A new British study opens up a topic that has been surprisingly little discussed until now.
Small and long-nosed dogs live the longest on average, according to a new British study. On the other hand, medium-sized and short-snouted dogs have the shortest life expectancy.
Published in Scientific Reports the study looked at more than 580,000 dogs that lived in Great Britain and their characteristics. There were 155 different pure breeds, and more than 111,000 mixed breed dogs.
Dog skulls can be divided into three categories. Dolicephalic means long and narrow, brachycephalic means short and wide. Between them is a medium-sized mesocephalic skull.
Small dolichocephalic dogs, such as miniature dachshunds and Shetland sheepdogs, had the longest life expectancy. The median lifespan of small dolichocephalic dogs was 13.3 years for both males and females.
Medium-sized brachycephalic dogs had the shortest life expectancy. Their median lifespan was 9.1 years for males and 9.6 years for females.
The results fit well with previous findings. It has been known for a long time that exaggerated shortness of the head exposes dogs to various defects and diseases that reduce the quality of life.
On the other hand, some may be surprised to learn from a British study that the life expectancy of purebreds was higher than that of mixed-breeds: the median for purebreds was 12.7 years, for mixed-breeds exactly 12 years. Bitches lived a little longer on average than males.
The authors of the new study noted that the differences in life expectancy between races have been little studied until now. They note that their findings only represent British dogs.