How Long Do German Shepherds Live For

German Shepherd Life Span How Long Do German Shepherds Live

The worst part of being a dog owner is that youll eventually have to say goodbye to them. Sure, its unpreventable, but can you really do nothing about it?

Actually, you can. Dogs can go beyond the average lifespan of a German shepherd. Regular exercise, proper diet, constant veterinary care. There are countless remedies. Unfortunately, many dog owners dont know about this. Thats why they dont bother doing something to change their German shepherds lifestyle.

Thats why I created this blog post to inform owners of the German shepherds life expectancy.;Understanding this aspect of their dogs better will give you a sense of urgency. That way, youll become much more eager to prolong your German shepherds life span.

How Can You Extend Your Dog’s Lifespan

There are actually quite a few steps you can take to ensure your dog lives the longest, happiest life possible!

Diet Vet Checks And Grooming Are A Must

You must be mindful of your dogs dietary needs, grooming requirements, and regular veterinary check-ups. Its also important that your dog completes its vaccinations from birth until its adolescence; this would include booster shots and annual rabies doses. Furthermore, be wary not to feed your dog with human food that can cause digestion problems such as chocolates and the like. Note that giving your dog treats from the kitchen may not be healthy for it, even though it may seem to like it.;

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Primary Causes Of Death In German Shepherd Adults

• Cancer This is the leading cause of death in adult German Shepherds, especially in their golden years. While some cancers are curable via surgical removal, others need chemotherapy but it is better off if they are discovered earlier.
• Bloat This is a condition where your German shepherds stomach is filled with air after eating and is extremely fatal. It results from feeding him too much food at once. To prevent this, split his meals into several smaller meals throughout the day.
• Hemangiosarcoma Ranked as the most common disease in German shepherd breed that can cause death, this refers to the cancer of the spleen that causes bleeding and exhaustion.
• Osteosarcoma Also known as bone cancer, this disease causes micro fractures in your German Shepherd which can result in catastrophic failure of the bone that is affected.
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy This disease causes your German Shepherds heart to enlarge while the cardiac muscle walls continue to thin which causes congestive heart failure or abrupt demise.
• Gastric Dilation & Volvulus This is a condition where your German Shepherds stomach bloat and twist causing a fatal fluid and electrolyte imbalances, toxicity from organ death, and heart irregularities.;

Improper Breeding And Usual Health Issues

For instance, hip and elbow dysplasia is a prevalent illness among German Shepherds because of inbreeding. This condition would gradually cause pain and discomfort to your dog since the joints from the hips or elbows are incorrectly formed; in this case, it would affect more of your dogs quality of life as it would eventually disable it.

For large dogs like German Shepherds, they are also prone to developing arthritis and decreased mobility. You might be wondering why this condition is most commonly found in large dogs, and this is simply because big dogs have a greater mass that can put a lot of stress on their joints and cartilages, which progressively leads to severe inflammation and dysfunction.;

Unfortunately, arthritis worsens over time and would heavily manifest when your dog reaches its seniority. The severity of both dysplasia and arthritis might not directly cause a German Shepherds fatality, but when the pain has become evidently unbearable, most dog owners choose to euthanize their dogs to save them from prolonged suffering.

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White Swiss Shepherd Vs White German Shepherd Breed Info

1) White Swiss Shepherd History and Origins

The White Swiss Shepherd Dog is technically a different breed to the White German Shepherd dog.

Ironically enough, their origins begin from the Greif , who was mentioned above, and the original German Shepherd breeding program started by Max von Stephanitz.

They were originally bred from the German Shepherd line, but in 1959, Germany began culling White German Shepherds from the German Shepherd breeding lines because they saw these dogs as Albinos .

In 1967, Swiss woman Agatha Burch returned to her homeland, and bred her American White German Shepherd, Lobo, with a White German Shepherd she imported from the UK.

As mentioned by WhiteShepherd.org.au, this is where the White Swiss Shepherds origins truly begin.

2) White Swiss Shepherd vs. White German Shepherd Main Difference

The main area difference apart from their appearance between these two breeds is in their temperament.

Whilst German Shepherds are by nature friendly, but sometimes wary and not easy to gain their trust, Swiss Shepherds are extremely social and thrive on human interaction, affection and play.

German Shepherds are probably more versatile in this regard, but both breeds make excellent pets and companions.

Reduced Health Risks From Getting Neutered Or Spayed:

Make sure to neuter or spay your German Shepherd at the appropriate time in their development. Neutering or spaying your dog too early can lead to problems.

Male German Shepherd house pets should be neutered after they are done growing which is typically between;12 and 15 months. Any earlier could have a negative impact on their skeletal growth.

Female German Shepherds should be spayed before they are;5 months;old.

