Yorkie dfw

* Species: Dog
* Age: 2.5 years
* Sex/Neuter status: Spayed
* Breed: Yorkie
* Body weight: 7.5 lbs
* History: Last night she threw up and had diarrhea that she didn't seem to be able to control. It happened three or four more times each time she would throw up and then have diarrhea maybe 30 seconds after. This happened from about 9pm to 10am this morning. Each time she vomitted it became les solid and more foamy. The diarrhea had an orange hue to it. Around 2 I took her outside and she pooped as she normally would but still very soft and slightly orange. Her gums also seem to be slightly paler then usual. She is still very lethargic and is laying down. She gets up if I tell her to come but she just walks rather than run like she usually does. She hasn't eaten anything since yesterday morning (a Caesar's wet food that she has had before) and I can't think of anything she could have eaten/ gotten into that would be out of the ordinary.
I plan to take her to the vet tomorrow morning as I can't afford the bill for the 24hr pet hospital in the area. It's just worrisome because she's never been sick.
I’m very concerned and does not seem normal for it to still be persisting.
* Clinical signs: Diarrhea/vomitting/lethargy
* Duration: almost 24 hrs
* Your general location: North Texas DFW area

So first off, I apologize if this has been asked a lot. I looked extensively through past posts and I couldn't find one that was recent or that really fit all the same circumstances for my scenario.
Our dog is an 11 year old male Yorkie/Shihtzu mix, who is about 11 pounds (5kg), no real pre-existing health concerns, just some fatty tumors and warts on his paws.
Roughly two to three weeks ago he tried to jump into our bed and fell in the process, and pretty immediately developed a limp in his back right leg. We kept an eye on him for a bit, just in case it'd go away by itself, and when it didn't we made a vet appointment to get him looked at. Turns out he's got a full tear in his ACL. Surgery was the recommended course of action, and while the money is available if need be, it's not the most financially prudent choice available for us. Even if the money wasn't an issue though, we're concerned about possible complications during surgery or post surgery rehabilitation, both because of his age.
Because he's not an active dog almost at all, we were exploring other options such as special braces to support the leg while it heals as much as it can on his own, and possible other conservative measures. Our vet said he doesn't have experience with braces, and everything we're finding online either supports it or vehemently opposes it, so I figured I'd try to get some advice here in a forum where I could ask follow-up questions if needed.
Located in the DFW, Texas area.

• Species: Yorkshire Terrier
• Age: 13
• Sex/Neuter status: Neutered
• Breed: Dog
• Body weight: 10 lbs
• History: Had a Labrador of same age that were both on same diets, and the Yorkie began to eat her servings as well as what our Lab didn't eat, so otherwise a healthy appetite and no signs of illness. Occasional runny stool, but would go back to solid stool in a day so didn't raise any flags. Yorkie had surgery for a liver shunt when we got her in 2007 and has been otherwise healthy. When our Labrador began to degrade from heart issues and cancer we made the decision to euthanize her on Sept 29th. Roughly 2 weeks later, our Yorkie's health degraded so much that upon vet visit on Oct 12, we were faced with making the same decision to euthanize due to the diagnosis of organ failure.
• Clinical signs: Slowly stopped eating on a Monday, progressed to not eating anything that Thursday/Friday, only drank small amounts of water. On Saturday, had a solid stool (red coloring). Took to vet following Monday with the results posted and made the decision to euthanize.
• Duration: 1 week
• Your general location: DFW area, TX
• Links to test results, vet reports, X-rays etc.:

Blood test_1 Blood test_2 Paisley
Just wanting additional confirmation of diagnosis... we had another dog (Labrador) that was euthanized 2 weeks ago due to heart complications and skin cancer. The suddenness of our Yorkie's health degrading so quickly after, leaves us with a lingering questions.

