Do you ever look at your dog and wonder how long he will live?
Do you think about how many more years you will have of going for walks together or snuggling on the sofa?
A new comprehensive study wants to help answer that question by estimating the life expectancy of British canine pets.
It shows that a newborn Jack Russell terrier can be expected to live the longest, at an average of 12,7 years, followed by border collies (12,1 years) and springer spaniels (11,9 years).
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In contrast, some of the trendy dogs popular among social media influencers might break your heart sooner than you think.
It turns out that the four flat-nosed breeds have the shortest life expectancy from the age of zero - French Bulldogs are expected to live just 4,5 years, followed by English Bulldogs at 7,4 years, Pugs at 7,7 years and American Bulldogs at 7,8 years old.
Several life-limiting disorders are associated with these pets, such as respiratory problems, spinal diseases, and birth difficulties, all of which can limit the species' overall longevity.
Life expectancy of dogs at birth
Jack Russell Terrier 12,72 years Yorkshire terrier 12,54 years Border coland 12,10 years Springer spaniel 11,92 years Crossbreeds 11,82 years Labrador retriever 11,77 years Staffordshire bull terrier 11,33 years Cocker spaniel 11,31 years Shih Tzu 11,05 years King Charles Cavalier Spaniel 10,45 years German shepherd 10,16 years Boxes 10,04 years Beagle 9,85 years Hague 9,53 years Chihuahua 7,91 years American Bulldog 7,79 years pug 7,65 years English bulldog 7,39 years French bulldog 4,53 years
Lifespan lists like the one above (for 18 selected purebreds and crossbreds) have appeared before, but this one is the most sophisticated yet because it's based on an analysis of a huge database of veterinary records VetKompas.
Led by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), this surveillance system currently contains information on 20 million animals.
It enabled Dr. Candy Cu Jun Teng and her colleagues to compile something called "life tables."
Simply put, these tables organize the population into age groups, with each group showing the probability of death before the next age group.
Many factors affect how long your dog will live, which is why average life expectancy is only a partially useful tool.
Take the Chihuahua for example.
Her life expectancy from the age of zero is 7,9 years.
Because of this, you might think there's not much point in rescuing a six-year-old Chihuahua from a shelter because the average age of death for the breed suggests you'll only have two more years with her.
But veterinary records show that quite a few chihuahuas die at an early age, significantly lowering their average lifespan.
And this means that it is likely that a Chihuahua that lives to be six years old will live much longer than eight years.
We know some chihuahuas who lived to be 15 or 16.
"It's your expression, 'there are common lies, dangerous lies, and statistics,'" says study co-author Dr. Dan O'Neill.
"Sometimes a statistic is a one-sided value, giving you the middle of the curve - it's technically correct, but there's a lot more nuance to the data and the distribution."
And the chihuahua is a perfect example of where that shade matters.
"When you only know the mean of the age distribution, it can lead you to the wrong conclusion," a veterinary epidemiologist at the RVC told the BBC.
This approach will be beneficial for people who are considering adopting an animal in their senior years or who have to decide whether to engage in expensive medical treatment for an aging pet.
The owner will now be able to make decisions with much more intelligence and finesse.
With pet life insurance becoming more common, appraisers will be careful readers of these new tables.
Dr Justin Shotton, President of the British Veterinary Association, commented: “These life tables offer important insight into the longevity of popular dog breeds in the UK and will be a useful tool for vets and dog owners when assessing dog welfare.
"The worrying results are the low life expectancy for flat-nosed breeds.
"Although the study does not make a direct connection between the potential social status of these breeds and their shorter life spans, these findings serve as a fresh reminder for prospective dog owners to choose breeds based on their health, not their looks."
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Dr. O'Neill concurs with Dr. Shotton's views on the flat-nosed breeds, but adds that the very low life-expectancy seen in the tables, especially for the French Bulldog, is probably to some extent due to the rapid increase in its popularity.
Because French Bulldog population numbers have soared, it is still difficult to properly estimate their true longevity.
The numbers of French Bulldogs registered with the Kennel Club in Great Britain jumped from 2011 in 2.771 to 39.266 recorded in 2020.
"This means that on average there are more young animals in this population than in other species.
"Therefore, there are more young animals that can die. Therefore, it lowers the median or average life expectancy," explains Dr. O'Neill.
"Over time, as we collect more data, their lifespan will probably not be so low anymore." But I doubt it will exceed the number reached by a pug or an English bulldog."
Dr. Cu Jun Teng works for the National Taiwan University.
Her study and Dr. O'Neill's were published in the journal Scientific reports.
Watch the video: He is man's best friend
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