The sad truth about "teacup dogs"

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	Belleville Area Rescue of K-9's

From a Loveless Life, to a Life Full of Love!

The Teacup Puppy Phenomenon

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As a rescue, we are amazed at so many people wanting to buy a so-called "Teacup" puppy. Thus the reason we are writing this piece concerning our views about the phenomenon of so many people wanting a "so-called teacup" puppy.

Puppies aren't toys; they are living breathing babies that need love and attention, not to spend half of their life in someone's HOT purse!

Please take the time to read this and educate yourself! The lives of many little dogs depend on you educating yourself, and others, not to buy into this phase.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

This is a topic that most assuredly needs to be brought to the attention of perspective puppy buyers.

Let's start out by saying "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "TEACUP" PUPPY".

With that in mind, let me say this; It seems as though there is a plethora of people who are insistent on buying tiny puppies in the 2 to 4 pound range. Also commonly referred to as a "Teacup puppy".

The word "Teacup" has been used to merely describe the size of a puppy, meaning it is very small and will probably be under the standard size which is 4 to 7 pounds for the Toy Group, Yorkshire Terrier breed. We cannot imagine anyone wanting anything smaller than that! Their bones are VERY fragile and can be broken by jumping off of a coach, falling off of a bed, being stepped on or worse.

Many breeders, while tacking a whooping price on a puppy, "claim" to breed so called "teacups" as if they were a breed all their own. Don't be fooled! They are NOT a breed of their own.

If a breeder says they specialize in "teacups" RUN, RUN, RUN for the hills! Most "TEACUP" puppies are in reality, a premature puppy.

Most females are bred on the ninth through the fifteenth day of their heat cycles. Eggs can be fertilized for up to 72 hours after any of these breeding's. Therefore, it is possible to have puppies conceived up to a week or so younger than the puppies first conceived in a litter. However, when the first puppies conceived are mature and ready to be born, labor starts and all the puppies will be born, no matter when they were fertilized.

Some of the problems that may be encountered are both genetic and congenital in these tiny babies and the list is a long one.

The risk of open fontanels (soft spot from the cranial bone not forming), portosystemic shunts (PSS- abnormal vessel that allows blood to bypass the liver. As a result the blood is not cleansed by one of the bodies filters: the liver.), hypoglycemia, cardiac problems, collapsing trachea, luxating patellas, Leggs Calves Perthes disease, seizures, hydroencephaly, blindness and digestive problems can be increased in these tiny babies.

Problems such as respiratory problems can remain or worsen throughout their lives. These babies frequently are so fragile that they do not live more than a few years. There have been several tiny Yorkies as adults who still had open fontanels and their owners had to carry nourishment with them all the time. Their vets have felt it unsafe to give a full dose of vaccine so the puppies had to get several injections to be on the safe side.

There is no such thing as a "tea cup" Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Poodle, or any other breed for that matter. They simply do not exist. "Tea-cup" is just a marketing ploy given by unethical and unscrupulous breeders to drive up the price of their puppies!

So called "Teacups" fetch anything from $1000 to $10,000! This is ridiculous and shameful! There are a lot of chronically, unhealthy puppies because unscrupulous breeders and puppy mills are inbreeding. Some poor darlings only live for a very, very short time!

They take the little teeny, tiny Yorkies and they breed 2 1/2 pounders with 3 pounders ... well, they’re playing with genetics. You should NEVER breed a female of any breed less than 5 pounds.

PLEASE educate yourselves before buying a tiny puppy whether it is a Yorkie or any other breed. You could be in for months or years of heartbreak not to mention staggering veterinarian bills!

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! IF YOU WANT A HEALTHY PUPPY, DON'T FALL FOR THE TEACUP ACT!

What are people saying about "Teacup Dogs"?

My name is Bailee N. and I had no idea that teacup puppies were bad. I always thought they were fine because if they weren't I didn't think they would be allowed to sell them. Anyway, I bought a teacup Maltese this past Saturday and fell absolutely in love with it, but it died earlier today in the care of a vet. It had many of the problems you mentioned in the information about teacups. I had no idea and all of my friends didn't know teacups were bad either.

I bought a teacup Maltese on Saturday April 4th she was an early graduation present from my parents and I got to pick her out. I was looking at puppies for hours when I saw this one. She was absolutely adorable, and I fell in love. She laid in my arms and fell asleep. She was really easy, but I thought it was just because of her personality and the fact that she was tired. I didn't know it was because she was sick. She died two days later. This is what the vet wrote about Lily. --- Lily is dehydrated, she is hypoglycemic, she has diarrea with blood. This pup is hypothermic Temp is 97.7 she weighs 10.5 ounces (.66 lbs). She has two intestinal parasites that are protozoal infection and not worms, she might have had round worms I saw part of a parasite egg that looks like a round worm egg, because her stool is so loose I cannot properly evaluate the stool for other parasites. She has an open fontanel (soft spot) on top of her head some of these pups with the will lead a normal life, some will develop hydrocephalus and epilepsy. She died at 11:35am on Monday April, 6. The vet also said that Lily would have been more likely to survive if she wasn't so tiny, but her little body couldn't handle the stress.

I would like to volunteer in any way and get the word out about how unhealthy it is to breed "teacups". If there are any opputunities I would love to know about them.

--Bailee N.

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