Puppy First, Health First
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The big picture
Morkies typically live 11–15 years, about the same as both parent breeds.
Like any cross, a Morkie can inherit health problems from either parent breed, the Maltese or the Yorkshire Terrier. This page explains the conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to, and what you can do about each one. Most problems are easier to manage when they are caught early.
A few everyday habits help prevent many common problems.
Keep your Morkie lean, walk it on a harness, brush its teeth often and book a checkup every year.
Worth knowing
Slipping kneecaps, a weak windpipe, liver blood-flow problems, eye problems and gum disease are conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to. Low blood sugar in very young puppies is an everyday risk that good habits help prevent.
This list is not exhaustive or official. Keep asking your veterinarian as your puppy grows.
A slipping kneecap, called patellar luxation, is on both parent breeds' lists. The kneecap slips out of place, and a vet grades how far it moves.
It is usually found when the vet feels the knees, so keep up regular checkups.
Keep your Morkie lean, and lift it down from furniture rather than letting it jump.
Tracheal collapse is a slow weakening of the windpipe, and both parent breeds are prone to it.
It usually shows up as a honking cough in middle age.
Walk your dog on a harness, not a collar, and keep it lean. If a cough appears, your vet can check the windpipe with X-rays or a small camera.
Both parent breeds can be born with a liver shunt, a problem with how blood flows through the liver. Yorkshire Terriers can also have a problem with the liver's smallest blood vessels, called microvascular dysplasia.
Poor growth, or odd behavior after meals, can be a sign.
A bile acids blood test, taken before and after a meal, checks for both. Ask about it before any planned anesthesia, too.
Gum disease, called periodontal disease, is common in Yorkshire Terriers and in toy dogs generally. Toy dogs also often keep baby teeth that should have fallen out.
Your vet checks the gums and looks for leftover baby teeth at puppy visits.
Brush the teeth several times a week, daily if you can, and plan professional cleanings with your vet.
Both parent breeds can develop cataracts, a clouding of the lens, mostly later in life. Yorkshire Terriers can also have leftover strands of tissue across the pupil, called persistent pupillary membranes.
Look for cloudiness in the eye or any change in your dog's sight.
Your vet checks the eyes at routine visits, and an exam by a veterinary eye specialist can follow.
Tiny puppies can develop low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, from weaning until about 3–4 months, and most outgrow it.
A puppy that seems weak or wobbly needs a vet right away.
Feed small meals often, keep your puppy warm and rested, and keep a glucose gel on hand.
Less common
A brain disease, called necrotizing meningoencephalitis (Maltese side): get a seizure checked right away.
A similar brain disease, called necrotizing encephalitis (Yorkshire Terrier side): it needs the same quick care.
A heart defect from birth, called patent ductus arteriosus (Maltese side): a vet can hear it at puppy visits.
A gut disease, called protein-losing enteropathy (Yorkshire Terrier side): see a vet if loose stools keep coming back.
DNA tests
A cheek-swab DNA test can check a dog for a few uncommon inherited conditions from both parent breeds. These include a slow loss of sight (progressive retinal atrophy), the lens slipping out of place (primary lens luxation) and a risk of bladder stones (hyperuricosuria). Each result comes back as clear, carrier or at risk. A carrier has one copy of the gene change and is healthy. An at-risk result means a higher chance of the condition, not a diagnosis, and some at-risk dogs never develop it. A test being available does not mean the condition is common in Morkies.
Most of the conditions on this page, such as slipping kneecaps, liver shunts and a weakening windpipe, have no DNA test. Routine exams cover them instead.
Checkups your dog will get
Care plan by life stage
Planning for Morkie vet costs
These are typical published costs for treating what a Morkie vet exam looks at and the conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to. Each range shows where it comes from and when, and your own vet's estimate will differ.
