When I first agreed to foster Patsy, she was suffering from an ongoing ear infection & a very intense topical yeast infection all over her skin. The skin infection was so bad that she had multiple scabs all over her body from itching & scratching herself raw. It took a solid 4-5 weeks to finally get the right combo of meds to clear these infections up. Several folks have asked me why all of her hair is cut off in some of her more recent pictures. This short hair cut had to be done to allow the topical medications to better absorb which eventually allowed her skin to heal.

As soon as we got past that, Patsy was rushed in for emergency surgery on St Patrick’s day. She had emergency pyometra spay surgery. Her uterus was severely infected & had to come out within 24 hours. She recovered well from this surgery with the exception of an ongoing hacking cough. About a week later, she was diagnosed with a severely collapsed trachea which happens to some dogs when they are intubated for surgery and there is no actual cure.   This is something she will likely always have for the remainder of her life. She takes a steroid every 24 hours along with a cough medication every 6-12 hours as needed. These medications work wonderfully, so she will need someone who is comfortable with administering oral medications (1 liquid & 1 pill) daily. Also someone who will not forget to give her meds as they are required for her breathing to function normally. Failure to administer her meds on time could result in respiratory depression, so this is very important. The daily steroids do cause her to intake much more water than usual, therefore she is urinating much more frequently. This is easily managed as long as she is let out every hour, immediately after eating or upon waking from a nap etc. From time to time I also use cloth diapers with a disposable pad lining the inside as well. The vet has recommended she be kept on crate rest from time to time if she gets too worked up or if her cough gets flared up. She really cannot be taken on long walks or allowed to run in the heat or humidity. Patsy needs a calm home environment preferably with no other pets or another very calm pet would be ok. Someone who either works from home regularly (not just during covid) os someone who is retired and able to keep a close eye on her would be best suited. I will continue fostering Patsy for the remainder of the month of May, and then she will be re-homed to a new foster family due to unforeseen circumstances arising in my life due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Please do not let Patsy’s Collapsing trachea (CT) issues scare you away from wanting to adopt her for fear that she may not have long left to live. Many yorkies go on to live long lives with CT. Her meds cost less than $40 per month in total, and this is very common in older yorkies & easily managed.  Patsy will not be able to have the mammary lumps removed or her dental done because of this condition.  Please feel free to call me with any questions you may have about Patsy, the worlds cuddliest yorkie!