yorkie w/diarrhea and vomiting/tell their age?

Question
We acquired a yorkie believed to be a teacup because of size. He was in our back yard and looked as though he had been on his own for awhile. He weighs 3lbs according to my home scale, was wondering how old he may be. Also, he is having diarehha and vomiting. Thanks for your help on this matter.

Answer
Hi Wendy,

Prolonged vomiting and diarrhea in a small dog can be quite dangerous. If this has been going on for more than 48 hours, you need to have the dog examined by a veterinarian.

Sometimes even your veterinarian can't really conclusively tell you how old the dog actually is.

Guessing the age of any animal is done by examining their teeth. Teeth normally wear out at a predictable rate although in the case of dogs there are a few curve balls in there. There are some small dog breeds that have horrible teeth and will start to lose them or need to have them pulled at a relatively young age. It is not uncommon for a Yorkshire terrier to be missing their incisors as young as six or seven if the owner has not kept up with dental care.
Along with his teeth, an aged might be guessed by how the bones, joints, muscles and internal organs feel.

A veterinarian is the best person to accurately take a guess at how old the dog you found is.

Best of luck,
Patti