How to Help My Dog Live Longer? It's This Easy

As soon as we decide to share our life with a dog, we resign ourselves to accepting that, unfortunately, their life is going to last much less time than we'd like. We can't change that, but we can maximize the dog's wellbeing.

If we manage to give them a healthy, happy life, as a side effect we also manage to increase their life expectancy. Quality gets measured both in physical and psychological terms — would you like to enjoy your dog for as long as possible? Then put these simple tips into practice.

How long do dogs live?

There's no exact number that can answer this question. Dogs' life expectancy varies a lot, influenced by factors like breed or size. Smaller dogs finish growing sooner, reach sexual maturity at younger ages, and generally live longer.

It's not unusual to find small dogs living up to 18 years. With larger dogs, on the other hand, the exact opposite happens. They take longer to finish growing, become fertile at an older age, and on average live fewer years. These breeds are considered senior sooner, and many don't make it past 8-12 years of age.

We can't change genetics, but by optimizing quality of life we give the dog the chance to reach the maximum of their life expectancy. And, more importantly, those will be years enjoyed with good quality of life. For dogs, a year is worth much more than it is for us. They prefer quality over quantity.

Diet

The diet we offer our dog is a fundamental pillar of their health. Available to us we'll find dry food, wet food, dehydrated food, or we can go with homemade food. Depending on the dog's traits, their living conditions, and ours, we can choose among all these diets or mix several of them.

But in any case, it's important to look for quality. There are good options for every budget — we just need to inform ourselves well before deciding. The diet should also be suited to the dog's life stage. A puppy can't eat the same as a senior dog, nor can a nursing female eat the same as a dog who barely exercises.

• Everything about natural feeding for dogs (the healthiest option).

Deworming

Both internal and external deworming is essential. Not just because of the local discomfort parasites like fleas or ticks can cause, but because of the diseases they can transmit. Some are potentially fatal, like babesiosis or ehrlichiosis.

Humans can also be affected by intestinal parasites or leishmaniasis, for example. For all these reasons, from the first weeks of life we should work with our vet to set up a proper internal and external deworming schedule.

• How often should I deworm my dog?

Vaccination

And if deworming is important, vaccinating is essential, especially for puppies. Since their immune system is still immature, they're more vulnerable to any illness. They're highly susceptible to viruses like distemper or parvovirus.

Both are viral conditions that spread very easily and carry high rates of mortality and lasting effects. The best prevention is vaccinating and revaccinating the puppy as directed by your vet, and not taking them outside before their vaccination schedule is complete.

• Vaccines a dog needs

Basic care

Following minimal hygiene standards, bathing and brushing your dog as much as they need based on their traits and circumstances, and, above all, going to the vet as soon as we notice something's wrong, are measures that let us maintain a good quality of life.

Likewise, they should have a vet checkup at least once a year. Besides a full general exam, it's recommended to run a blood test and a urine test. This is especially important for older dogs. With aging, tumors or bone and joint pain become more likely to appear.

Kidney, dental, and eye diseases also become more common, along with cognitive dysfunction syndrome. Catching these problems early, unfortunately, doesn't usually mean we can cure them, but treating them from their early stages can help slow their progress and, as a result, help the dog live longer.

Canine happiness

So far we've covered the physical care that will help keep the dog healthy for as long as possible. But quality of life is also found in the daily routine. Health is also maintained by respecting the dog's psychological needs.

They should have a suitable home and enough opportunities to exercise. Socialization is also another fundamental aspect. To avoid problems in this regard, it's recommended that puppies not be separated from their mother and littermates before at least eight weeks of age.

Getting the dog used to different stimuli and situations, offering them games, company, affection, respect, and activity, including mental activity, is a guarantee of good psychological health. A stress-free dog will generally show better health and, as a result, a higher quality of life.

Does spaying/neutering help a dog live longer?

By spaying/neutering we mean removing the testicles in male dogs and the uterus and ovaries in females. It's a procedure recommended to prevent unwanted litters and the symptoms that come with heat cycles.

It also reduces or prevents the onset of conditions linked to sex hormones, such as mammary tumors, testicular tumors, or pyometra (uterine infection). Studies show that spaying/neutering extends life expectancy. Neutered dogs are less likely to die from certain infectious diseases or accidents.

Bibliography Colegio Oficial Veterinarios de Málaga. 2017. Esterilización: del mito a la realidad.