New with some general questions

[MizErin1215]

Hi everyone, my name is Erin and bought Tucker on Sunday. I am so excited to be a Yorkie Mom! I have wanted one for years and now I have my dream puppy. Now to some questions..
1. He doesn't like to be held or cuddled by me. Does he not like me? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
2. Before I got him, I told the breeder that I work full time, so I'm gone a good chunk of the day and she told me he would be fine. I feel bad now for leaving him alone for so long and between trying to potty-train him.. it's just hard, cuz I keep him locked up in the bathroom (potty-training purposes) while I'm at work and throughout the night. He comes out from about 6-11 pm and is out about an hour in the mornings. Is this bad b/c I feel like a horrible Mom doing it.
3. I knew this going in to buy Tucker, but he has horrible siezures and the vet can't find anything wrong. Does anyone have experience in dealing with Yorkies that have siezures and must be kept on medication for the rest of their lives?

Thanks guys! I look forward to hearing your responses!

Erin

[yougetthesmiles]

Welcome to YT Erin! I'm sorry to hear that Tucker is having siezures, that is horrible. I really think you need to tell the breeder this, this is NOT normal and he should not be having siezures, what if he has one while your at work? If I were you I would be taking him back to the breeder for a new puppy, if not, this may get VERY expensive down the road.

You may want to plan on getting up a little earlier in the morning so you can spend some time with him, take him for a small walk in the am and in the pm, this will help you 2 bond.

I'm not sure why he don't want to be held, I would think he would, maybe the breeder did not "hand" raise these pups and they are not use to people.

Best wishes hun.

[MIZBROWN]

First off Welcome to YT

How old is your lil guy? What did your breeder say about his condition? Have never had a pup w/ that problem...however, what exactly did your vet tell you?

I got Meka at 9 wks... I too work full time too 7:30-4:30... when she was a baby, I kept her in a childs playpen in my living room... w/ her bed, water, toys and a pup pad... I use to leave the tv on for her and she was fine. I had to do that for the first month... then hubbys hours were changed and she stayed w/ him during the day... None the less, she was fine (until she learned how to climb out.. lol) You need to keep them in a confined area, until they are fully potty trained - otherwise you'll come home with "presents" everywhere... I dont know that I'd keep him in the bathroom though, maybe you can get an xpen or something like that. Meka stays in the washroom area during the day (its open space) - and I have a baby gate up, so that she cant get out.

Your baby is still getting use to you and his surroundings. So be patient and just keep giving him lots of TLC and he should be fine... And you can try buying some spray (at Petsmart) that goes on the pads... its suppose to help them know to go there.

[BamaFan121s]

In all honesty, not trying to sound brutal, buuut...

My honest opnion is that you need to return Tucker to the breeder. Given his condition with seizures if nothing else, he NEEDS to be placed in a home where someone can be with him most if not ALL of the time. He in no way needs to be left on his own as much as he is. Realisitcally, your work schedule does not accomodate for a dog (or any age or breed) with special medical needs like this one has.

If you are set on a Yorkie, I would look for one that is a bit older, already trained, and then seriously getting two if they are going to be on their own some.

[Ladymom]

How old is he? My Lady is an epileptic so I know quite a bit about the disease.

Epilepsy in a dog under one year is extremely rare. Seizures in a puppy are usually a symptom of a liver shunt, thyroid imbalance, GME or other neurological problem. Seizures are also a sign of distemper.

Your vet will have to do a bile acids test to rule out liver problems and if that is okay, you will probably need to have a spinal tap and other neurological tests done.

If Tucker is very young, his seizures could very well be from hypoglycemia/low blood sugar. Did your vet or breeder suggest this to you? Scroll down the page to find some information on hypoglycemia.

http://www.yorkshire-terrier.com/lacy/medical.htm

[daisysis]

I am sorry to say this But maybe you should reconsider keeping your puppy.
I agree with the others he being a special need pup he needs to be with some one most of the time.
Maybe you can find a dog sitter.
maybe an older dog might be the answer for you..
Him not wanting to be cuddle..some dogs just do not want to snuggle just cruleing up next to you is enough for them..

