Why don’t dogs live longer

It’s heartbreak when our dogs pass away.  We lost Lily and Frankie earlier this year, they both died in their sleep and only a few weeks apart so they weren’t separated for long.  They were the oldest of our ‘golden oldies’ and it was a smooth passing.   All thanks to Kate who looked after them so  devotedly in their twilight years.

If only dogs had the same life span as us humans and why don’t they?  Some animals, like tortoises, elephants and donkeys (and I’m sure many more species) live very long lives.  Is it something to do with health and lifestyle?  Does the stress of life wear dogs out?

It used to be the urgency of finding food and fending for themselves, nowadays the balance has tipped the other way, we do just about everything for dogs so why don’t they live longer?

Back in the day our canine companions used to make it through to 18, 19 or 20.  Some of the terriers would go on to their early twenties.  Now, even with all the improved veterinary services, we see a lot of dogs who don’t make it to even 10 years old.

In Japan it’s a different story.  The people are famous for their healthy diets and longevity and it seems that the same goes for their pets.  Recent surveys showed that dogs live on average over 13 years and cats live around 12 years.  These were done on 6,000 dogs and 3,000 cats and carried out by the Japan Veterinary Association and the TokyoUniversity.

Perhaps its the active lifestyles and fish and vegetables that make all the difference.

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