Assuring Your Bulldog Has a Long Life

If your bulldog is getting older, you’re probably noticing some changes in him. Conditions such as temperature, change, hearing, and skin condition often degrade with geriatric age, and medical conditions such as cancer, renal failure, arthritis and joint conditions, and other signs of old age may appear.

The aging profile of dogs varies according to their adult size (often determined by their breed): - smaller dogs, like the French Bulldog, may live over 15 - 16 years. Medium and large size dogs, like the English Bulldog or the American Bulldog, typically 10 to 13 years. And some giant dog breeds such as mastiffs, often only 7 to 8 years.

The latter also mature slightly older than smaller breeds - giant breeds becoming adult around two years old compared to the norm of around 12 - 15 months for other breeds.

The urban legend of a human (homo sapiens) year being equivalent to seven dog (Canis lupus familiaris) years is a misconception, as evidenced by the different life spans of different breeds and sizes of dogs.

Apart from breed, several factors influence life expectancy.

There is some disagreement as to the ideal diet. The oldest dog on record was Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog, who died at 29 in 1939. In the 2000s, at least two dogs were still living at 27 or 28 years old, but one was fed a purely vegetarian diet, and one fed primarily on kangaroo and emu meat.

Spaying and neutering - according to a study by the British Veterinary Association (author AR Michell is the president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), “Neutered bitches lived longest of dogs dying of all causes, though entire bitches lived longest of dogs dying of natural causes, with neutered males having the shortest lifespan in each category.”

Neutering reduces or eliminates the risk of some causes of early death, for example pyometra in bitches, and testicular cancer in males, as well as indirect causes of early death such as accident and euthanasia (intact dogs may roam more and be more aggressive), but also raises the risk of death from other conditions (castration favors prostate cancer in males, and neutered males have the highest rate for this condition).

A major study of dog longevity, that considered both natural and other factors affecting life expectancy, concluded that:

“The mean age at death (all breeds, all causes) was 11 years one month, but in dogs dying of natural causes it was 12 years eight months. Only 8 per cent of dogs lived beyond 15, and 64 per cent of dogs died of disease or were euthanased as a result of disease. Nearly 16 per cent of deaths were attributed to cancer, twice as many as to heart disease.  In neutered males the importance of cancer as a cause of death was similar to heart disease.  The results also include breed differences in lifespan, susceptibility to cancer, road accidents and behavioural problems as a cause of euthanasia.”

The most common effects of aging are:

* Loss of hearing
* Loss of vision (cataracts)
* Decreased activity, more sleeping, and reduced energy (in part due to reduced lung function)
* Weight gain (calorie needs can be 30-40% lower in older dogs)
* Weakening of immune system leading to infections
* Skin changes (thickening or darkening of skin, dryness leading to reduced elasticity, loss or whitening of hair)
* Change in feet and nails (thicker and more brittle nails makes trimming harder)
* Arthritis and other joint problems
* Loss of teeth
* Gastrointestinal upset (stomach lining, diseases of the pancreas, constipation)
* Urinary issues (incontinence in both genders, and prostatitis/straining to urinate in males)
* Mammary cysts and tumors in females
* Senility
* Heart murmurs
* Diabetes