Tiny little medical needs Yorkshire terrier.

I’m going to foster, possibly adopt, this medical needs yorkie,18 days old right now, born with a cleft palate and being tube fed by Paige, my daughter, till he can tolerate solids.

If you know me from the forum, you know I foster, but this is the first time a yorkie has crossed my path. Though I’m very knowledgeable in the care of tiny dogs in general, I’ve never had a yorkie before, nor actually cared for a cleft baby, so this will be a learning experience for me.

This little guy is very healthy other than his cleft, he’s gaining weight well, his medical needs are fully addressed and monitored by a team of vets and techs and his current medical expert foster, Paige

He’s charting to be about 4 lbs as an adult though right now he’s only about 9 oz. He’s prognosis is guardedly optimistic, cleft babies face many challenges.

But nonetheless he’s a tiny little firecracker!

His cleft palate

Ronni said:

I’m going to foster, possibly adopt, this medical needs yorkie,18 days old right now, born with a cleft palate and being tube fed by Paige, my daughter, till he can tolerate solids.

If you know me from the forum, you know I foster, but this is the first time a yorkie has crossed my path. Though I’m very knowledgeable in the care of tiny dogs in general, I’ve never had a yorkie before, nor actually cared for a cleft baby, so this will be a learning experience for me.

This little guy is very healthy other than his cleft, he’s gaining weight well, his medical needs are fully addressed and monitored by a team of vets and techs and his current medical expert foster, Paige

He’s charting to be about 4 lbs as an adult though right now he’s only about 9 oz. He’s prognosis is guardedly optimistic, cleft babies face many challenges.

But nonetheless he’s a tiny little firecracker! View attachment 448367View attachment 448368

His cleft palate
View attachment 448369

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Bless your heart!

Ronni said:

Though I’m very knowledgeable in the care of tiny dogs in general, I’ve never had a yorkie before, nor actually cared for a cleft baby, so this will be a learning experience for me.

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He's darling, and a very fortunate little pup to have you caring for him.

Keep us updated on how it goes. Thanks for stepping up for an animal in need.

@Ronni you are a saint! I can never understand how fosters can not fall in love with every animal they foster. When we adopted our Bugsy at 6 years old, his foster drove almost 80 miles to our house to make sure we would be capable of taking care of him. When she saw our other cat she knew he would be in a loving home. He is so sweet, and such a character, that I don't know how she ever gave him up!

This little Yorkie is adorable! Good luck not keeping him.

That is wonderful, Ronni. As he ages, can that cleft be surgically repaired?

That Yorkie is one lucky doggie.

seadoug said:

@Ronni you are a saint! I can never understand how fosters can not fall in love with every animal they foster.

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@seadoug we do fall in love, frequently. It’s hard not to. And to be a good foster, it’s necessary to connect with the animals in your care to help them overcome whatever challenges they’ve faced before they got to you.

I keep notes of whatever issues I’ve observed, the things we’ve overcome together, relationship to other animals, men, kids, medical issues, temperament and behavior etc. When that foster leaves me, I want to make sure the rescue organization has as complete a picture as possible to ensure the potential adopter is a good fit.

It’s just a different mindset, when you foster. I know the animal isn’t mine to keep, I’m just its caretaker. I know what my job is, and I’m pretty good at it. That said, there is a very real phenomenon called a “foster fail” where an experienced, lost time foster person will lose their heart to an animal in their care because the connection is SO special that it can’t be ignored. It doesn’t happen much, but when it does it’s celebrated!

@Ronni But can his cleft palate be repaired?

I had a yorkie; she was a great little dog. Named Bitsy. If one miraculously became available to me, I would take it in a heartbeat.

Lewkat said:

That is wonderful, Ronni. As he ages, can that cleft be surgically repaired?

That Yorkie is one lucky doggie.

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@Lewkat Cleft repair is a double edged sword. The surgeries are difficult, recovery times long, and not all vets will do them. And even if the surgery is performed the cleft will sometimes resist the closure surgery and part of it will reopen.

The cleft makes it impossible for the pup to nurse because they can’t create the suction needed. But once they’re eating solids, the cleft doesn’t inhibit eating at all usually, the danger arises if the pup gets food stuck in the cleft or aspirates it.

A fully open cleft is a lot easier to manage than one that’s been repaired but a small part of it reopens. When it’s fully open, checking for stuck food and removing it is easy, compared to a very small opening where it’s a lot harder to see and remove the food if necessary.

I’ve seen several cleft puppies pass through rescue, none of whom have had cleft surgery, and all of whom have grown to maturity and still going strong.

I cannot imagine checking for stuck food and such. My little half-spaniel will occasionally pick up something and I try to open her mouth to see what it is and/or remove it. She clamps down hard and will not open her mouth.

Bless your loving heart Ronni. Hes adorable. I wish you the best of luck with him.

GoodEnuff said:

I cannot imagine checking for stuck food and such. My little half-spaniel will occasionally pick up something and I try to open her mouth to see what it is and/or remove it. She clamps down hard and will not open her mouth.

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@GoodEnuff we learn to combat that resistance, really with any dog that needs its mouth/teeth checked. And when you have a dog that has to have it routinely done, it gets desensitized to it eventually.

My daughter Paige has fostered a number of cleft pups, tube feeding them round the clock from birth. There have been a couple who, once transitioned to solid food, had some trouble with food in the palate.

My amazing daughter would just block one nostril, blow into the other, and dislodge the food that way! She taught that to each adopter who took on the care of the cleft babies she fostered. It can be a lifesaving measure!

I think by regulating the type of food and it's thickness/consistancy things will be easier?

I am missing part of my upper palate and my uvula and what I eat makes a difference.

That puppy is absolutely precious