How Long Do Yorkies Live? The Question You Ask But Don’t Want Answered

How Long Do Yorkies Live

How long do Yorkies live? Knowing the life expectancy of your beloved pooch can be a depressing thought, but this information can be useful as well.

​Do you have a Yorkshire Terrier? If you do, then you must be in love. They bring so much joy that the thought of ever losing them one day is a difficult reality that we’d rather not think about.

However, if you have thought about how long do Yorkies live, you are not alone. Many loving dog families ask this question so they can look into possible ways to extend their beloved pet’s years with the family.

Here is some information you can use to help your Yorkies live a long, healthy life.

Life Expectancy

Yorkies Life Expectancy

Yorkies, in general, live for about 12 – 15 years. On average, female Yorkies live about 1.5 years longer than their male counterparts. Although sadly, this is not a very long life expectancy, these breeds actually have a slightly longer lifespan than other domesticated canines.

In the United States, domesticated canines generally for about 12.67 years, while they live a year lesser in the UK with 11.08 years.

Why do Yorkies live longer than other domesticated canines? Yorkies live longer than other domestic breeds due to 2 main reasons.

One is because they are toy breeds and these breeds have a longer lifespan compared to medium to large dog breeds. Second, Yorkshire Terrier is a healthy breed and the health issues that they normally contend with are not life-threatening.

One important detail about the figure that had been presented is that these deaths are due to natural causes. Unfortunately, the number goes lower to 11.1 years if factors like trauma or accidents are taken into consideration.

This means knowing the leading causes of death for Yorkies may help your furry friend reach his or her peak life expectancy.

​Leading Causes of Death for Yorkies

Leading Causes of Death for Yorkies

Puppies under the age of 1 – 2 usually die either due to infection or trauma. Adult Yorkies, on the other hand, are vulnerable to respiratory disease, cancer, trauma, and congenital disease.

​Infection

There are a variety of diseases that result in infection and sadly, death. One of these scary diseases is the Parvovirus, or what is commonly known as Parvo.

This virus damages the immune system as well as the gastrointestinal tract of your puppy. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting that can easily result in dehydration that can be fatal.

Parvovirus is spread from one infected dog to another. Pups that are within what is known as the window of vulnerability stage are highly susceptible to this disease as their bodies are still absorbing the protection from the vaccine. To lessen the risk of contamination, make sure to keep your environment clean.

Another cause of death among puppies is leptospirosis. The lethal stain for your dog is one that attacks the liver and the kidney. The disease is commonly contracted through urine from wildlife like raccoons and skunks.

Finally, distemper–a highly contagious infection that affects the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract. Symptoms include weakness and coughing that progress to diarrhea. The disease becomes deadly when the virus has spread to the spinal cord and into the poor puppy’s brain.

​Trauma

Trauma is one of the leading causes of death for both puppies and adults. This can be caused by being stepped on, being hit by a car, being dropped, being tripped over, or being in any type of accident.

Respiratory disease, cancer, congenital disease

These diseases are the main causes of death for Yorkies ages 1 year and above. The good news is, there are ways to avoid the spread of these fatal health problems.

​Extending Life Expectancy

There are many ways you can help your Yorkie live a healthy long life. You can start by making sure they get all the shots that they need.

Most importantly, keep a close watch on your puppy especially within 2 weeks after the last shot was given since this is the window of vulnerability stage.

Other things like preventing trauma, providing proper dental care, spaying or neutering, giving your Yorkie nutritious foods (Check out our review of the best dog food for Yorkies), making sure he or she gets enough exercise, and keeping up with Veterinary appointments are the best things you can do to keep your Yorkie around for as long as possible.

Having said that, you also know you can’t stop the years from coming. Accept your dog’s age by making sure you spend quality time together and address his or her changing needs. An aging dog, for example, needs an orthopedic bed to help age-related arthritis.

You may not have the power to stop time, but you do have the power over how you spend each day with your beloved Yorkie. You also have the power to take care of your pet and provide for his or her needs in the best way possible.

error: Content is protected !!