5 pounds are too small to breed. Some people try to breed 4 pounders but the success rate and high rate of complications usually make that a bad idea as well. You should never breed a larger or same size male with a smaller female. The recommended weights are 5 to 6 pound females to 2.5 to 3 pound males.
People are under the misconception that because it is a dog and they will breed with each other that it is ok, that is totally wrong. At 3.5 pounds your chances of having a puppy get stuck in the birth canal are very high. The chances of her having an emergency c-section are also high. In the past when anyone has asked me what they should do if their female 4 pounds or smaller has accidentally gotten tied with a male that is the same weight or larger I tell them to have the puppies aborted. This is for the sake of the mother and the possible complications that can occur when breeding these sizes.
There are some vets that will tell you it is ok but in my opinion the risks far outweigh the benefits. I provide a Word document for those who want to breed but don't know all the do's and don'ts'. It is located on my website at www.petremembrances.com/Yorkie%20Advise.html if you cannot click on the link just cut and paste it into your browser. Before you go any farther you will have to make some hard decisions. Hopefully the document will help you.
I am really sorry to have to tell you the unpleasant realities of breeding, but I don't believe in sugar coating things and you deserve to know the truth.