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You Can Take Action To Help Your German Shepherd Live As Long And As Happy As Possible

German Shepherds are vulnerable to a host of problems that can prematurely shorten their lives, but not all is gloomy.;

You can work proactively to help your German Shepherd live their life to the fullest with a reasonable expectation for optimal health.

Buying your dog from a reputable breeder may decrease the incidence of hip and elbow dysplasia. The AKC recommends screening X-rays for German Shepherds in breeding programs.;

Conscientious breeders will also pay attention to the temperaments of their dogs.

Feed your Alsatian a high-quality dog food or raw diet under veterinary or nutritionist supervision. Optimizing nutritional value in your dogs food is one of the basic steps in preventing disease.

Many conditions arise from nutrient deficiencies if the dog cant absorb or digest the vitamins and minerals. The more balanced, high-quality, and natural a diet is, the more bioavailable the ingredients are.

Consider preventative nutraceuticals such as joint supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants to delay the onset of degenerative diseases like arthritis.

Your German Shepherd should receive physical check-ups by a veterinarian multiple times per year. Remember how fast large-breed dogs can age compared to humans.;

Frequent checks may catch some diseases early when you can still treat or manage them.

Limiting food intake and paying attention to how you time feeding with other activities is vital to preventing GDV.

German Shepherd Lifespan Female

There is very little lifespan difference between a German Shepherd male and female . Both will live an average of 9 to 12 years.

Neutering or spaying your dog could increase their lifespan by several months up to 2 years longer . That study was a database review of large independent databases of dog lifespan and cause of death.

In the study they found that female dogs did live somewhat longer but the real factor that increased lifespan was getting your dog spayed or neutered.

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Final Thoughts On German Shepherd Lifespans

Its sad that the regal German Shepherd has such a short average lifespan due to greedy breeders who dont care about the health of the breed. Hopefully, the suggestions weve included here will help give you plenty of healthy years with your German Shepherd.

Why Do German Shepherds Have A Short Lifespan

In general, small breeds tend to live significantly longer than large breeds. As an example: a Chihuahua may become 20 years old while a Great Dane would die more than 10 years earlier.

Paradoxically, large animal species tend to live longer than small species. An elephant can easily live to be 80 years old while mice only have 2 short years.

So why does this rule change within the same species? Researches actually dont know 100%.

But a huge study with over 80,000 dogs has found that small and large dog breeds are differentially susceptible to certain diseases with large dogs being more prone to musculoskeletal diseases .

The lifespan of a dog also seems to drastically decrease when body mass increases, especially in giant breeds like the aforementioned Great Dane.

We will talk more about breed-related health issues of the German Shepherd below, but there is one problem that drastically shortens their lifespan: joint issues.

You may have noticed that I have given you a fairly large lifespan estimation above. The AKC states the longevity from 7-10 years while other sites lean more to 10-13 years.

This discrepancy may be due to the different breeding styles of the show lines and working lines.

The AKC breed standard defines their backs appearance as follows The withers are higher than and sloping into the level back. The back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach, and relatively short.

Their position statement is the following:

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Potentially Lethal Health Concerns

Everyone inevitably reaches an age where their health begins to decline. Some disorders in German Shepherds are hereditary and presumably preventable, while others arent.

• Hemangiosarcoma A cancerous growth in the spleen that causes bleeding and fatigue.
• Bone cancer Causes microfractures which leads to catastrophic failure of the affected bones.
• Gastric dilatation and volvulus The stomach bloats and twists in this condition, causing life-threatening electrolyte and fluid imbalances, toxicity from organ death, and heart irregularities. GDV appears in deep-chested, usually large dogs. Small dogscan become affected too if theyre deep-chested, like the Dachshund.
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy The heart becomes enlarged and the cardiac muscle walls thin, leading to congestive heart failure or sudden death.

When A German Shepherd Can Get Blind

A German Shepherd can also start going blind when they get older due to age-related cataracts which usually begin to occur in german Shepherds around 10-12 years old.

If your German Shepherd is going through such blindness changes , make sure that there are dimmer switches on the lights so that their sight decreases slowly and they dont end up hurting themselves when trying to navigate around furniture or other objects at night.

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Average German Shepherd Life Expectancy

Sam Shepards

Sam Shephard is an experienced German Shepherd owner and has learned throughout the years how to optimize the breed’s health and wellness.

Compared to many other large breeds, German Shepherds actually live fairly long and happy lives, especially if they are kept active and regularly visit the vet. While you may not want to think about your beloved pet entering his or her senior years, it is helpful to know exactly what you can expect when it comes to your dogs life expectancy and when you should start treating your German Shepherd like the senior that he or she is.

German Shepherd Life Expectancy

Most German Shepherds live between ten and thirteen years.

