The aging profile of dogs varies according to their adult size (often determined by their breed): smaller dogs often live over 15–20 years, medium and large size dogs typically 10 to 20 years, and some giant dog breeds such as mastiffs, often only 7 to 8 years. Skin condition, appetite, and energy levels often degrade with geriatric age, and medical conditions such as cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, dementia, and joint conditions, and other signs of old age may appear. As with humans, advanced years often bring changes in a dog's ability to hear, see, and move about easily. Not all dogs gain grey hair though when aging.Īging in dogs varies from breed to breed, and affects the dog's health and physical ability. ![]() Inherited allergic skin disease and congenital heart abnormalities, sadly, are NOT.Older dogs, similar to this 10-year-old Neapolitan Mastiff, often grow grey hairs on their muzzles, and some dogs grow grey hair all over. Viewed that way, you might start to agree that when it comes to sourcing the healthiest dog, your best bet might well be the mutt that’s managed to avoid the mange, kennel coughs, and parvoviruses of this world. "We have two X breed dogs and they got it together and now we have lots of beautiful X puppies"––all of which may carry the same gene for Y disease. Our nation’s most popular source for purebreds is no more genetically discerning than your neighbor’s back yard. And I’m not even talking about puppy mills (don’t even get me started). are "well bred." They may be beautiful specimens and perfectly emblematic of their breed, but that doesn’t mean their "breeders" have taken pains to test and screen their breeding dogs for genetic diseases. Regardless, the sad truth is that only a teensy percentage of dogs in the U.S. Because most mutts are not granted the privilege of a happy home environment with doting owners that breed for beautiful hips (for example), you might assume mutts will never best a well-bred purebred. But recall that I offered an initial caveat: "given similar circumstances." And there’s the rub. You might even point to the pound or the streets, where all the mutts live, and (rightly) point out that these are the dogs that carry the most diseases, suffer the most parasites, and are least likely to do well in the long run. Viewed that way, you might think a purebred is more likely to live a long, healthy life. And that might even be because your dog’s breeder went out of his or her way to makes sure all the dogs were as free of hip problems as possible before deciding which dogs to include in the breeding program. About what’s likeliest to happen.īecause yes, it’s true: Your Golden retriever may never suffer hip dysplasia. Nonetheless, let’s be clear: We’re talking about statistics here. Still, there’s nothing like breeding pets with similar genetics to help pass on diseases they may share. ![]() ![]() Hip dysplasia, inherited heart diseases and nasty vascular malformations are not just for purebreds. After all, no one’s immune to the possibility of inheriting a few bum genes. They even get genetic conditions along the same lines our purebreds get. Given similar circumstances, the answer is a resounding "yes." Why? Because inherited diseases contribute tremendously to the stockpile of conditions veterinarians deal with on a daily basis. Here’s a question I often get: Is a mutt really healthier than a purebred? If so, why would that be?
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