In general, small breeds tend to live significantly longer than large breeds. As an example: a Chihuahua may become 20 years old while a Great Dane would die more than 10 years earlier. Paradoxically, large animal species tend to live longer than small species. An elephant can easily live to be 80 years old while mice only have 2 short years.
But a huge study with over 80, dogs has found that small and large dog breeds are differentially susceptible to certain diseases with large dogs being more prone to musculoskeletal diseases like German Shepherds. The lifespan of a dog also seems to drastically decrease when body mass increases, especially in giant breeds like the aforementioned Great Dane.
We will talk more about breed-related health issues of the German Shepherd below, but there is one problem that drastically shortens their lifespan: joint issues. You may have noticed that I have given you a fairly large lifespan estimation above.
The AKC states the longevity from years while other sites lean more to years. This discrepancy may be due to the different breeding styles of the show lines and working lines.
The back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach, and relatively short. Modern show lines lean more towards a sloped and long back that makes them more prone to hip dysplasia and arthritis.
The Kennel Club remains in no doubt that currently, the single biggest threat to the reputation and interest of the breed is the lack of soundness in hindquarters.
I have created a whole article on the difference between the sloped and straight back German Shepherd that thoroughly explains how it affects their mobility and how different conformations affect their posture and movement. Leading causes of death in dogs mainly vary by age and breed. A huge Swedish study with over , German Shepherds analyzed insurance data for morbidity and mortality rates.
They came to the conclusion that GSDs most commonly died from locomotor disorders like hip dysplasia or myelopathy. This would confirm the results from the aforementioned study that large dogs are more prone to musculoskeletal diseases.
They also found that German Shepherds were strikingly overrepresented for immunological diseases. Like every breed, GSDs can be affected by a variety of health issues that are frequently seen and spread within the breed. Inbreeding and line breeding greatly promote the inheritance of recessive diseases. You have probably heard of inbreeding before where close relatives are being bred together to produce offspring. Diseases that would normally be recessive are now transmitted from both parents and as the gene pool becomes smaller and smaller the risk for inherited health issues becomes significantly larger.
Linebreeding is a bit more complicated. Assuming you have two dogs that are siblings both male and you take one of them and pair him with a dam that is not related to the bloodline.
You would get an x amount of puppies. In conclusion, this example would be for the breeding of an uncle to his niece. This is called line breeding as you are breeding back in line to the original sire.
As a form of inbreeding, it still has a high risk of genetic defects. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Cover Letter. Ben Davis April 23, What is the longest a German Shepherd has lived? How long do healthy German Shepherds live? However, other more diseases remain life-threatening to this specific breed. It can be difficult for any dog owner to dwell on the thought of losing a beloved friend, but eventually, that day will come, and you need to be prepared.
When a dog is close to passing away, it tends to lose its appetite; it will eat or drink from almost none to completely nothing and result in a noticeable weight loss. This is because its digestive organs are slowly shutting down as death comes closer; your dog will no longer feel the need to eat nor drink at this time and would rather lie down to get some rest.
Besides that, your dog may also lose control over its bladder, so it would typically urinate or defecate wherever it lies. Once your dog grows old, it loses its senses and would barely want to interact with anyone. Whereas, if your dog is in its senior years and shows no hope of getting better, realize that being there for your buddy when it finally faces its end is the most important thing you should do.
Pet your dog softly and reassure it that everything will be okay, it may not show any response, but it will appreciate your comfort. For a German Shepherd to live its best life, its health is one of your biggest priorities.
Furthermore, be wary not to feed your dog with human food that can cause digestion problems such as chocolates and the like. Note that giving your dog treats from the kitchen may not be healthy for it, even though it may seem to like it. Be reminded that a GSD is bred to work all day, so a walk in the park might not be enough for it to release all its energy.
Lastly, never keep your dog inside a small cage! Often linked to megaesophagus, Myasthenia gravis is a neurologic immune disorder. Yet another disease with genetic markers, degenerative myelopathy, according to the Universities Federation for the Welfare of Animals UFAW of the UK, is a progressive and chronic wasting disease of the nerves of the spinal cord. It eventually leads to complete paralysis of all limbs.
Symptoms most often begin when your dog is eight or nine years old. The disease is painless but eventually completely debilitating. Shepherds generally only live one year with the disease before their owners put them down. The bony segments of the spine and vertebrae can degenerate and cause paralysis. This German Shepherd illustrates the early stages of degenerative myelopathy. Paralysis commonly starts with a loss of sensation as shown by the improper placing of the hind legs, and weakness known as ataxia of the hindquarters.
Note, she seems unconcerned by her condition. However, one symptom of DM is fatigue or lethargy. German Shepherds are vulnerable to a host of problems that can prematurely shorten their lives, but not all is gloomy. You can work proactively to help your German Shepherd live their life to the fullest with a reasonable expectation for optimal health. Buying your dog from a reputable breeder may decrease the incidence of hip and elbow dysplasia.
Conscientious breeders will also pay attention to the temperaments of their dogs. Feed your Alsatian a high-quality dog food or raw diet under veterinary or nutritionist supervision.
The more balanced, high-quality, and natural a diet is, the more bioavailable the ingredients are. Consider preventative nutraceuticals such as joint supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants to delay the onset of degenerative diseases like arthritis.
Your German Shepherd should receive physical check-ups by a veterinarian multiple times per year. Remember how fast large-breed dogs can age compared to humans.
Frequent checks may catch some diseases early when you can still treat or manage them.
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