Pregnant 3 lb Yorkie

Question
Hi,

I am fairly certain that our 9 month teacup yorkie is pregnant by my daughter's chihuahua. We think it was 29 days ago, which leaves us 34 days I assume. I am concerned about her size. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow to get his advice. I am curious to find out if you have an opinion about her size and whelping pups.

Thanks, Kelly

Answer
Kelly-

Yes, I would be highly concerned about her size. It is my opinion that it is INCREDIBLY dangerous to breed dogs that are under standard. 3 LBS is too small to safely carry a litter without reprocussions. Plus, your dog is only a puppy. It would not be safe even for a large breed healthy dog to give birth at her age. Her bones are not fully developed- it would be like asking a 9 year old human to give birth.

Please remember- there is no such think as a "teacup" yorkie. This is not a recognized breed. Backyard breeders and puppy mills capitalize on terms like "teacup" "minature toy" etc to make money. These are dogs that have been inbreed, indiscriminately bred and undernurished/underdeveloped to make them too small. They already have tons of health problems. They should NEVER be bred. Here is a bit of reading for you:

http://www.barkrescue.net/teacup.htm
http://crownroyalyorkies.com/truth_about_yorkshire_terriers.htm
http://www.onlydogbeds.net/what_is_a_teacup_dog-9438.php

..you can get more by googling "What is a teacup dog" or "The truth about teacups" etc.

Please, go ahead and spay your bitch. You can do this safely all the way up until the last week. Doing this now will eliminate the worry that your dog will be killed or permenantly harmed during the whelping, save you the expense of the almost definite c-section, save you the worry of future puppies, eliminate all concerns about uterine and breast cancer, eliminate the worry about pyo and other infections, and ensure that there are not extra puppies being born into a world where thousands already do not have homes.

Good luck- I hope you spay her soon.