Dog Life Span - Learn More About It

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     While lots of emphasis is placed on the human diet, the dog's diet usually consists of table scraps. However with table scraps, you may end up cutting short the dog life span.

Basically, the life expectancy of a dog, of both pure bread and indetermine varieties is between 10 to 12 years. However based on the breed, it is possible for some dogs to have a longer or shorter life span.

Then again, some dogs may live longer than the average life of its breed, while others may not live its complete length. This is usually based on the care you exercise on your dog, its diet and the genetic constitution of the dog as some dogs tend to develop health problems as they grow.

Different stages of dog life span

Though different dogs go through different stages during the dog life span, you will find it easier to understand the aging of your dog if you recognize these stages. This way, you will be able to keep them as healthy and fit as possible, and thus prolong your dog's life expectancy.

The first two years in a dog life span of 10 years is when the dog grows both mentally and physically. While good food is important throughout the dog's life, good food is very essential now as it lays the foundation for a healthy life.

Ensure dogs don't grow fat and that they are given moderate exercise. Heavy exercise at this age only leads possible damage in later life because of strain to joints and ligaments. This is also the stage in the dog life span where dogs learn social skills quickly; so include socialization and training in its day to day routine.

2-5 years in the dog life span is its young adult age where it has completed growing and is healthy and active. The diet now has to be a maintenance type. The dog starts slowing down at 5-8 years, when it's in its middle age. It may start suffering from minor health problems like heart murmurs and mild arthritis.

Old age

This is when you have to watch its diet as it can grow overweight, and include exercise to keep fit. When the dog reaches 8 and after, it reaches old age. This is when it suffers from health problems, and requires extra veterinary care and medications.

This is the period in a dog life span when it starts going grey, and tends to sleep more often. This is when its hearing and eye sight gets reduced, and it requires more care to remain warm and dry. Some may even need encouragement to eat at this age.

Home cooked food is also better for dogs

So it can be seen that the dog's life is based mainly on the care it receives from its owners, and of course, its diet. Though there are many brands of dog food available in the market, it is better and healthier to feed it home made food. Instead of cooking food for your dog on an everyday basis, you could cook some food, and portion and store them in the freezer for use at a later date.

In fact, if you switch to feeding home made dog food to your life, you can increase the dog life span by 8 years. This is because fresh and organic ingredients are always better than artificially flavored and preserved commercial dog food. The preservatives found in dog food are not only toxic, but also lead to many side effects.

Home cooked meals that are fed to the dog in the right proportions are sure to increase the dog life span. However never feed it raw garlic, onions, raisins, grapes or chocolate as they all prove to be dangerous to dogs.