We all want to keep our pets with us as long as possible, which is why we need to give them a certain level of care. Most dogs, depending on size, can live ten to fifteen years if they are in good shape mentally and physically. Here are some things that you can do to extend — and improve the quality of — your dog’s life.

5 Tips

Maintain Your Dog’s Teeth

Tooth decay is a very common, yet dangerous health problem for dogs. This is because tooth decay not only creates dental problems, but it can cause infections throughout the body, especially in the heart and kidneys.

Most dogs are not going to have picture-perfect teeth or fresh breath like a person, but their teeth and gums should be reasonably clean. You can buy a special kit to brush a dog’s teeth which include a small brush and toothpaste. The best brush to use is double-headed with the brushes at a 45-degree angle to clean below the gumline.

Brush their teeth at least a couple of times every week to keep them clean, but never use human toothpaste, because it can be harmful to dogs. If your dog has a significant buildup of plaque, then you should visit a veterinarian to have it removed.

Keep Your Dog at a Healthy Weight

Unfortunately, the obesity crisis has affected animals as well as people. Dogs can become overweight if they eat a lot of fatty human foods, or even if they eat too much pet food and don’t get enough exercise.

One way to extend your pet’s life is to make an effort to keep them at a healthy weight at all times. Keep track of how much you feed your dog on a daily basis and keep them on a consistent schedule. Some fresh vegetables are okay for your dog to eat occasionally, or you can purchase organic pet food.

Give Your Dog Regular Exercise

Dogs need exercise in the same way that people do. Ideally, your dog should get at least an hour of exercise every day to improve their health and regulate their weight. The exercise does not need to be organized into a routine, but they should go outside and run or explore for a while, in addition to the several regular walks you take them on every day, of course.

You can also have your dogs play with other dogs during exercise time. Dogs tend to enjoy this, it helps them maintain a healthy weight. It can also keep them emotionally healthy as well.

Get Regular Checkups and Vaccinations

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Regular checkups with your veterinarian can help detect diseases and health problems early on, while they can still be treated. The same goes for vaccinations, which can save lives. Experts recommend that dogs should visit the veterinarian at least once a year when they are fully grown and two to four times per year while they are puppies.

Give Your Dog Time to Relax

Everyone needs time to relax, including your dog. Stress can have a negative effect on dogs if they are in a state of constant anxiety. There should be some type of balance where your dog can get some exercise, but also have time to be independent from the family and get some rest.

It takes a lot of energy to run around with the family and keep up with the excitement, so they need some time to sleep on their own. Allow your dog to rest for at least an hour every day and do not force them to do activities if they are not interested.

The key to long life in dogs is to provide them with a healthy lifestyle, which includes maintaining a healthy weight, daily exercise, relaxation, and regular checkups. Think of your pet’s well-being in the same way that you would think of a family member’s. Dogs can tell the difference in the things that you do for them and they truly appreciate all of your care and support.

The post Things You Can Do To Extend Your Dog’s Life appeared first on Cesar's Way.

By Jon Bastian

Ask most people how to determine a dog’s age in human years, and they’ll probably say, “Multiply by seven.” However, this method is inaccurate, and more so the older a dog gets. For a twelve year-old dog, the result could be off by over twenty years. Multiplying by seven only comes close while a dog is four and a half years old.

Dog’s Age Faster Than Humans

Dogs mature faster than humans, reaching the equivalent of twenty-one years in only two, but then aging slows to an average of four human years every year after. Dogs under thirty pounds live longest, often well into their teens; dogs over a hundred pounds have the shortest lifespans, being considered not just old but geriatric by six or seven.

So, next time someone asks you a dog’s age in human years, you’ll know how to give a more accurate answer. Subtract two from the age, multiply that by four and add twenty-one. After all, a forty-five year-old wouldn’t appreciate their spouse telling everyone that they’re fifty-six. You shouldn’t do the same to your eight year-old pooch.

So, now that you know better. How old is your dog in human years? Share in the comments.

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Whelping, which is what the canine birth process is called, is something that should only be handled by people with prior experience, but if you ever do find yourself having to oversee the delivery of a litter of pups, here’s what you need to know to assist.

The two most important things to remember before we go into detail, though, are these:

• The mother dog knows what to do by instinct, so she should do most of the work.
• More than at any other time, you need to heed Cesar’s advice to remain absolutely calm.

