I have an 18 year old dashschund

Question
My female dashschund "Spice' is 18 yrs old and has lost her sight and hearing, but doesn't seem to be in any pain. I would never let her suffer. However, I noticed last couple days walking is getting very difficult for her.  How long is the average life of a dashchund?

Answer
The average life span for dachshunds seems to be about 12-15 years, but the miniatures would tend to live a bit longer than the standards as smaller dogs are usually longer-lived than larger. Dachshunds are one of the longer-lived breeds.

There was a study done in Poland on the life expectancy of long-haired and wire-haired standard dachshunds and it had some interesting results: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume8/issue4/art-71.html

As to Spice's walking difficulty, be sure her nails are kept as short as possible, and you might try putting her on a good glucosamine/chondroitin supplement like Cosequin, if you haven't already.

Bless the old dogs who have given so much of themselves to us for so many years. I feel that when they get old, it is our turn to give back to them. They always tell us when they are ready to leave us and "return Home".

Please give Spice a hug from me...