Latest Research: This Dog Breed Lives the Longest

According to an analysis of over 580,000 dogs in the UK, scientists found that small dogs with longer noses, such as Miniature Dachshunds and Shiba Inus, have the longest lifespans; medium-sized dogs like English Bulldogs and Shih Tzus have the shortest. The related paper was published in "Scientific Reports" on February 2.Kirsten McMillan from the UK charity "The Dog's Trust" stated: "Although the UK is a nation of dog lovers, we haven't had a good grasp of the number of dogs and their expected lifespans."In order to conduct a comprehensive analysis of canine lifespans, McMillan and others collected data from various sources including veterinarians, pet insurance companies, and animal welfare organizations. This data included 584,734 dogs across 155 breeds, of which 284,734 had died. The average lifespan of these dogs was 12.5 years, with female dogs having a slightly higher expectancy at 12.7 years, compared to 12.4 years for male dogs.Upon categorizing by size and face shape, the research team discovered that the small, long-nosed dogs had the highest life expectancy, averaging 13.3 years. In contrast, the life expectancy was shortest for medium-sized, flat-faced dogs, at 9.1 years for males and 9.6 years for females."Many brachycephalic dogs, regardless of size, perform poorly, such as French Bulldogs, Saint Bernards, and Presa Canarios," said McMillan.It's well known that flat-faced dogs face a variety of health issues such as respiratory, digestive, and even sleeping problems. This could be a reason for their shorter lifespans.One of the more surprising findings was that purebred dogs had a higher life expectancy than crossbreeds, at 12.7 years compared to 12 years for mutts.Audrey Rupple from Virginia Tech, who was not involved in the study, said, "There has long been a belief that, due to the concept of hybrid vigor, crossbred dogs live longer than purebreds." Hybrid animals or plants may be healthier as their genes have more variations, but this requires further study."We hope this work will inspire more research to precisely understand why some breeds of dogs die prematurely and ultimately improve the lives of pets," expressed McMillan