This physical feature will reveal how long your dog will live: Study

Pets

by Andrew Court

Encounter this study about the life expectancy of your pet dog.

An analysis of more than 584,000 dogs in the UK revealed that dogs with squat faces and small noses are likely to live much less time on average than those with longer faces and larger noses.

The study was published in Scientific reports on Thursday, and is likely to concern owners of French bulldogs, the most popular dog breed in America, known for its broken face and small nose.

“A medium-sized male with a flat face, such as a bulldog, is three times more likely to live a shorter life than a small-sized female with a long face, such as a Miniature Dachshund or Italian Greyhound,” declared lead author Kirsten McMillan.

The study covered data on 155 strains, in addition to popular mixtures.

Although most French Bulldog owners know that their dogs do not live as long as the average dog, researchers have found that the average life expectancy for this breed is only 9.8 years.

Other short-nosed breeds, such as the Mastiff and English Bulldog, have a life expectancy of just 9 and 9.3 years, respectively.

“This paper shows people that these dogs are not doing well at a population level,” MacMillan declared bluntly.

“This new research confirms these key health issues by revealing that flat-faced dogs live 1.5 years shorter than conventional dogs,” Dan O'Neill, an associate professor at the Royal Veterinary College in London, said in a statement about the research.

He added: “We would urge anyone thinking about getting a flat-faced breed to stop, think and make sure they are getting a dog that has the best chances of a long and happy life.”

Meanwhile, the study concluded that miniature dachshunds and Italian greyhounds – both breeds with long faces – lived for an average of 14 years.

Papillons live for 14.5 years, while a healthy Shiba Inu can be expected to remain as a family pet for about a decade and a half (14.6 years).

However, the study found one anomaly.

The life expectancy of the Lhasa Apsos, with their tiny noses and small, squashed faces, was 14 years.

The researchers did not explain why canines with smaller faces survive less, but it is possible to conclude that their small noses can cause breathing problems that lead to other health defects.

But before you get worried about your baby-faced pup, researchers acknowledge a variety of other factors that determine a dog's life expectancy.

Female dogs are more likely to live longer than male dogs, while physically smaller breeds generally live longer than larger breeds.