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Eye tests before cataract surgery (ERG and eye ultrasound) | $500–$1,300 | per workup | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Missouri, Tennessee) | 2025–2026 |
| Cataract surgery, one eye | $3,800–$5,500 | per eye | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023–2025 |
| Cataract surgery, both eyes under one anesthetic | $5,600–$6,700 | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2025 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental disease care in the first 30 days after diagnosis (80th percentile of insurance claims) | $1,284–$1,420 | per 30 days after diagnosis | US pet insurer claims data (US) | 2024–2025 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist's first exam (consultation fee only) | $198–$350 | per visit | at US veterinary teaching hospitals (Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee) | 2023–2026 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liver shunt workup (before any surgery) | $1,622–$3,937 | per workup | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Liver shunt surgery, shunt outside the liver (workup and surgery) | $5,408–$7,571 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Liver shunt surgery, shunt inside the liver, open surgery (workup and surgery) | $6,685–$9,605 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Liver shunt closure with coils through a vein (workup and procedure) | $10,600–$12,309 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Tennessee) | 2026 |
| Item | Typical cost | Per | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collapsing trachea workup (before a stent) | $2,000–$3,500 | per workup | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023 |
| Tracheal stent placement | $3,200–$3,600 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023 |
| Tracheal stent, workup and placement together | $5,900–$6,500 | per procedure | at one US veterinary teaching hospital (Missouri) | 2023 |
Planning for pet insurance
When you are ready to compare plans, here is one option for Pawrade buyers.
Only with Pawrade, you receive a pet insurance policy with no waiting period included for immediate accident or illness coverage, 1 month, with every puppy.† You activate it by calling MetLife; instructions arrive with your travel details. Continuing MetLife coverage after the first month is strongly recommended.
View the MetLife 30-day offer →†NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded. Activated by calling MetLife; coverage begins immediately following policy activation. See the offer for full terms.
Whichever plan you look at, read the policy before you buy. Check the waiting periods, how it defines a pre-existing condition, and its deductible, reimbursement percentage and annual limit.
A waiting period is how long after you buy a pet insurance policy before a claim counts.
| Policy | Accidents | Illness | Joints |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetLife policy included with your Pawrade puppy† | None | None | None |
| MetLife, bought directly | None | 14 days | Not listed |
| Industry standard | 0–14 days | 14–30 days | 6–12 months |
| Nationwide | 14 days | 14 days | Not listed |
| Trupanion | 5 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Embrace | 2 days | 14 days | 6 months |
| Figo | 1 day | 14 days | Not listed |
The breeder's licensed vet checks your puppy before it goes home. The vet follows PetPay's exam standards, and the results go in your puppy's Veterinary Health Report.
Focus
Heart
Heart murmur, and how loud it is (grade)
02
Breathing
How open the nostrils are · Coughing or congestion
03
Temperature, pulse and breathing rate
Temperature · Pulse · Breathing rate
04 Focus
Eyes
Discharge · Vision problems · Eyelash problems · Cherry eye
05
Ears and hearing
Debris or discharge · Ear mites · Signs of infection · Hearing
06 Focus
Mouth and bite
Teeth and jaw alignment · Bite (overbite or underbite)
07
Skin and coat
Fleas and ticks · Hair loss · Signs of infection
08 Focus
Kneecaps
Kneecaps that slip, and how much (grade)
09
Hips
Hip pain
10
Hernias
Belly-button (umbilical) hernia · Groin (inguinal) hernia
11 Focus
Soft spot on the skull
An open soft spot, and its size
12
Body condition and weight
Body condition score · Weight
13 Focus
Reproductive organs
Both testicles in place (males) · Extra skin folds around the vulva (females)
14
History of vomiting or diarrhea
Any history of vomiting or diarrhea (reported, not examined)
15
Stool test for parasites
Fecal flotation test, with any treatment given
16
Past surgery and notes
Any past surgery · The vet's explanation of anything abnormal
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur and grades it.
