How long do dogs live?

How long does a dog live is a very good question. We must take into consideration several point in order to determine how long a dog will live. But as you read, let’s also consider how good of a life should your dog have?

Size does matter when it comes to your dog and determining how long it might live. On average a small dog will live longer than a large dog. With good food, exercise and love you can expect a large dog can live up to about 12 or 13 years. However, if a large dog is left outside in the weather, not exercised properly and fed a poor diet it will most likely not live past 9 or 10. Arthritis, heart decease, stoke, blindness and cancer will most likely be the pets undoing in the last couple years of life if the owner is not diligent in the care of the dog.

If the dog is given good food, exercised daily and given lots of love then the large dog will live much longer and be healthier during the last years of life. The old calculation of 7 years to a Humans 1 year is mostly an average between small and large dogs. But if you can get your large dog past 10 in good health then you can be assured that you have done a very good job in caring for your pet.

As for small dogs, you can expect they will live most likely from 12 to 17 years. There have been instances where the small dog has lived up to 19 or 20 years, but those are very rare cases. Like large dogs, diet, exercise and treatment are the keys to a long, healthy life for a small dog. I have found that small dogs need more exercise and less food than you would think. By keeping your pet thin (not starved) you can allow them to stay more active as they grow older. Jumping on the couch or bed should not be a strain for a middle aged dog any more than for a younger dog. However, as with the larger breed dogs, arthritis, heart decease, stroke and cancer can effect your small dog. Typically you will see the smaller dogs exceed the 7 years per 1 year of a human average which means your smaller breed dog will be able to live a longer life than the larger breed dog. You can usually count small breed dogs at about 5 years per 1 year of a human.

My best advise is to feed your dog very good food, keep them sheltered from the elements, give them plenty of exercise and lots of love. The one thing your pet can always use is more love. With this formula you will not have to worry about how long your pet will live, but that you are providing a very good life for your pet.