How Long Do Chihuahuas Live?  Chihuahua Life Expectancy

Everyone indeed wants a partner in their life that stays with them for a lifetime. They love them and share all the happy and sad moments with them. If I say then no one can stay with you always or forever rather than a dog. If you want a dog in your life then you can adopt a Chihuahua dog. The Chihuahua is a small breed animal. It is lovely and good for you. But you have to take care of them about his health issues. And in this article, we are going to know about some of the facts that are related to the Chihuahua lifespan. So, before adopting a Chihuahua or if you already adopted a Chihuahua then you should know the facts that affect their lifespan. For knowing about the lifespan of Chihuahua continue reading this article and get information about the facts of the Chihuahua lifespan and what are the factors of the lifespan of Chihuahua. 

About Lifespan of Chihuahua

The lifespan of Chihuahua depends on the number of different factors with any kind of breed. From those factors some of the factors are controllable and some factors are out of control for the owners of the Chihuahua. And this is important for the owners of Chihuahua that they know all the factors that are related to the Chihuahua breed, so they can give their dog a long and safe life. 

Even no defined and fool-proof shows that for how much time the Chihuahua can live but according to the current data it seems that Chihuahua Lifespan will be 15 to 20 years if their owner gives them proper love and care.

According to a report data, a small breed dog like Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier can live more than the medium to large breeds such as Mastiff and Labrador retriever. These medium-to-large breed animals can live up to 10 to 13 years that is the average lifespan for them.

Now the question arises that the Chihuahua can live between 15 to 20 years? It is not necessary, but this is the best thing to follow the rule of thumb.

Factors of the lifespan of the Chihuahua:

Some of the factors that give impact the lifespan of Chihuahua, and these are defined below:

  1. Weight of a Chihuahua: Weight is also impacted by Chihuahua’s lifespan. The Chihuahua is fatty, they are suffering from medical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and because of these health issues, their lifespan will be less. On the other hand, those Chihuahua are underweight they also experience malnutrition and a weakened immune system that will also the cause of their short lifespan. 
  2. Chihuahua’s Healthcare: There is no doubt in the talk that health care is most important in the life of Chihuahua. If you take them to the daily routine doctors for their health check-up, and find out the solution for the diseases that affect their lifespan, can give them a good and healthy life. Even most of the veterinarians suggest adopting a Chihuahua who is between the age of 7 to 10 years, for a wellness check once a year. And if you are the owner of a Chihuahua whose age is more than 10 years then you should take them for a checkup twice a year. 
  3. Vaccination: Chihuahua needs vaccination on time so they can stay safe from different kind of diseases that causes the death or short lifespan such as rabies, distemper, canine influenza, parvovirus, Bordetella bronchiseptic and Leptospirosis. That’s why they need vaccination and follow-up health booster for a long and healthy lifespan. 
  4. Oral care or dental care: Same as all the small breeds the Chihuahua also suffer from an oral disease that includes, tooth decay, gum diseases, and tooth loss. According to the study, from 10 Chihuahua up to 9 Chihuahua suffers from oral problems. And if you don’t care about your Chihuahua then it will affect their lifespan. And because of dental issues, the bacteria enter the bloodstream from the bleeding gums and affects directly to the hearts and kidneys. 
  5. Good Diet: Diet is the biggest factor in the lifespan of the Chihuahua. The owner of the Chihuahua has to give a proper feed to their furry and four-legged friend, which is a well-balanced premium food that is without fillers, preservatives, and artificial flavors. And never feed your dog the food that is leftover in dinner scraps, because it will cause many health-related issues to Chihuahua such as obesity, toxicosis, indigestions, and other issues and all these affect its lifespan.
  6. Spraying/ Neutering: There is an interesting thing about the Chihuahua. And that is the Chihuahua who is spayed or neutered, can live longer than the Chihuahua who does not or are not fixed. Before the age of one year, the male Chihuahua neutering will decrease the chances of prostate cancer and also lessen the risk of developing testicular. And fixing the female Chihuahuas before their first cycle of heat will help to reduce the risk of developing uterine and ovarian cancers. Not these things, but there are some good health facts about Chihuahuas that are associated with spaying and neutering, that includes reduces the risk of running away, lowered the aggression level, and some fewer pups are ending up in the pond. 
  7. Gender of Chihuahua: According to a study it seems that the female breed of Chihuahua is longer than the male breed. Even this is not clear that what is the cause behind this fact? But the female Chihuahua lives 1 to 2 years more than the male Chihuahua. And it is also suggested to people make the female Chihuahua pet. 
  8. Role of Activity Levels: If you want your Chihuahua to live a long life then you should take care of them, so they can live a happy and healthy life. Even he or she is playing fetch, tug-of-war, or going for a walk, or play with your neighbor, it is important for your Chihuahua that he or she plays, and also you have to give plenty of time for the daily yoga to your Chihuahua. By doing all these, their obesity or extra fat will burn and their muscles will build-up, which makes strong their immune system and ward off illness. And all these factors become the cause of their long lifespan. 
  9. Genetics Role: Genetics plays a different role in Chihuahua’s lifespan. The genes are more important for the Chihuahua, if you are going to adopt a Chihuahua pup then you should have to check for their parents, because if their parents are happy, playful, energetic, and healthy then the pup will also be good in the future. That’s why as an owner you have to pay more attention at the time of adopting a Chihuahua pup.

