Signs of Old Age in Dogs
A dogs transition into old age can often sneak up on its owner. It seems like one minute your pet is a playful, boisterous puppy, and the next theyre at retirement age and nearing the twilight years of their life.
The first sign many people notice is a change in their dogs energy and activity levels. While most dogs naturally tend to relax and slow down a little as they mature, the pain of stiff joints and simply the tiredness that comes with growing old can see them start taking life at their own pace.
You may notice that your pooch takes a while to get moving in the morning, especially in winter, or that theyre simply not all that enthusiastic about exercise anymore and are much happier curling up for a snooze in the sun.
Just like humans, dogs can also start to lose their hearing and sight as old age encroaches. You might notice cloudy eyes, your dog bumping into objects, or maybe that your pooch doesnt always respond straight away when you call their name. Increased urination is another telltale sign, and crankiness, irritability, and even confusion and disorientation may also occur.
Seeing these signs in your gorgeous fur-baby can be heart-wrenching, but growing old doesnt mean your dog cant enjoy a happy and fulfilling life.
Watch your dogs body language closely for any indicators that they are starting to feel the effects of old age, such as:
Other signs of old age include:
Dogs dont often live to 20 years of age, but history has taught us that it is possible. The oldest dog to have ever lived (and to have its age officially verified) was an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey. Born in 1910, this remarkable canine lived to the astonishing age of 29 years and 5 months — a whole lot more than the average life expectancy for the breed, or for any other dog breed for that matter.
The second oldest dog to have lived is a Beagle named Butch, who reportedly lived for 28 years from 1975 to 2003. There are more than a dozen other sensational seniors to have had their ages authenticated, and all of them lived to be at least 20 years or older.
However, there have been plenty of other owners claiming to be the proud pet parent of some amazingly long-lived pooches. For example, in 1984, a Labrador / Australian Cattle Dog Cross was reported to have passed away in Queensland, Australia, at the age of 32. Elsewhere, when a Labrador named Bella passed away in the United Kingdom in 2008; her owner claimed she was 29 years old. However, with no documentation to support the claim, Bellas long life never received any official recognition.
Clubs Offering:
When it comes to the lifespan of dogs, researchers have found that size matters. Owners of small dogs can expect to enjoy several more years with their pets than the owners of large dogs.
It doesn’t seem to make much sense: large mammals, like elephants and whales, tend to live longer than small ones, like mice. So why, then, do small dogs have a longer average lifespan than larger breeds?
This phenomenon has baffled scientists for years, and although the reason why is still uncertain, there are several theories that researchers have explored. In addition to being important to the health of our canine companions, scientists hope this research will allow them to gain a better understanding of the human aging process because as dogs age, they experience many of the same conditions we have – such as arthritis, cancer, and diabetes.
It’s important to understand what it really means when we say how old our dogs are. Dogs and people age at very different rates. When dogs reach one year old, veterinarians estimate they have matured as much as people have when they reach 15 years old. The second year in a dog’s life equates to about another 9 years for a human. And after that, the aging process in dogs varies based on their age and size.
Although large mammals tend to live the longest, small body size within a species is associated with longer life and slower aging. Canis familiaris, aka the domestic dog, is a species with a huge size range when it comes to its breeds.
Cornelia Kraus, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Göttingen in Germany, was the lead researcher of a major study of 74 breeds and more than 56,000 dogs seen in North American veterinary teaching hospitals. Kraus reported that large dogs age at an accelerated pace, and “their lives seem to unwind in fast motion.”
In the study, large breeds died more often from cancer than small breeds. Why? One possibility Kraus suggests is that large breeds grow faster, so they may be more likely than small dogs to also experience the abnormal cell growth seen in cancer. Or because they age more quickly, large dogs may succumb to age-related illnesses sooner.
A researcher at the University of Washington, Dr. Silvan Urfer, conducted a large study, collecting data on 169,000 dogs who died or were euthanized within a three-year period at U.S. veterinary clinics. He found a correlation between the breed of the dogs and their age at death. For example, among giant breeds, Great Pyrenees lived longer (11.55 years) than Great Danes (9.63 years).
In Dr. Urfer’s study, small dogs had a longer median lifespan at 14.95 years, medium-size dogs lived an average of 13.86 years, and large dogs lived 13.38 years. The dog’s body size was the most important variable in predicting lifespan, more important than whether or not the dog was purebred.
Another factor researchers have studied is the size of the breeding population, and its impact on health and longevity. One study of companion dogs “did not find significant differences in lifespan between purebred and mixed breed dogs; however, breeds with larger effective population sizes and/or lower inbreeding coefficients had median survival times 3-6 months longer than breeds with smaller effective population sizes or higher inbreeding coefficients, indicating that these measures of genetic diversity may be affecting breed lifespans.”