Whelping can be a stressful process for both the humans and animals involved, although dogs are usually perfectly capable of getting themselves through these things alone. Still, it’s a good idea to understand the process in case you ever do wind up overseeing canine birth.

With that in mind, here are some things that every expecting Pack Leader should know about puppy births.

The Signs of Dog Labor

Know what to look for when the time is near. After the 64 (or so) days of gestation are up, start watching for some of the following signs in your momma dog:

• She becomes restless.
• She stops eating up to 24 hours before labor.
• She may paw at her bedding, as if preparing a nest.
• She starts licking her vulva.
• She may vomit or discharge mucus.

Some vets see a drop in body temperature as a sign of impending labor while others discount it. Vets who use body temperature see a drop from a normal 101 to 102° F (38 to 39°) down to 99° F (37° C) as the indicator that birth will occur within 12 hours, while others do not think the connection is so clear-cut, so the above signs should take precedence over body temperature.

Supplies to Have on Hand

It’s important to have certain supplies on hand in order to help get the newborns and momma pup through this process. These include:

Whelping Box

A whelping box is necessary for all puppy deliveries. It’s essentially a pen where the mom can go and feel comfortable before, during, and after whelping. You can buy pre-made whelping boxes, but if you haven’t planned ahead, you can use a sturdy cardboard box with the front cut down so the mother can go in and out easily. The sides only need to be high enough to prevent any drafts reaching the pups.

A Laundry Basket Lined with a Heating Pad and a Blanket

This is for the new puppies immediately after they are born. You’ll want to get them out of the mom’s way as quickly as you can — but be sure to leave the basket where the mother can see it and the pups.

Monitor the temperature by listening. If the pups get too hot, they’ll cry, and if they get too cold, they’ll whimper.

A Stack of Clean Towels

These are to clean off the puppies if necessary.

Emergency Supplies

Sterile scissors, rubber gloves, antiseptic solution, and heavy thread or dental floss in case you need to tie umbilical cords. These items are must-haves for a few “just in case” scenarios.

Additionally, make sure you have phone numbers on hand for your regular vet as well as for an after-hours animal emergency hospital — most whelping occurs in the predawn hours.

Ready for Delivery

When you see a grayish sac drop from the vulva, this means that there’s a puppy on the way! The mother should pass the first puppy within an hour of the sac appearing. If she doesn’t, it’s time to call the vet to discuss whether to bring her in. You should also check in with the vet by phone through the entire whelping process to report its progress, generally about every fifteen minutes.

When the Mother Needs Help

Here are a few things that you might have to do following each puppy’s birth if the mother doesn’t do them herself.

Remove the Membrane

Puppies are born in a thin membrane that looks like plastic wrap, which needs to be removed within six minutes so the pup doesn’t suffocate. Normally, the mother will do this immediately. If she doesn’t, then you’ll have to break the membrane yourself.

Rub the Puppy with a Towel

Right after the membrane comes off, the mother dog will normally lick the puppy, which will stimulate it to breathe and cry. If she doesn’t do this, rub the puppy vigorously with a towel until it starts breathing on its own.

Discard the Afterbirth

Within five to fifteen minutes after each birth, a mass of blackish-green tissue called the placenta, or afterbirth, should follow. Once the puppy is born, the placenta is entirely useless. You can discard it.

The mother may try to eat the placenta. If she does, don’t worry. It’s completely natural and won’t cause her any harm, although you should not let her eat more than one or two of them.

It’s also important to keep count of the puppies and placentas, because the afterbirth does not always come out with the puppy. The mother should discharge any unaccounted for placentas after the last puppy is born.

Cut the Umbilical Cord

If the momma pup doesn’t chew through each umbilical cord on her own, you will have to cut the cord. If you do, be sure to use sterilized scissors, cut about an inch from the pup’s belly, and tie the cord off with the thread or dental floss 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the puppy’s body. When cutting, it’s better to crush the cord rather than make a clean cut; this will reduce bleeding. After you’ve tied it off, dip the end in a shallow dish with either iodine or antiseptic solution.

After Each Birth

Put the Pup in the Basket

A newborn pup will instinctively seek out the mother to begin nursing immediately. To ensure their safety, put them in the laundry basket until whelping is finished. Again, they should be where their mother can see them.

Repeat

Remember, unlike humans, multiple births (and breech births) are the norm in dogs, so the first pup will be followed by others. If you’d like an idea of how many puppies to expect, count your dog’s nipples. Usually, that will be the maximum number in the litter. Ultrasound is actually not accurate at counting the puppies in the womb, although an X-ray at about 55 days after breeding is. Depending on breed, the entire whelping process can last anywhere from two to twenty hours.

