Scientists told which dog breeds live longer

The death of a pet is a tragedy for its owners. It is not surprising that many dog owners want to know how much nature has allowed their pet. Scientists conducted a large-scale study and compiled a table of the life expectancy of representatives of the 18 most popular breeds and their mestizos. They also told who lives longer — bitches or males, neutered or not.

The results of the work of veterinarians and biologists from the UK were published by the journal Scientific Reports. It has been established that Jack Russell Terriers and Yorkshire Terriers can be considered long-livers among purebred dogs. Brachycephals, that is, representatives of breeds with short muzzles, are the least allowed.

To draw conclusions, scientists had to analyze information on 876,039 pets. The data are obtained from the general database of veterinary clinics in the United Kingdom. The authors of the scientific work managed to obtain the estimated life expectancy of 18 pure breeds recognized by British, American and Australian cynological organizations.

From January 1, 2016 to July 31, 2020, more than 30.5 thousand dogs from among the observed died. Of these, 47.7 percent are bitches, 78.4 percent are purebred animals and 21.3 percent are mestizos. Experts have made a painstaking selection for each of the breeds, thanks to which we now have access to sad dog statistics.

Among the dead animals were 126 American bulldogs, 171 Beagles, 938 Border Collies, 831 German Boxers, 861 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, 453 Chihuahuas, 1063 Cocker Spaniels, 476 English bulldogs, 229 French bulldogs, 1097 German Shepherds, 153 huskies, 1614 Jack Russell Terriers, 2481 Labrador Retriever, 196 pugs, 635 Shih Tzus, 785 English Springer Spaniels, 2,347 Staffordshire Bull Terriers and 1,039 Yorkshire Terriers.

The best indicators of life expectancy were found in Jack Russell terriers. Some animals lived to the advanced age of 19. In second place are Yorkshire terriers, among which there were centenarians who left this world at the age of 12.54 years. They are followed by border collies - 12.10 years, Springer spaniels — 11.92 years and mestizos - 11.82 years.

French bulldogs live the least, with their depressing 4.53 years, as well as English bulldogs — 7.39 years. Things are a little better for pugs, who can count on 7.65 years. Scientists have reported that such a short life is due to the short muzzle of these dogs. They suffer from brachycephalic syndrome, that is, difficulty breathing, which has a bad effect on the work of the heart.

Bitches live longer than males, on average 11.41 versus 11.07 years. But this trend can be observed only up to 12 years. When animals reach this age, their life expectancy levels out. Castrated animals live longer — 11.98 years — bitches and 11.49 years — males. For non-neutered dogs, these figures are 10.50 and 10.58, respectively.