How Long Will My Pet Live?
The most common pets in many countries are are dogs, cats, fish and
birds. When deciding to bring a new pet into your home, it is important to
consider their life expectancy, as some animals live far longer than others.
Let’s take a look at the life expectancy of these four species.
How Long Do Dogs Live?
The world’s longest living dog, according to the Guinness
Book of Records, was Bluey, an Australian Cattle dog. He lived to be 29. Bobi, a Rafeiro do Alentejo Portuguese dog
was said to be 31 when he died. But the Guiness Book of Records actually
stripped him of his records, as there wasn’t enough evidence.
Most dogs don’t live that long. The average life expectancy
of dogs is 13.41 years. The life
expectancy does vary according to the breed and other factors, which we’ll talk
about later.
Here’s some examples of the average life expectancy of some
breeds –
·
Poodle – 14 years
·
Scottish terriers – 12 years
·
Beagles – 13.3 years
·
Bearded Collie – 13.9 years
·
Mutts or mongrels can be a mixture of a number
of different breeds. They tend to live 13.2 years on average.
How Long Do Cats Live?
The lifespan of cats varies depending on their health and
well-being. But the normal lifespan of the domestic cat tends to be 13 to 20
years. The oldest cat on record was
Crème Puff. Crème Puff died in 2005 at the grand old age of 38 and 3 days.
How Long do Birds Live?
Many bird species do live long lives, so longevity is
something to seriously consider when deciding to get a pet bird. For example –
·
Parakeets are expected to live around 15 years.
·
Cockatiels 25 years.
·
Parrots 40 – 60 years
·
Cockatoos 40 – 60 years
Cookie was a Major Mitchell's cockatoo who lived in a
Chicago Zoo. He holds the Guinness Book of Records for the oldest bird in
captivity. He was 82 years old when he died.
How Long Do Fish Live?
The Greenland Shark has a lifespan of 250 to 500 years. It’s
around 21 feet in length and quite rare, so it’s unlikely you will be having
this fish as a pet. But some breeds of
pet fish do have a long lifespan.
For example –
·
A Koi carp named Hanaoko lived for 226 years.
Generally koi carp live for around 25 years.
·
A lung fish called Methuselah lived for 86
years.
Goldfish are the most common fish pet. If they have a varied diet and housed well,
they can live for 10 – 15 years. The
Guinness Book of Records lists Tish, a goldfish won at a funfair as the longest
living fish. He was 43 when he died.
How long a pet lives will depend on a lot of different
factors. Let’s consider some of these now.
Factors that Affect the Longevity of Dogs
We have already seen that the breed of the dog can affect
their lifespan, but there are also other factors, such as -
Size
The dog’s size will affect their lifespan. Smaller dogs tend
to live 10 – 15 years, medium dogs 10 – 13 years and giant breeds 8 – 13
years. So the larger the dog, the
shorter their lifespan.
Giant dogs tend to reach adulthood around two years of age,
compared to other dogs who reach adulthood between 13 and 15 months.
The greater size of giant breeds is thought to lead to an
increased risk of cancer and abnormal cell growth.
Diet
There is disagreement on the ideal diet for dogs. Older dogs are often fed commercial senior
dog diets, but dogs have been found to be fit and healthy on other diets.
Feeding
How often a dog is fed can also affect their life
expectancy. Dogs who are fed once a day tend to have fewer kidney, dental,
urinary, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal problems, so dogs that eat once a
day tend to live longer.
Neutering and Spaying
Female dogs who are neutered tend to live longer on average,
whilst neutered males tend to have the shortest lifespan. This is not as simple as it sounds as there
are various debates regarding the benefits and disadvantages of neutering and
spaying dogs.
Appearance
Dogs with flattened faces tend to have shorter lifespans
than dogs with longer snouts.
Exercise and Stimulation
Dogs are intelligent animals and need exercise and
stimulation for optimal health.
Sex
Female dogs tend to live slightly longer than male dogs.
What Factors Affect Longevity in Cats?
Weight
Research suggests that the cats weight affects their life
expectancy. The greater their weight, the lower their life expectancy.
Overfeeding can also lead to joint issues and diabetes.
Diet
A high quality, healthy diet can increase the cat’s life
expectancy.
Spaying and Neutering
Spaying and neutering increase the cat’s lifespan by
reducing the risk of cancers and reproductive diseases, but also the likelihood
of getting into fights and roaming.
Environment
Indoor cats tend to live longer than outdoor cats as they
are protected more from traffic accidents, disease and predators.
Living in a calm home environment also improves their health
and wellbeing.
Stimulation
Cats like mental and physical stimulation, such as climbing
structures and toys. Keeping a cat fit and mentally interested can also
increase their life expectancy.
Sex
Female cats tend to live longer than male cats.
What factors affect longevity of pet birds?
Nutrition
Good nutrition is important.
Deficiencies in the nutrition of caged birds can shorten their lifespan
considerably, so it is important that owners know how to feed their birds
properly.
Environment
A clean environment, which includes enrichment is also vital
for their health and wellbeing. Pet birds tend to live longer than wild birds,
but stress and improper care can affect their longevity.
What factors affect the longevity of pet fish?
Environment
Clean and proper water conditions are essential for fish
health. Improper care can drastically
reduce the health of a pet fish. The water quality, temperature and tank size
should be suitable for the type of fish.
Tank Mates
Another factor to consider is other fish in the tank. Some
fish can be bullies or aggressive to other fish.
Overcrowding the tank can also affect the longevity of the
fish.
The longevity of any pets will be affected by diet, breed and environment. If you would like to learn more about optimal care for your
pets, consider some our courses click here