A murmur is often followed up with a heart scan (echocardiogram). A heart defect present from birth, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), comes from the Maltese side.
The vet looks at the eyes with a light, checking for discharge, eyelash problems and any cloudiness in the lens.
Leftover strands of tissue in the eye are another eye finding to ask your own vet about.
The vet checks the bite, counts the teeth and looks at the gums, noting any retained baby teeth.
The vet feels both knees for a kneecap that slips and grades it.
A slipping kneecap (patellar luxation) is on both parent breeds' lists.
The vet weighs the puppy, scores its body condition and feels the skull for a soft spot that has not closed (an open fontanelle).
Poor growth or odd behavior after meals can point to a liver shunt, which a bile acids blood test checks for.
In a male puppy, the vet feels for both testicles.
The vet listens to the heart with a stethoscope for a murmur and grades it.
A murmur is often followed up with a heart scan (echocardiogram). A heart defect present from birth, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), comes from the Maltese side.
The vet looks at the eyes with a light, checking for discharge, eyelash problems and any cloudiness in the lens.
Leftover strands of tissue in the eye are another eye finding to ask your own vet about.
The vet checks the bite, counts the teeth and looks at the gums, noting any retained baby teeth.
The vet feels both knees for a kneecap that slips and grades it.
A slipping kneecap (patellar luxation) is on both parent breeds' lists.
The vet weighs the puppy, scores its body condition and feels the skull for a soft spot that has not closed (an open fontanelle).
Poor growth or odd behavior after meals can point to a liver shunt, which a bile acids blood test checks for.
In a male puppy, the vet feels for both testicles.
Toy puppies grow and change quickly, and their immune systems are still developing, so no exam can find everything. The report is a strong early indicator and a documented starting point that your own vet builds on.
Health guarantee
Every Pawrade puppy comes with a health guarantee administered by PetPay, independent of the seller. The terms are on the health guarantee page.
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Frequently asked questions
A Morkie can inherit conditions its parent breeds are known to be prone to, from the Maltese and the Yorkshire Terrier. The ones most worth knowing about are slipping kneecaps, a weak windpipe, liver blood-flow problems, eye problems such as cataracts, and gum disease. Less common ones include brain inflammation, a heart defect present from birth and a gut disease that causes protein loss.
Copy link to this questionBoth parent breeds can be born with a liver shunt, a problem with how blood flows through the liver. Poor growth or odd behavior after meals can be a sign, and a bile acids blood test before and after a meal checks for it.
Copy link to this questionCheek-swab DNA tests cover a few uncommon inherited conditions from both parent breeds. They include a slow loss of sight (progressive retinal atrophy) and the lens slipping out of place (primary lens luxation). Each result comes back as clear, carrier or at risk. A carrier has one copy of the gene change and is healthy, and an at-risk result means a higher chance, not a diagnosis.
Copy link to this questionThere is no DNA test for slipping kneecaps (patellar luxation), liver shunts or a weakening windpipe (tracheal collapse). Your vet checks for them at routine exams instead, by feeling the knees and, if growth is poor, with a bile acids blood test.
Copy link to this questionMorkies typically live 11–15 years. That is about the same as both parent breeds.
Copy link to this questionBook exams twice a year, and ask your vet to listen for a new heart murmur and check the eyes for cataracts. Watch for a cough or tiring easily on walks, keep up dental care and move to a senior diet as activity drops.
Copy link to this questionA harness keeps pressure off the neck, and that matters because both parent breeds are prone to tracheal collapse, a weakening of the windpipe. Keep the collar for ID tags only.
Copy link to this questionTiny puppies can develop low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) from weaning until about 3–4 months, and most outgrow it. Frequent small meals prevent it, and a puppy that seems weak or wobbly needs a vet at once.
Copy link to this questionEveryday habits do most of the work. Keep your Morkie lean, walk it on a harness, brush its teeth often and book a yearly exam with heart and dental checks.
Copy link to this question
