Small size drives most of the Yorkie list
Almost every health problem associated with Yorkshire Terriers traces back to scale: a tiny jaw crowded with teeth, a delicate windpipe, small kneecaps and joints, and a puppy body with little reserve. Dental disease, tracheal collapse, patellar luxation, a hip joint condition of young small dogs, and a liver shunt condition seen in the breed make up the usual veterinary watch list. None of this makes a Yorkie fragile in daily life, but it does mean small signs deserve earlier attention than they might in a larger dog.
Teeth: the most predictable problem of all
A Yorkshire Terrier's mouth is one of the most dental-disease-prone of any breed, with retained baby teeth in puppies adding extra crowding where plaque gathers. Bad breath, brown tartar, red gums, and favouring one side when chewing can all appear while a dog still eats eagerly. Lift the lip weekly, count any double teeth in a young dog and tell your vet, and ask at each visit for an honest dental grade. Home brushing with a tiny brush, started gently in puppyhood, is the single habit that changes this breed's dental story most.
The honking cough of a collapsing windpipe
Tracheal collapse in Yorkies weakens the windpipe's rings, producing a dry, honking cough that excitement, pulling on a collar, heat, or pressure on the throat can trigger. A harness rather than a collar for walks is a simple, vet-endorsed adjustment for a dog with this tendency. Note what sets the cough off, how long episodes last, and whether breathing between episodes is normal. Coughing with blue-tinged gums, fainting, or laboured breathing at rest is urgent in any toy breed and should be assessed the same day, not monitored overnight.
Knees, hips and a puppy liver condition
Slipping kneecaps may cause a Yorkie to skip or carry a hind leg briefly, while the hip condition of young small dogs produces a more persistent limp and thigh thinning. A portosystemic shunt, where blood bypasses the liver, can affect growth and may show as a small puppy who is quiet, disoriented after meals, or slow to gain weight. Those puppy signs are never something to watch at home for long: raise them promptly so your vet can run the blood work that investigates liver function and rule other causes in or out.
Low reserves in a very small dog
Young Yorkies and any unwell adult who stops eating can drop their blood sugar faster than larger dogs, showing wobbliness, dullness, or trembling. A Yorkie who has missed meals and seems weak or glazed should be discussed with a vet promptly rather than simply offered dinner later. Regular small meals for puppies, and a clear household rule about who has fed the dog, prevent most accidental gaps. Note episodes of weakness with the time and last meal, because that pairing is exactly what your vet will ask about.
Puppy notes that become the adult record
Yorkie health is a story that starts early: baby teeth, growth, cough, and knee findings in the first year shape adult care. Keeping those dated puppy notes, dental grades, and blood results together in KinsLe's Pet Passport means your Yorkshire Terrier's adult vet inherits the evidence, not a summary from memory.