If the mother continues to have contractions without giving birth to another puppy for more than two hours, call your veterinarian immediately.

After the Last Birth

Keep Them Warm and Well-fed

Once the last puppy is born and everything seems to be going well for the mother, take her outside to urinate, then bring her and the pups into the whelping box and let them begin nursing. Now the pups need to stay warm and fed. The mother should take care of both, but if she can’t supply enough milk or rejects any or all of the puppies, then it becomes your job.

If the puppies aren’t well-fed, they’ll let you know by complaining, acting restlessly, or sucking at everything. You can feed them yourself with nursing bottles and supplements, available at pet stores.

If any of the puppies are acting lethargic, then it means they’re not warm enough. The puppies’ body temperatures should be right around 97° F (36° C). If their temperature drops below this, it’s time for the heating pad.

They should also show a steady weight gain, and you should weigh each pup often during the first few days. If it’s a large litter or you can’t tell the puppies apart, use a marking system that the mother can’t lick off to distinguish them. For example, you can tie different colored ribbons loosely around each pup’s neck, making sure they stay loose as the dogs grow.

Finally, you must take the mother to the vet with 24 to 48 hours of giving birth. This is to check for any complications or injuries. Your vet will also give your dog a posterior pituitary extract (POP) injection.

Canine whelping, like any live birth, is an amazing thing. But it can be strenuous, both for your dog and you. Hopefully, your dog’s birthing process will be simple and pain-free for every human — and every dog — involved.

Have you helped deliver puppies? Tell us your experience in the comments.

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Dog lovers have no doubt noticed that smaller dogs live longer than large ones, and now there’s a scientific study to back that up, as well as a few hypothesis as to why this is true.

When compared to the lifespan of other mammals, “smaller size, longer life” would at first glance appear to be counter-intuitive, especially to families that have gone through short-lived pet rats (2 years), hamsters (3 years), or gerbils (4 years).

In the non-pet category, chimpanzees live shorter lives than humans — about 45 years vs. 70 years — and elephants have a lifespan comparable to humans. This is nothing, of course, compared to the bowhead whale. Weighing in at up to 65 tons and sixty feet long, current estimates place its maximum lifespan at 200 years.

Following this logic, then, we should expect a Great Dane to live longer than a Chihuahua, but that’s not the case. The former only live, on average, 6 or 8 years, while the latter can live up to 18 years.

As it turns out, while bigger species of mammals live longer than smaller ones, within species it’s reversed. While the following example may be anecdotal, it does indicate that even humans are subject to this rule; Wilt Chamberlain, the professional basketball player, was 7’1” tall and died at 63. Jerry Maren, the 4’3” actor best known as one of the Lollipop kids in the 1939 version of “The Wizard of Oz,” is still alive at 93.

The effect is even more pronounced in dogs, which have a more extreme range of sizes. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest dog, a Great Dane named Zeus, was about as big as Wilt Chamberlain, measuring 7’ 4” feet in length and weighing 155 pounds. The smallest living dog is a Chihuahua named BooBoo, at 4 inches tall and 1.5 pounds.

For comparison, applying that size difference to the shortest verified human, 21 inch tall Chandra Bahadur Dangi, would give us a tallest human at about 31’ 5”. Going in the other direction, with 8’ 11” Robert Wadlow as the tallest human, the same size ratio would make the shortest human just barely under 6 inches tall. Incidentally, Chandra is still alive at 73, while Wadlow was only 22 when he died.

Recently, scientists tried to determine why this is the case. In a study led by Dr. Cornelia Kraus, a research scientist and lecturer at the University of Göttingen in Germany, researchers analyzed data on age of death in over 56,000 dogs from 74 different breeds, and were able to put a number on it. They found that, for every increase of 4.4 pounds of body weight, a dog’s lifespan decreased by 1 month.

The next step will be to determine why larger dogs live shorter lives, but the scientists already have some ideas. At its simplest, larger dogs die younger because they age more quickly. They age more quickly because they grow faster. This can lead to earlier incidence of tumors and other abnormal tissue developments, including cancer. It can also contribute to abnormal development, leading to physical conditions impacting health.

Dr. Kraus’s study, “The size-lifespan trade-off decomposed: Why large dogs die young,” will be published soon in The American Naturist.

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