[Edit @11pm: That's it for the official AMA, but some of the other winners might still be hanging out answering questions or chatting. Have a good night, everyone!]
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Hi there! We're some of the winners of the Writers of the Future contest, featured in volume 35 of the anthology (which you can find here, here, or even here).
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Writers of the Future is a quarterly contest open only to new writers who haven't been professionally published, and is free to enter. It's judged blind and winning comes with a cash prize ($500-$1,000, depending on how you place), a week long workshop in Hollywood (to which they will fly you out and put you up in a ritzy hotel), and publication in the yearly anthology with an extra check for a professional publication rate. You also get a glitzy award ceremony where you'll presented with a lovely murder implement physical award. The first place winners are also eligible for the Golden Pen award which comes with an extra $5,000 and a second, larger murder implement award
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Today we have Mica Scotti Kole, Rustin Lovewell, John Haas, David Cleden, Andrew Dykstal (the Golden Pen winner!), Elise Stephens, Preston Dennett, and Carrie Callahan (that's me!).
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Mica Scotti Kole - made_into_nothing
Time Zone: EST
Website: http://micascottikole.com/
Bio: Mica Scotti Kole is a homebrewer, freelance developmental editor, anime fan, impatient artist, interior-designer-on-a budget, and inevitable cat person. She gets overly excited about growing things. She got divorced at age 20, grew up with a blind parent, and has the wildest nuclear family tree you've ever seen. She's been told she "has a story for everything," and likes to talk to strangers at bars and seek adventure in otherwise boring places. Her short stories tend to be either "everyone dies" or "everyone is happy," and in long form, she writes YA fantasy. She's won a handful of other contests you don't care about. Her story, "Are you the Life of the Party?", was the shortest in Volume 35.
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Rustin Lovewell - RustoleumWrites
Time Zone: EST
Website: http://rustinlovewell.com/
Bio: Rustin Lovewell is a native New Englander now living in Maryland with his wife, daughter, and overly-yappy dog/mobile alarm system. Full of contradictions, Rustin is an immunologist when not writing fantasy stories, a soccer player when not rolling d20s, and a snowboarder if he can ever find enough snow. Rustin has been an avid reader since he discovered Tom Swift’s incredible inventions and the nightmares hidden within the pages of Goosebumps. His favorite stories have always been those that pointed left and then twisted right, only to twist yet again, before finally knocking the reader out with a “Luke, I am your father” roundhouse. After reading several such pieces, he wondered if he could come up with one of his own. He did, and he wrote it, and it was awful. Of course, that’s how it starts. He’s loved trying to get it right ever since. Rustin’s novelette, "Release from Service," appearing in Writers of the Future Vol. 35, is his first published work of fiction.
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John Haas - johnhaas1968
Time Zone: EST
Website: http://johnhaas.weebly.com
Bio: John Haas is a Canadian author living in Ottawa with his two wonderful sons, who give him plenty of motivation to succeed. His fiction appears in such recent anthologies “UnCommon Evil” & “Spring into SciFi”. In the final quarter of 2018 his story “Damned Voyage” won 3rd place in the Writers of the Future contest. His first novel “The Reluctant Barbarian” was published in 2017 and in 2019 the sequel, “The Wayward Spider” will also be published, both by Renaissance Press.
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David Cleden - davidcleden
Time Zone: GMT+1
Website: http://www.quantumscribe.com
Bio: David Cleden lives in the UK and works in London. He is a first place winner in the Writers of the Future competition, published in volume 35 of the annual anthology. Recently he won the Aeon Award for short fiction, and has previously been a James White Award winner, with published work in Interzone, Empyreome, Metaphorosis, Electric Spec and The Colored Lens, amongst others. His day job is writing business proposals but turns to writing fiction after hours and is still working hard not to get the two muddled up. He lives in a household with a ridiculously large number of cute cats, as per the rules of all author bios.
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Andrew Dykstal - Clockwork_George
Time Zone: EST
Bio: Andrew Dykstal is originally from the Midwest but lives in Arlington, Virginia. He's a former English teacher and academic and does miscellaneous federal contracting work when not writing. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Daily Science Fiction and Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and he's the Golden Pen winner for the 35th Writers of the Future Contest. His scholarly work has appeared in Poe Studies: History, Theory, and Interpretation. He's read way too much Cormac McCarthy, China Mieville, DFW, Arthur C. Clarke, T.S. Eliot, and Ursula K. Le Guin. His favorite things include new foods, old houses, and other people's dogs.
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Elise Stephens - elise_stephens
Time Zone: PT
Website: http://www.EliseStephens.com
Bio: Elise Stephens was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales and Disney musicals. Early involvement in the theater left Elise with a taste for dramatic, high-stakes adventure while frequent international travel gave her an awe and respect for foreign cultures. When she fell in love with the intricate plots and strange worlds of science fiction and fantasy novels, her fate was sealed for the writing life. Her work explores themes of beauty within imperfection and finding purpose after a great loss. She graduated with a Creative Writing degree from the University of Washington where she was awarded the Eugene Van Buren Prize for Fiction. She attended Orson Scott Card’s Literary Boot Camp in 2014. She has three published novels and her most recent short story publication appears in Writers of the Future Vol 35. She is currently writing her fourth novel.
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Preston Dennett - prestondennett
Time Zone: PT
Website: https://prestondennett.weebly.com/
Bio: Preston Dennett has worked as a carpet cleaner, fast-food worker, data entry clerk, bookkeeper, landscaper, singer, actor, writer, radio host, television consultant, teacher, UFO researcher, ghost hunter and more. But his true love has always been speculative fiction. He has since sold 38 stories to various venues including Allegory, Andromeda Spaceways, Bards & Sages, Black Treacle, Cast of Wonders, the Colored Lens, Daily Science Fiction, Grievous Angel, Kzine, Perihelion, Sci Phi Journal, Stupefying Stories, T. Gene Davis’ Speculative Blog, and more, including several anthologies. He earned twelve honorable mentions in the Writers of the Future Contest before winning 2nd place in Quarter 1, 2018 for his sci-fi story, “A Certain Slant of Light.” Preston currently resides in southern California where he spends his days looking for new ways to pay his bills and his nights exploring the farthest edges of the universe.
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Carrie Callahan - ReeCallahan
Time Zone: EST
Website: https://carriecallahan.com
Bio: Born to avid genre readers, it’s no surprise that Carrie Callahan was named after a Stephen King novel. Having grown up economically disadvantaged, Carrie prefers to write about the members of the “lower” classes while also maintaining a speculative flair–an aesthetic she calls Dirt Spec. Carrie has a B.A. in English from the University of Cincinnati, and will begin studying for her MFA at Eastern Kentucky University in the fall of 2019. Carrie is also the recipient of the Writers of the Future Award, for her short story, “Dirt Road Magic." She lives in Kentucky with her supportive husband and their Yorkie, Chestnut.
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We’ll be answering questions from 4p-11p EST, so everyone from David in the UK to Elise in Washington can participate. Ask us anything!
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[Edited for formatting]

