Which health problems is the Yorkshire Terrier prone to?

Patellar luxation

What it is. The kneecap slips out of its groove on the thigh bone, usually because the limb developed out of alignment. ACVS's page lists the Yorkshire Terrier alongside 8 other breeds: Boston Terrier, Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Miniature Poodle, Chinese Shar-Pei, Flat-Coated Retriever, Akita, Great Pyrenees. ACVS lists small breeds as most affected and says the large breeds named are now considered predisposed as large-breed cases rise.

Treatments ACVS describes: soft-tissue reconstruction around the kneecap, deepening the groove in the femur, moving the tibial crest to realign the kneecap and straightening a bowed femur with a bone plate.

What it costs. Trupanion's published average claim for patellar luxation is $4,012. That claim equals 89.6 months of the $44.77 premium. With a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement the policy would pay $3,010, leaving $1,002 plus $537 of premiums, $1,540 for the year against $4,012 uninsured, provided the policy covers the condition at all.

Portosystemic shunt (liver shunt)

What it is. An abnormal blood vessel carries blood around the liver instead of through it, so toxins are not filtered; ACVS calls it congenital in dogs. ACVS's page lists the Yorkshire Terrier alongside 8 other breeds: Miniature Schnauzer, Irish Wolfhound, Cairn Terrier, Maltese, Australian Cattle Dog, Golden Retriever, Old English Sheepdog, Labrador Retriever.

Treatments ACVS describes: medical management: low-protein diet, antibiotics, lactulose, gradual surgical closure (ameroid constrictor, cellophane band, hydraulic occluder) and trans-venous coiling for larger intrahepatic shunts.

What it costs. Trupanion's published average claim for portacaval shunt is $6,267. That claim equals 140 months of the $44.77 premium. With a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement the policy would pay $4,814, leaving $1,453 plus $537 of premiums, $1,991 for the year against $6,267 uninsured, provided the policy covers the condition at all.

Premiums for the Yorkshire Terrier

Pawlicy Advisor publishes $44.77 a month for the Yorkshire Terrier (median monthly premium), $537 a year. NAPHIA's 2025 average for all insured dogs is $69.67 a month. Every published figure for the breed, with dates, is on the Yorkshire Terrier insurance cost page.

Among the 82 dog breeds Pawlicy Advisor prices, the Yorkshire Terrier is the 67th most expensive, in the cheapest quarter of the list, despite the conditions above, and 2% less than a mixed-breed dog. A quarter of its quotes were above $54.71 a month; even at that level, the liver shunt claim average equals 114.5 months of premiums.

On a policy with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement, the year's covered bills have to reach $922 before the policy has paid back the premiums. Most claims are much smaller than the conditions above: NAPHIA's 2025 list of the most common dog claims starts with gastrointestinal, ear infection (otitis), skin conditions, anxiety, behavioral or neurological, allergies and growth or mass.

Hereditary conditions and policy terms

Breed-linked conditions are where policy wording matters most. Under the NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act, an insurer must disclose before sale whether it excludes pre-existing, hereditary, congenital or chronic conditions (Section 4A). A condition counts as pre-existing if a vet advised on it, treated it or recorded signs of it before cover began or during a waiting period (Section 3F), and illness and orthopedic waiting periods are capped at 30 days (Section 5B). States adopt the model on their own timetable, so the policy and the state insurance department are the authority. The guides on pre-existing conditions and waiting periods go further.

Other breeds with the same conditions

• Akita: cruciate ligament (knee), kneecap luxation
• Australian Cattle Dog: liver shunt
• Boston Terrier: kneecap luxation, brachycephalic airway
• Cairn Terrier: liver shunt
• Chihuahua: kneecap luxation

Sources: ACVS, Patellar Luxation (Dislocating Kneecap) in Dogs (updated September 28, 2026), ACVS, Portosystemic Shunts (updated January 13, 2025), Trupanion claims examples, Healthy Paws 2025 reimbursements, Pawlicy Advisor, NAIC model #633. Last checked October 20, 2026. This page summarises veterinary references; it is not veterinary advice.