In the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, Dr. Urfer reported when comparing two dogs with all other factors being equal, that he found annual dental cleanings conducted by a veterinarian reducing risk of death by almost 20 percent. Dr. Urfer pointed out that there could be a direct association between good dental health and good general health, but it might also be that dog owners who take good care of their dog’s teeth would also be more likely to provide preventive and veterinary care that contribute to longevity.
New research from the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition and the University of Liverpool revealed overweight and obese dogs are more likely to have shorter lives than those at ideal body weight. Study co-author and Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the University of Liverpool Alex German said, “Owners are often unaware that their dog is overweight, and many may not realize the impact that it can have on health. What they may not know is that, if their beloved pet is too heavy, they are more likely to suffer from other problems such as joint disease, breathing issues, and certain types of cancer, as well as having a poorer quality of life. These health and wellbeing issues can significantly impact how long they live.”
One study that focused on 12 specific breeds found the effect on lifespan of extra weight on the smallest dogs, such as Yorkshire Terriers, was even greater (overweight: 13.7 years, normal: 16.2 years) than the effect on larger dogs such as German Shepherd Dogs.
Another study asked a very interesting question about dog cognition. Since large dogs have a speedier growth rate and physiological pace of aging than small dogs, do they also have a faster pace of cognitive development? Researchers measured cognitive development and aging in more than 4,000 dogs from 66 breeds using nine memory and decision-making tasks. They found that all breeds, regardless of size or lifespan, tended to follow the same speed of cognitive aging, no matter the size of the dog.
These findings are just the tip of the iceberg in our understanding of canine lifespans and what determines them. A grant from the National Institute on Aging is funding a project, called the Dog Aging Project, to explore the biological and environmental determinants of aging in dogs.
The project is based at the University of Washington and Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Nearly 30,000 dogs and their owners from across the U.S. are participating. Scientists and research veterinarians from 20 research institutions and veterinary teaching hospitals are following the health and aging process of these dogs for 10 years or more to understand how genes, lifestyle, and environment influence aging.
According to the project website, “This information will be used to gain insights that will increase our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat age-related diseases, thereby helping our dogs, and by extension, ourselves, live longer, healthier lives.”
How Long Do Medium Dog Breeds Live?
Medium-sized dog breeds range from smaller companion breeds such as French Bulldogs, to larger, active working breeds such as Border Collies and Australian Shepherds. The average lifespan for medium-sized dog breeds is 10 to 13 years, with some breeds living even longer. As with small dogs, exact age ranges for medium-sized dog breeds are hard to determine, but there are general lifespan guidelines for each breed.
Lifespans for certain medium dog breeds:
Comparison: Lifespan of Dog Breeds | How Long Will Your Dog Live?
Larger animals tend to live longer than smaller ones (most of the time). Think about it. Humans live longer than cats, which live longer than a rat, which lives longer than a fly. But why isn’t this true when it comes to animals within their species?
A person who weighs 150 pounds will most likely live longer than a person who weighs 300 pounds. They live longer because of increased health risks for a person who weighs 300 pounds.
When it comes to dogs’ life expectancy, how can you compare a Great Dane to a Chihuahua? Their anatomic builds are completely different, and their lifespans reflect this. Beyond size, is there an average age of a dog based on breed or other factors? Yes. Let’s explore the answers to these questions: “how long do dogs live?” and “what is the dog lifespan by breed?” Table Of Contents
Want to know how you can help your pup live a longer, happier life? Below are some factors that help determine a canine’s lifespan.
As the owner, you can impact the care you provide for your dog. A dog with a proper, nutritious diet and exercise can live longer than one without. In addition, taking your furry friend to annual wellness exams at the veterinarian and getting her booster shots can result in a healthy dog with a longer lifespan.
Research shows that larger dogs live for a shorter period of time when compared to smaller ones. For example, an Irish Wolfhound (average 115 pounds) has an average lifespan of seven years, while a Jack Russell Terrier (average of 15 pounds) can live up to 13-16 years.
Inbreeding can reduce the lifespan of canines. Cross-breed dogs have a longer lifespan in comparison. Inbred dogs have a risk of carrying genes for illnesses that are common to that specific breed. Further, “mutts” who have at least two breeds tend to have the least health problems and live longer than their purebred counterparts.
Spaying and neutering a puppy at a relatively young age can positively affect a dog’s lifespan. Most studies recommend surgical sterilization before five months of age for small breed dogs and 12-15 months for larger breed house dogs.
Studies suggest that these surgeries can help reduce the risk of some types of cancer in dogs — especially cancers affecting the ovaries, breast, and testicles.
Recent studies show that these benefits may or may not be completely accurate, but there is no question that your life will be easier without a litter of puppies, and this will be less stress on your pup, which could mean a longer life.