How Old Do Yorkies Get? (Solved & Explained!)

Yorkies have an average lifespan of 13-15 years. Female Yorkies can live an average of 1-2 years longer than males. The lifespan of your dog is closely related to how you take care of it. With a good diet and regular exercise, you can extend your dog’s lifespan.

What Do Yorkies Usually Die From?

Although Yorkies tend to live longer than other dog breeds, it is possible for them to die at an early age. 

Although rare, Yorkies can develop some congenital genetic health problems. If these health problems are not diagnosed and treated in the early stages, they can be fatal in the future. 

Some of the health problems seen in Yorkies are cataracts, joint slippage, osteoporosis, and liver disease.

What Are The  Causes Of Death in Yorkie Puppies?

Infectious diseases

Parvovirus

Parvovirus, one of the most prevalent diseases that pose a danger to puppies, is transmitted from a sick dog through its saliva or its feces. 

The symptoms of this disease, in which most of the sick puppies manage to survive with adequate medical care, are very bad. 

Vomiting diarrhea, high fever, weight loss, and mouth inflammation are some of the main symptoms. 

It is stated that this disease, in which newly born puppies are generally affected more frequently, is very deadly, and it can kill animals in a short time if early treatment is not applied. 

This disease, which is frequently seen in puppies from birth to 6 months, is also rarely seen in dogs around 2 years old.

Distemper

This disease is also one of the highly contagious diseases. This disease appears in the stages of puppyhood and occurs when viruses attack the digestive system and nervous system. The symptoms are similar to rabies. 

Infected animals spread this virus by sneezing. It can also be caught from drinking water or food from the same container. 

Some of the symptoms are:

• Severe vomiting
• Runny nose
• Diarrhea
• Fever 
• Cough
• Spasms
• Partial paralysis

This disease is just as contagious and deadly as any other. If the necessary treatment is not applied in time, the pup may die quickly.

Leptospirosis

This disease is usually transmitted by spirochete bacteria living in muddy waters and is generally passed to dogs by mice.

Leptospirosis is very deadly, and can take over and spread very fast and young puppies can succumb very quickly if left untreated.

The Leptospirosis virus can easily be transmitted to dogs that come into contact with the urine of another dog who is carrying the disease. 

The disease can often occur in unvaccinated dogs. For this reason, all necessary vaccinations should be undertaken until your dog is 6 months old.

What Are The  Causes Of Death in Yorkie Adults?

Respiratory Disease

According to a study conducted by the University of Georgia, 18% of Yorkshire Terrier dogs who died between 1985 and 2000 died from respiratory diseases. Some of the respiratory diseases that can be quite deadly are:

Collapsed Trachea

This disease occurs with the narrowing of the trachea as your Yorkie ages. Collapsed Trachea, a very deadly disease, can kill the animal in a short time.

Pulmonary Fibrosis

This disease, which causes thickening and hardening of the tissue in the lungs, is another serious disease that can be considered fatal. As the disease reaches its severity, the lungs cannot inhale oxygen at a sufficient level for blood circulation. 

Although the initial stages of the disease are not easily identified, death may occur in a short time in advanced cases.

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome

This disease, which causes abnormalities in the nose and palate, affects respiration and exposes the lungs to various diseases.

This condition can become fatal in a short time if not diagnosed early. This disease is also common in animals with flat noses (Pug, French bulldog, boxers etc).

Can a Yorkie Live For 20 Years?

Yorkies as a breed are quite robust given their small size and otherwise light and delicate frame.

If this breed is well taken care of, it can live for a period of 16-20 years. Yorkie can live up to 20 years when their needs for a healthy diet and daily exercise are met consistently throughout their life. 

According to recommendations from veterinarians, you can extend your dog’s life if you give your dog dry food instead of home-cooked food. 

Dogs cannot eat the high cholesterol and fatty foods that we humans eat. Instead of these, dry and canned food will be healthier for them. If you feed your dog a healthy diet, your dog will stay alive, active, and healthy for many years.

How Do I Know When My Yorkie is Dying?

You can tell that your Yorkie will die of old age from a number of symptoms. Loss of coordination comes first.

Problems such as unstable footsteps in the front and hind legs, and heavy movements of the neck and head may be a sign of the body beginning to slow down and shut down.

In addition, a dog that is close to death may have an excessive loss of appetite and may refuse the food you give. 

Elderly Yorkies that are close to death may also have very low energy and inactivity. preferring to lounge around rather than play and interact. 

While some dogs experience extreme fatigue, aversion and lack of pleasure are some other symptoms may be seen. 

Your Yorkie may also want to try and get away from you. This is not because they do not love and care for you, it is because it is a survival instinct. 

In many cases across different animal species, animals leave their herd to die. This is mainly so that predators are not attracted to the herd by the smell of a corpse.

Dogs have not lost this instinct and there are cases of missing dogs being found deceased, not as a result of an accident but merely old age.

What is The Risk of Yorkies Developing Cancer?

Yorkies are less likely to develop cancer than other breeds. Studies have shown that Yorkies have a 7% risk of developing cancer. 

In addition, it has been declared that these cancers are treatable with an early diagnosis.