It is well known that everyone Breed of dog more or less prone to developing certain diseases. For example, deafness is widespread among Dalmatians, and eye diseases are common among Beagle dogs. There are many studies on this matter. But what about lifespan of a dog?
A new study developed by scientists from University of Liverpool and Dog Trustindicates which races have the highest and lowest life expectancy, dividing them into influential factors such as its size, the sex of each specimen, or the shape of the nose.
And, generally speaking, small dogs with big noses They are the ones who live the longest. A dachshund bitch, for example, will be our life partner longer if everything goes well. The authors of the dog life expectancy study hope that it will help take these data into account for people who plan to look for a furry friend. However, the ethical implications of this decision must be considered. It is one thing not to promote the development of breeds that are destined to suffer, and quite another to leave aside those that, due to their constitution, can live fewer years. Or maybe not. After all, chance also plays an important role.
Figures about dog life expectancy
To conduct this study, the authors looked at half a million dogs from… Great Britain.
This allowed them to calculate the average lifespan of each breed, dividing them by sex and then by other influencing factors. Taking into account the total population of dogs, the life expectancy of dogs turned out to be 12.5 years on average. For women, this figure was slightly higher – 12.7 years, compared to 12.4 years for men.
It makes sense that these numbers varied greatly between races; but above all, between different sizes. For example, for French Bulldog, The average life expectancy was 9.8 years, while in the case of Lancashire Heelerthat number rose to 15.4 years.
It was found that Labrador They are the most popular breed in the UK, with an average life expectancy of 13.1 years.
What factors influence?
The largest dogs with snub noses, turned out to be people with the shortest life expectancy. It is also known that they tend to have many more health problems throughout their lives.
They belong to a group known as brachycephalic dogs, with a short head, flattened muzzle, soft palate and short nasal bones, and the nostrils are often smaller than normal.
The reason these dogs tend to have a shorter lifespan is because the shape of their head and muzzle makes it easier for them to appear. airway obstruction superiors. In addition, their trachea is usually smaller than normal, making breathing even more difficult.
It is common to see these dogs panting from fatigue, even if they have not exerted any effort. In fact they make a world of it physical effortin which they may experience fainting and fainting.
The problem with all this is that his flat nose makes his face unconsciously resemble that of a small child. For this reason, these dogs are usually charming and highly prized, so they pure breedingwithout taking into account the suffering this entails for them.
Be careful when choosing based on the life expectancy of dogs.
Knowing the lifespan of dogs, it can be interesting to get an idea of how long our furry friend will live. However, we must know what it is approximate figures. Our pet can live much higher or lower than what its breed, size or nose would indicate. Therefore, choosing only on this basis may be a mistake.
On the other hand, it may cause some dogs to get hurt. This study also indicates that the life expectancy of dogs from thoroughbred more than crosses. This may lead us to believe that it is better to buy a dog with a pedigree. However, a clarification is necessary in this regard. And these crosses include precisely those crosses that are made intentionally to perpetuate human-pleasing traits, such as a problem nose.
Even among royalty there are crosses that are immortalized over the years. Dorgis of Queen Elizabeth II They are a good example of this. These are dogs who crossed paths in palaces, and not the fruit of love between two stray animals. The latter, of course, would have a life expectancy no less than that of purebred dogs. If only they had a good home. Let’s keep this in mind.
Source: Hiper Textual
