Calculating on average how many Chihuahuas live, scientists have come to the conclusion that the breed belongs to the long-livers of the canine world. These dogs are naturally healthy, they almost never have a bad heredity. Of course, care and conditions also affect life expectancy.
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Factors That Affect Life Span
From birth, Chihuahuas have virtually no health problems. This does not exclude risk factors that can significantly shorten a dog's life span.
What should the owner pay attention to:
- Heredity. When choosing a puppy, you always need to consider the health of parents. It is advisable to talk with the breeder, see the pedigree of the dog. Check the parents' medical documents, find out if the puppies are vaccinated.
- Food. High-quality feed is the second most important factor affecting life expectancy. The owner must understand that eating super-premium can not be cheap. Only by getting a balanced diet can a dog have a chance of a long life.
- Injuries. Blows to the head are very dangerous and can lead to both immediate fatal outcome and the development of severe pathologies, such as hydrocephalus. The dog should not bang its head, fall from a height. And brittle bones of limbs can break even when jumping from a sofa or chair.
- Parasites. Hazards are represented by helminths, fleas and ticks. Even if the pet does not walk outside, there is a risk of infection. Parasites can be a source of a dangerous infection or cause allergies.
- Pregnancy and childbirth. Problems can occur during pregnancy and during childbirth at home.The process should be monitored by a veterinarian; if the fetus is very large, a cesarean section will be needed.
- Weight and height of the pet. When the house has small children, it is better to buy a dog of a standard size - from 1.5 to 3 kg. She will require less care than a miniature representative of the breed.
Taking into account these factors, and preventing the described problems, it is possible to significantly extend the age of a pet and prevent its premature death.
How old do Chihuahuas live
Dogs of this breed live from 15 to 20 years. The exception is the mini chihuahua, who have health problems and often have various diseases. Tiny dogs weighing less than 1.5 kg have problems with the reproduction of offspring, they eat poorly, they freeze all the time, they require special attention.
You can predict the approximate life expectancy of a pet, knowing how much his parents lived, and what kind of food he eats. If the dog is fed “snacks” from the table, she will not be able to live 10 years.
How to extend the life of your pet
How many years Chihuahua dogs live depends on their owners. There is nothing more important than a loving attitude and respect for a small pet.
It is necessary to create good living conditions for the four-legged friend, and ensure proper care:
- A place. For relaxation and solitude, there should be your own lounger or house in a convenient and quiet corner of the house, where there are no drafts.
- Oral hygiene. There may be problems with the teeth. Often there is tartar that needs to be cleaned, otherwise the dog will lose teeth in 2 years.
- The quality of food. Feed should be selected super-premium class, appropriate to the age of the pet.
- Diet. Do not overfeed, exclude their canine diet prohibited and unwanted foods.
- Medical service. In time to do all the right vaccinations, carry out treatments for worms and fleas. Veterinary checkups once a year.
- Homely atmosphere. It is necessary to try to avoid stress, not to leave the dog for a long time alone, she will be bored and eat poorly.
- Security. You need to walk your pet on a harness to protect it from dangerous situations. Avoid personal injury.
In a word, in order to prolong the dog’s life, it is necessary to provide for all possible problems of its maintenance, and try to minimize them.
The oldest dog in the world
The oldest chihuahua in the world was called megabytes. He lived for almost 21 years, and died in 2014. This is an officially registered record.
But there is a lot of officially unverified evidence that the life expectancy of dogs of the Chihuahua breed reached 22 years.
Comparison of Chihuahua's Age with Human Age
It is very interesting to compare dog age with human age. Chihuahuas, unlike large breeds, quickly mature. At 1 year old, this is a fully formed animal. The puppy is actively growing until about 7-8 months.
Dog handlers compared the age of a person and a dog of the Chihuahua breed, and here's what they got:
- by the end of 1 year of life, the dog corresponds to a 15-year-old;
- by the end of 2 years of life - a 21-year-old boy (girl);
- by the end of 3 years of life - a 25-year-old young man.
Subsequently, for each canine year there are 4 human. That is, 12 years for a dog is a "retirement" age, by human standards she is 61 years old, and at 20 she can be considered a 93-year-old old-timer.