[Yorkiekids]

Welcome to YT. I'd be bringing him back to the breeder. Seizures are not normal, and are very dangerous being that you not home a lot. It's hard enough to train a healthy Yorkie when your not at home, but a sick one is just asking for trouble.

[PANAMA69]

Sorry about your puppy hope he get better soon

[lilbumbleybees]

Welcome to YT! Try pee pads for the potty training issues. As for the seizures, I am sure there is someone here who can help you out!

[Ellie May]

I agree with BamaFan and Ladymom. I would get two Yorkies so they have company. You also can't potty train if you aren't home during the day.

Seizures are not normal. The first three things that come to mind are hypoglycemia, hydrocephalus and liver shunt. I would go to another vet and/or return the pup if you don't have the time or resources for this one.

[erino77]

Welcome to YT! I am sure you will much help here for your little Tucker. Do you have any pics yet?

[Ladymom]

This is a least of things that can cause seizures in dogs under one year old in order from most common to least common:

LESS THAN 1 YEAR OF AGE

Anomaly: hydrocephalus.

Inflammatory:
Infectious - Viral: canine distemper; parasitic; bacterial; fungal
Immune mediated

Metabolic:
Hepatic - portosystemic shunt; Autoimmune thyroiditis (early stage: TgAA
positive); Hypoglycemia; Electrolyte disorders

Toxic: Single or combination vaccines; Lead; Drug related; Other exposures

Trauma: Acute; Delayed

Degenerative: Storage disorders

Primary: Idiopathic Epilepsy ("idiopathic" = cause unknown or undetermined)

We actually have a new member on the Maltese forum I belong to who is dealing with a very similar problem. She got her puppy at eight weeks (way too young) and he started having seizures a few weeks later. He's now only 14 weeks old, poor baby, as has gone blind, walks in circles and cries all the time. Her vet is stumped. He has done a bile acids test for liver disease and it was normal, so they now think it's neurological. They have him loaded up on phenobarbital to stop the seizures, but his poor mom is a wreck. They have spent a fortune on him and have run out of money.

[MyFairLacy]

Welcome to YT and congrats on your new baby. I think under normal circumstances, a puppy would be fine being alone during part of the day, but with this puppy having seizures so often, I don't think it's safe for him to be left alone. I'd be afraid something terrible would happen while I was at work. It might be best for him to be in a home with someone who is at home all day just for his safety.

[yorkiesmiles]

Welcome to YT. I really hope all the frank, openness offered to you here does not scare you off. YorkieTalk is really a wonderful place to learn about everything Yorkie - there are many knowledgeable people here and we have a lot of fun. I believe the feedback you have received from others is an attempt to keep you from heartbreak with the possibility of dealing with a sick baby.

I know that must be hard to hear when you are so excited about a Yorkie that you have dreamed about for years. I hope however you decide to proceed that you will continue to come back to YT, if you keep this little one this may be a great resource for you and/or an opportunity for you to share what is learned about this little one's health issue. Also, if you decide to return the pup to the breeder, YT is a great place to find other good breeders and beautiful pups.

Best wishes to you and a hug,

[MizErin1215]

Thanks to everyone who commented about my precious Tucker. I'm happy to inform everyone that the seizures have stopped and don't come nearly as frequent as they were there in the beginning. For those of you saying to return him to the breeder, I bought him knowing that he had a couple of seizures in the past, so I was basically taking a chance on him. He's coming along quite nicely now and I honestly think that moving into a now house was stressful on him and caused the seizures. He is a joy to have.. I couldn't ask for a better companion! I still have him in the bathroom with the pee pads and that's going okay for the most part. This morning he woke me and my boyfriend up and hour before we needed to be up with his barking letting us know he didn't want to be in the bathroom anymore!