As you see all the above-described factors on what are the facts that play a vital role in the lifespan of Chihuahua. And also these are the important things to the owner of the Chihuahua that they have to take care of their Chi, so their Chi will live a long, happy, and healthy life. That will increase the years of the lifespan of the Chihuahua. 

Know about Chihuahua Diseases

There are many diseases for Chihuahua which lead him to death. So, it is good for its masters or owners to know about such diseases. Chihuahua vets described such diseases into 3 categories. Three categories of Chihuahua diseases are cardiovascular, infection, and Trauma. Because of these three diseases, Chihuahua can lead to death. You know all factors for increasing and saving the life of Chihuahua but you should also concern about the diseases of Chihuahua so that you can take care of him. One of the important things to keep in mind is that do not ignore even a simple disease that Chihuahua has. 

Cardiovascular Disease – Vets said that more than 18 % of Chihuahuas are died because of cardiovascular disease. This disease is common in dogs that are more than 14 years old. As heart only functions for a specific number of years. After a specific age of the dog, the heart starts to succumb and become to fail after some time. 

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This heart related disease is categorized into 3 different categories which are:

  • Heart Failure – It happens because the heart is not able to pump out the blood in a regular way. Due to less pumping of blood, oxygen does not reach the necessary organ in a dog’s body. 
  • Arrhythmia – it is an abnormal rhythm of the dog’s heartbeat which severe and becomes a life-threatening disease as there is a problem in the heart functioning. 
  • Heart Valve Problems – heart valves moves into the heart chamber and does not flow the blood to the other organs into a dog’s body. 

Trauma – it is shocking that approx 17 % of the Chihuahua breed of dog died because of Trauma. It is a huge number of death cases because of Trauma and all dog owners of this breed should be taking care of their dogs. Some major causes of Trauma include hit by a car, falling from heights or dropped, and accidentally stepped out on the road. 

By reading all causes of Trauma, the death of Chihuahuas are preventive. This is the 2nd largest cause of death and cannot be ignored. Chihuahua breed is the 7th breed that dies because of sudden accidents. 

Infection – Truly and sadly, but up to 10% of adult Chihuahua are dying because of fatal infection. And these infections are varied and these included:

Sepsis: This is the infection that refers to the septic shock and it spreads the infection in the whole body. If the treatment doesn’t start on time then it directly affects the kidneys and causes kidney failure, liver failure, or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Even if any Chihuahua gets treatment on time then only 40% of Chihuahua dogs can survive. 

Not only these but several causes of sepsis include prostatic infection, a bacterial infection of the heart, and pneumonia. However, the owner of the Chihuahua, or have this breed animal, can check for the health check-up of the dog because it spreads from the tooth decay that is linked to this and which is not treated well, can spread it in the whole body of the dog and causes death. 

Distemper: As with the parvo, there is a vaccine for the distemper of Chihuahua. Distemper is a high affected or dangerous infection that affects the respiratory system, or the gastrointestinal tract. And it starts with the cough and weakness. And as it grows in the dog, it causes diarrhea. Not only this but later if direct attacks on the central nervous system of the dog that includes the spinal cord and the brain. Even a dog maybe suffers from paralysis or seizures before his death. 

Parvovirus: Even there is a vaccine for this virus, but many of the unvaccinated dogs are the victim of the disease. The dangerous thing about this infection is that it directly affects the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system that causes vomiting and diarrhea. It spread with the direct contact of the infected dog or via the feces of an infected dog. 

Leptospirosis: There are lots of types of leptospirosis and not all dogs can catch it or die from it. But this affects the liver and causes fatal liver and damages the kidneys. Mostly the fatal strains are spread because of the urine of the wild animals that includes rats, skunks, and raccoons. And dogs can catch this when they drink from contaminated water, and also it can spread from sniffing infected urine puddles. 

All the above-mentioned diseases can be the cause of the death of the Chihuahua breed and that’s why the owner of the Chihuahua can take care of their dog. And always go for the routine check-up of the Chihuahua, so their lifespan will be longer and they spend more time with them.

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