{"id":15060,"date":"2024-02-03T12:47:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-03T12:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/03\/how-long-will-your-dog-live-measure-its-nose\/"},"modified":"2024-02-03T12:47:01","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T12:47:01","slug":"how-long-will-your-dog-live-measure-its-nose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/03\/how-long-will-your-dog-live-measure-its-nose\/","title":{"rendered":"How long will your dog live? Measure its nose"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Is your dog a small male with a long nose? Or a medium-size female with a face of average canine proportions? If so, your furry companion is more likely to be at your side for a long time, according to new research. But if yours is a pooch with a squished muzzle, the picture might be a bit less rosy. <\/p>\n

A large study published Thursday looked at data from more than 584,000 dogs across the United Kingdom and found that snout length, along with body size and sex, can influence how long a dog is likely to live. <\/p>\n

\u201cA medium-sized, flat-faced male like a bulldog is three times more likely to live a shorter life than a small-sized, long-faced female, like a miniature dachshund or an Italian greyhound,\u201d said Kirsten McMillan, a data scientist at Dogs Trust, the UK\u2019s largest dog charity, and lead author of the paper in the journal Scientific Reports. <\/p>\n

\u2018These dogs are not doing well\u2019<\/h3>\n

The study authors examined data on 155 breeds plus mixes. While a typical Labrador retriever or border collie had a median life expectancy of just over 13 years, the researchers found that almost across the board, flat-faced, or brachycephalic, dogs fared worse by that measure. That shorter-nosed bunch included large mastiffs (9 years), beefy English bulldogs (9.3 years) and French bulldogs (9.8 years). <\/p>\n

\u201cThis paper is showing people that at a population level, these dogs are not doing well,\u201d McMillan said. <\/p>\n

One smush-faced survivor stood out in the findings: Lhasa Apsos clocked in with one of the highest median life expectancies at 14 years. That\u2019s up there with Shiba Inus (14.6), papillons (14.5), miniature dachshunds and Italian greyhounds (14). <\/p>\n

Most of the results fell within expected patterns. Females lived longer than males, small dogs longer than large ones. Small and medium dogs with pronounced schnozes lived over 12 years on average, while flat-faced dogs of all sizes fell short of that mark. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> Cats have 276 different facial expressions, study finds<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The grim outlook may or may not come as a shock to owners of Frenchies, America\u2019s most popular dog breed. (Last year, it unseated the Lab, which had held the title for three decades.) It\u2019s well known that the bat-eared darlings are predisposed to a number of health issues, often owing to their flattened face shape \u2014 breathing problems, skin infections and eye trouble to name a few.\u00a0Pugs and English bulldogs face these challenges, too. <\/p>\n

The Brachycephalic Working Group, a consortium of veterinary organizations, breeding associations and nonprofits in the UK, has declared \u201ca health and welfare crisis\u201d for flat-faced breeds. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis new research underlines these major health issues by revealing that flat-faced dogs live 1.5 years shorter lives than typical dogs,\u201d said Dan O\u2019Neill, an associate professor at the Royal Veterinary College in London and the working group\u2019s chair, in a statement. \u201cWe urge anyone considering getting a flat-faced breed to \u2018stop and think\u2019 and to ensure that they acquire a dog with the best chances of a long and happy life.\u201d <\/p>\n

Esme Wheeler, a dog welfare expert at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, concurred. \u201cWe completely understand why there is so much love out there for these breeds, but breeding bodily features which compromise the basic health and welfare of pets is wrong,\u201d she said. \u201cHealth and welfare should always be the priority, not fashions or aesthetic trends.\u201d <\/p>\n

Neither O\u2019Neill nor Wheeler contributed to the research. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> French bulldogs\u2019 cute face shape is stopping them getting a good night\u2019s sleep, study shows<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Though limited to the UK, the results would probably be similar in the United States, especially with respect to pure breeds, since they are fairly standard around the globe, said veterinarian Dr. Silvan Urfer, an expert in dog life span at the University of Washington, who was not involved in the research. However, he posited that there might be more differences between mixes there and in the US. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an excellent study that makes a very good point regarding the breeding of short-nosed dogs,\u201d Urfer said. \u201cI\u2019m not at all surprised that brachycephalic breeds didn\u2019t live as long.\u201d <\/p>\n

The designer dog debate<\/h3>\n

One of the study\u2019s more surprising takeaways was that purebred dogs were found to outlive mixes by about eight months. This finding doesn\u2019t align with the commonly held notion that mixes are generally heartier and healthier than their inbred kennel club counterparts. But the current study can\u2019t tell the whole picture, McMillan said. <\/p>\n

The data \u2014 collected from vets, breed registries, rescue organizations and pet insurance companies \u2014 divided dogs into two categories: purebred and crossbred. Within the crossbred category, the data did not distinguish between genetically diverse mutts and intentional crosses, or \u201cdesigner breeds,\u201d such as the cockapoo, labradoodle and cavachon. <\/p>\n

These are not random mixes or the products of natural selection. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about strategically bred dogs and that has changed the game,\u201d McMillan said. Dogs Trust is already working on a new study to determine whether these popular crosses have longer or shorter life expectancies than the breeds they\u2019re derived from. <\/p>\n

\u201cDesigner dogs is a relatively new phenomenon, so you have a population that skews young,\u201d Urfer said. Studying the population as it grows and ages should give better insight into the health and longevity of these burgeoning breeds. <\/p>\n

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<\/span> It\u2019s time to walk the dog (and yourself) for better fitness<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The study includes millions of data points, but it doesn\u2019t necessarily represent the full spectrum of companion dog life, McMillan said. For instance, not everyone has pet insurance or makes regular vet visits. <\/p>\n

The research also did not account for cause of death, which is often euthanasia. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe ethical and welfare concerns surrounding dog breeding have become one of the most important issues \u2014 if not the most important issue \u2014 within canine welfare,\u201d McMillan said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this paper is a catalyst to start policymakers, government, vets, owners, everyone asking, \u2018Why are these dogs dying?\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be very difficult to answer, but every time we answer even a small part of it, we are progressing towards having a much healthier canine population.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is your dog a small male with a long nose? Or a medium-size female with a face of average canine proportions? If so, your furry companion is more likely to be at your side for a long time, according to new research. But if yours is a pooch with a squished muzzle, the picture might <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":15061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15060","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}