Protective, loyal, adorable and charismatic, German Shepherds are one of the most adorable large-breed dogs. Like labradors, they are very smart and complement our lives perfectly with their charisma.
The average lifespan of a German shepherd is 9-13 years which matches the timeline of many other dogs. When you bring home a GSD, one of your concerns is to always keep the dog healthy to help increase his lifespan. Here are a few tips for just that.
Give Them the Right Food
Giving your dog quality German shepherd dog food can help them stay lean and healthy and even extend his lifespan by around 18-24 months. Ensure to choose nutritionally complete dog food suited to his large size. Usually, a healthy diet for a GSD includes 18-22% protein in high-quality, low-carb dog food.
Also, see whether the chosen dog food has the following essential ingredients without any artificial flavours, colours or preservatives:
- Colostrum: It is loaded with natural antibodies which can help improve his immune system and reduce his chances of falling sick. The nutrient can also balance intestinal microflora to keep away common intestinal problems.
- DHA: It is an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil that helps boost vision and brain development.
- Minerals and natural glucosamine: They help in the healthy development of teeth and joints.
- Highly digestible quality ingredients: They allow better nutrient absorption.
- Antioxidants: They help increase immunity power to fight diseases.
To provide suitable food portions according to the growing age of your pup, you can follow a GSD/labrador puppy food chart. This will help you to avoid overfeeding your dog.
Allow Them To Exercise
Besides following a puppy food chart for labradors or GSDs, ensure to keep your furry friend active to prolong his life. Engage him in at least 2 hours of exercise daily to keep him fit. This breed often develops hind leg frailty as their age increases. So, encouraging them to do physical activities can help them maintain strong legs and prevent muscle atrophy.
Here are some fun activities to engage your pet:
- Playing fetch with a frisbee, ball or toy
- Creating a personalised obstacle course
- Taking him regularly on a walk or hike
These activities will help his mind to keep functioning well and boost his overall health.
Neuter or Spay at the Right Age
This is important in addition to feeding your pet nutritious German shepherd dog food and keeping him active. Neutering or spaying reduces the chances of reproductive problems, testicular cancer and prostate cancer. The life expectancy of spayed female dogs often increases by 26.3% while that of neutered male dogs goes up by 13.8%.
Female dogs are spayed before 5 months. Male ones are neutered in 12-15 months after they have grown up enough. Avoid choosing prior timelines since that might negatively affect their skeletal development.
Some conditions that adversely impact the lifespan of GSDs are blood clotting, multi-skeletal disorders, heart disease, dental disease, bloat, obesity and ear infections. In these cases, consider taking your dog to the vet right away.