The German Shepherd Life Span And All You Need To Know

Any dog lover will tell you that its such a shame that dogs dont live longer. This is especially true for larger dogs, because small breeds generally have longer life spans.;

The average German Shepherd lives for 10 years, but is there any way to ensure your pooch lives longer than expected? Were about to find out!

Below is everything theres to know about extending the German Shepherd life span.

• Summing up the German Shepherd Life Expectancy

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How Long Do German Shepherds Live For Influencing Factors

Is it possible to extend the life of your dog and if so, how should you do it? Before acquiring a German Shepherd you should evaluate your resources and capabilities.

Nutrition

Think in advance of the kind of food you have to provide to your dog and the required budget because a dogs diet plays a large role in extending his life span.

Every dog needs a proper diet containing all the vitamins and nutrients required for the proper functioning of his body. It is important to feed your dog with food of the highest quality, full of protein and other nutrients that contribute to keep joints, bones and ligaments in healthy condition. You should avoid cheap commercial food that contribute very little to the well-being of your dog. In that respect, its really important to dedicate an appropriate budget for your dogs nutrition plan.

If you choose to give your German Shepherd natural food, then 70% of it should consist of raw meat. Boiled vegetables, cottage cheese, oatmeal can also be included in your dogs menu. Up to two years old, a dog needs to consume vitamins as well. Get the advice of your veterinarian to confirm the type and dosage required.

Physical activity

German Shepherds need a regular, active lifestyle with plenty of physical activity. In preceding paragraphs, I alluded to the need to evaluate your capabilities. I was not just referring to finacial resources but also time available.

Mental activity

How Long Do German Shepherds Live Tips For A Long Life

April 17, 2020 by Jennifer Nelson

German Shepherds are one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States, second only to the Labrador Retriever. Theyre extremely intelligent and devoted to their families. Unfortunately, the breed is plagued by a lot of health problems that can affect their lifespan. So, how long do German Shepherds live?

Contents

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German Shepherds Usually Range From $300 To $4500

On average, german shepherds cost around $700, but this may vary depending on the dogs bloodline and lineage.

Additionally: A medium quality german shepherd ranges from 400$ 1100$. The high-end or highest-gaged dogs are generally between 750$ and 900$.

This breed ranges from 400$ 1100$. The average price for a german shepherd breeder starts at 800$, depending on various factors such as age, quality, and training.

Average Lifespan The Life Expectancy Of These Dogs Varies Greatly Depending On Their Breed And Age

According to the AKC and the British Shepherd Club of England, an adult German Shepherd on average can live between seven and ten years. That is a fairly long life expectancy for these dogs. Some of the older and middle-aged German Shepherd dogs can live as long as eleven years. Younger dogs can live up to twelve or more years.

Gender. Male German Shepherds tend to live longer than female dogs. In fact, on average, a male German Shepherd dog will outlive its owner. In contrast, female German Shepherd dogs live shorter lives due to their smaller size.

Average Weight. Most German Shepherd dogs are very eager to please their owners and will get plenty of exercises. However, how long do German Shepherd dogs live when it comes to their weight? A German Shepherd dog that is constantly fed properly and has regular vet care will generally have a long life span. However, if your dog is not properly cared for, it could end up becoming overweight. If your dog is not eating enough or gets too little exercise, it could end up being overweight.

Average Height and Weight. German Shepherds vary in height by nearly two inches. They average around ten pounds in weight. Some larger dogs, such as Great Danes, can exceed the weight of twenty pounds.

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Skeletal Health And Supplementation

Musculoskeletal disorders are debilitating conditions that are often associated with genetic makeup, malnutrition, and stress-related events. Some breeds like the German shepherd, are predisposed to a variety of different skeletal disorders, including but not limited to: canine hip dysplasia, Cauda equina syndrome, and osteoarthritis. These conditions can be a result of poor breeding or induced by intense exercise and poor diet.

Canine hip dysplasia is an orthopedic condition resulting from abnormal development of the hip joint and surrounding tissue causing the instability and partial dislocation of the hip joint, resulting in pain, inflammation, lameness, and potentially osteoarthritis of the joint. German shepherds are genetically predisposed to CHD and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Germany found its prevalence estimated to be approximately 35% of veterinary cases associated with the disorder.

Osteoarthritis is one of the main contributors of musculoskeletal pain and disabilities that commonly affect German shepherds. Mechanical stress, oxidative damage and inflammatory mediators combine to induce the gradual degeneration of the articular cartilage in the joint, resulting in reduced muscle mass, pain, and locomotion.

Vitamins such as A and D also have crucial roles in bone development and maintenance by regulating bone and calcium metabolism. Adequate levels should be incorporated into a German shepherd diet to promote a healthy musculoskeletal system.