Introduction
1) Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?
No. I grew up with GSDs and have trained a Westie from puppyhood(who has now been permanently borrowed by my parents because he is the cutest little sh** with a spunky personality). My Boyfriend grew up with small dog, mostly companion toy breeds like maltese, bichon, and yorkies.
2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a [reputable breeder]
Would rather go through a breeder or a breed specific rescue.
3) Describe your ideal dog.
Biddable, easily trained, Velcro dog. Good with cats. Good jogging/walking/hiking or biking (this is something we are looking into picking up) partner. Medium sized or smaller for easier travel as my car is not the roomiest.
4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?
Aussies are beautiful, but probably a breed we cannot keep up with, but I like how they can be affectionate and stick close you even off leash.
I personally really like the look of spaniels and was considering an English Springer, Field, or English Cocker.
Would a Brittany be too high energy for us? We have no plans on hunting.
I like the spunky personality of terriers, but we now have a cat and from reading up on various terrier breeds it looks like they will try to kill the cat.
5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?
Off leash hiking, running behind the bike, jogging at my side, Frisbee General house manners and obedience
Care Commitments
6) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?
Walking before work and after and then chilling/playing in the house?
7) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?
I would like to do a 30min - 1 hr jog/walk in the morning before work, 1 hr jog/bike ride after work on weekdays. On weekends, same thing but add a visit to the dog park.
8) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?
Would prefer not have to trim hair at home, however ear cleaning and brushing is totally okay. Brushing a few times a week is fine.
Personal Preferences
9) What size dog are you looking for?

• 45lbs and under would be fantastic. Medium or small sized.

10) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

• Don’t mind shedding. Not a big fan of slobber though. We live in an apartment so too much loud barking is probably going to get us in trouble.

11) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?
Pretty high. We would like a dog that is easier to train in recall and sticks fairly close when off leash. (Or at least comes back to us)
Dog Personality and Behavior
12) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

• Snuggly!

13) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

• Eager to please

14) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

• The dog should bark at strangers, but once the guests are let in the house they should be friendly, or at least tolerant of others. Prefer no aggression.

15) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

• Prefer little to no aggression.

16) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

• The spaniels look great, but separation anxiety worries us. We both work full time jobs, but the boyfriend can go home during lunch to let out the pup for a bit. I don’t know if this would be enough for them.

Lifestyle
17) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

• Again, we work FT jobs. Generally gone from 8:30AM to 6PM, however the boyfriend is willing to go home during lunch to let out the pupper to potty and small play time.

18) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

• The boyfriend’s dream dog is a Siberian Husky or a Shiba Inu, but we have a cat so that’s not happening. Also they seem harder to train, more stubborn, and are less biddable.

19) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

• We have a small cat.

20) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

• We don’t have any kids, but eventually kids are in the picture in a few years.

21) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

• Currently rent an apartment across from a greenbelt, but we are also on the market for a house. We are not allowed to have any of the typical “aggressive” breeds like GSD, rotties, chow chow, pit bulls, etc.

22) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

• We life in the DFW metroplex in Texas.

23) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

• It. Gets. Hot. Up to 100s in the summers and maybe 30s in the winter.

Additional Information and Questions
24) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

• We see greyhound and whippet suggested a lot on these kinds of threads, but we really do not like how they look (Shallow… we know... haha)

25) Feel free to ask any questions below. * If you guys have any other breed suggestions please let us know!
EDIT -- I found a kind of local ( like 1.5-2hr away) breeder of what she describes are "calm" Aussies. The breeder said that a lot of her pups go on to be service dogs, as she breeds a service/agility line and that "calm" is her niche that she has almost perfected. As widely varied in their temperaments, would a "calmer" aussie like this work for us? They also seem to have better recall than the spaniels haha. When I asked about exercise needs, she said at typical puppy of her line could be tired out from playing fetch indoors.