Pet Life Expectancy

People always ask how long will their pets live for. Well, thankfully to advances in nutrition and vaccinations, today's pet's are living longer than ever.

While most people agree that many pets do not live nearly long enough, there are some simple things you can do to help ensure your pet lives for as long as possible.

5 Oldest Animals
1. Giant Tortoise 152 yrs
2. Box Turtle 123 yrs
3. Turkey Buzzard 118 yrs
4. Swan 102 yrs
5. Parrot 80 yrs

CAT LIFE EXPECTANCY

Today's cats can live longer than ever before. About 20 years ago the life expectancy of a cat was 4 to 6 years (and for outdoor cats it still is)

(That means a cat born in 1990 lived to be only 6 years old? That doesn't seem right?)

Indoor cats on average live to be about 12 to 18 years, with many living into their early 20's. In fact the oldest cat on record was 28 years old.

Outdoor cats face harder lives, and must avoid cars, dogs, and viruses like FIV and FeLV.

Fun Fact
A Quahog Clam found off the
coast of Iceland is believed
to be around 400 yrs old,
making it the oldest living animal.

DOG LIFE EXPECTANCY

Just like cats, dogs are living longer than ever before as well. But unlike cats, the average life span of dogs depends a lot on its breed.

Statistics show us that the larger the dog, the shorter the life span. In one study only 13 percent of giant breed dogs lived to be over 10 years of age. While 38 percent of small breed dogs lived to be over 10 years of age.

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WHEN ARE PET'S CONSIDERED TO BE SENIORS?

Pets age much faster than we do. Humans are not considered Seniors until about age 65.

To generalize, when dogs and cats reach between 7 to 9 years old they are considered seniors.

People don't consider dogs seniors until they are in the last 25% of their lifespan. So if a dog lives to be 12 years old, when they hit 9 years old they are considered to be senior.

TIPS TO KEEP YOUR PET HEALTHY FOR MANY YEARS

I believe that the single biggest factor that you can do to help your pet live longer is to keep them safer.

You really don't have control over your pet's internal health, other than feeding and watering them.

But you do have a HUGE amount of control over how safe they are.

This means keeping dogs on a leash so they do not get hit by cars, and pet proofing your house.

Keeping pets from consuming foods and toxins they should not.

Chart of Top 10 Dog Breeds

Breed	Average Age	Senior Years
1. Labs	10 to 13 yrs	8 to 10 yrs
2. Yorkies	14 to 16 yrs	11 to 12 yrs
3. German Shepherds	10 to 13 yrs	7 to 10 yrs
4. Golden Retrievers	10 to 13 yrs	7 to 10 yrs
5. Beagles	14 to 15 yrs	10 to 11 yrs
6. Boxers	9 to 11 yrs	7 to 8 yrs
7. Dachshunds	15 to 18 yrs	11 to 13 yrs
8. Bulldogs	8 to 10 yrs	6 to 7 yrs
9. Poodles	14 to 16 yrs	10 to 12 yrs
10.Shih Tzu	14 to 16 yrs	10 to 12 yrs

*Most Facts Taken From Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 2009

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