All owners have the same desire to have their precious dog, a member of the family, live longer. However, there are differences in life expectancy depending on the breed of dog. This time, we picked up Shiba Inu and summarized the average life expectancy, illnesses that are likely to occur, and how to raise them in a healthy manner.
Life expectancy of Shiba Inu
Generally speaking, the life span of small and medium-sized dogs like Shiba Inu is between ten and twelve years. If the owner is well fed and cared for, it will not be a problem to live to seventeen years. In short, Shiba Inu’s life span is between large dogs and small dogs.
Since the average life expectancy of all breeds in this survey is 13.4 years, it can be said that Shiba Inu has a longer life expectancy. Even more surprising, there are long-lived Shiba Inu that live up to 20 years and older.
Factors affecting Shiba Inu’s lifespan
We can divide the factors that affect Shiba Inu’s lifespan into two categories, one is innate factors, and the other is acquired factors. For innate factors, we have to choose a Shiba Inu with only good genes, and a double-bred Shiba Inu is a good choice. The acquired factor is closely related to the owner’s feeding and nursing. Only innate and acquired with both hands can the Shiba Inu’s lifespan become longer.
How to extend Shiba Inu’s lifespan
When it comes to extending the lifespan of Shiba Inu, the most necessary thing is to have a high-quality two-blood Shiba Inu. There is also the key to rear feeding and nursing. One is to maintain a balanced Shiba Inu’s nutrition. In addition to feeding the essential dog food, it is also necessary to properly feed some meat, vegetables and fruits, which contain fat, protein and vitamin foods.
The second is to develop regular, fixed, and quantitative feeding habits, which can promote Shiba Inu’s digestion and benefit health. The third is to conduct regular inspections to better understand the physical condition of the Shiba Inu, usually twice a year, and you need to go to a professional and regular place.
Diseases that Shiba Inu is susceptible to
The following are some of the diseases that Shiba Inu is susceptible to.
Atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is a common disease in Shiba Inu. It is often caused by constitution, and it is said that it often develops between the ages of 6 months and 3 years.
There are various causes of atopic dermatitis, such as mites and fleas, external factors such as pollen and house dust, skin barrier function and mental factors, but most of them are intertwined with several factors.
The main symptoms are itching, hair loss, rash, and reddish black skin. Symptoms are likely to occur around the eyes and ears, abdomen and inner thighs, and when it develops, itching causes the area to be scratched or licked many times. If you scratch it, it will get worse and worse, so be sure to treat it early.
Patellar dislocation
Patellar dislocation is a disease in which the bones of the plate of the knee, so to speak, are displaced from their original positions, called the patella, for some reason. There are cases where it develops due to congenital factors and cases where it develops due to impact when landing from a high place.
Be careful if you are walking with one leg raised to skip. As the symptoms progress, your legs may bend, so see a veterinarian immediately.
How to raise a healthy Shiba Inu
What should be considered in order to protect and raise the health of Shiba Inu?
Keep your hair and skin clean
Try to keep your hair and skin clean. By doing so, you can prevent skin diseases that are said to be susceptible to Shiba Inu.
Shiba Inu’s coat is a double coat (double structure) consisting of a hard, straight upper hair that protects the skin from external stimuli and a soft lower hair that keeps warm and moisturizes. The lower hair grows in spring and autumn, and a surprising amount of hair loss occurs at this time.
Therefore, during the moult period, use a slicker brush to remove hair loss every day. If the hair is left as it is, the air permeability of the hair will be reduced, and it will be easy to cause skin diseases.
It’s also a good idea to shampoo once a month. Since the coat is dense, dirt easily collects, and sebum also collects dirt, so shampooing once a month will keep your skin clean.
Beware of obesity
Obesity causes visceral diseases and joint problems such as patellar dislocation. Manage your weight and be careful not to become obese.
The average weight of a Shiba Inu is 9-11 kg for males and 7-9 kg for females. However, there are individual differences depending on the skeleton, so it is best to use it as a guide only. The ideal body shape is as follows.
・ There is a constriction in the waist when the dog is viewed from directly above.
・ Abdominal lift can be seen from the side
・ Although the ribs cannot be seen, they can be confirmed by touching the body.
Because it’s cute, it makes you want to give it a treat, but it’s best to keep it as a reward for special occasions and discipline.
Also, be sure to give your regular meals based on the recommended amount indicated on the food package.
Let’s manage our health and let the Shiba Inu live longer
Shiba Inu has the longest life expectancy of all breeds. In order to have a long life, it is important to understand the illnesses that are likely to occur and try to prevent them.
Shiba Inu is a breed that is prone to skin diseases, so please check the condition of your hair and skin on a regular basis and take care of it. Obesity can also cause illness and joint problems, so be sure to manage your weight and take care of yourself so that you can stay healthy forever.
Five Tips for Longevity of Shiba Inu
With the gradual improvement of animal protection awareness, the impact on tens of thousands of Shiba Inu families in China is quite far-reaching. More and more owners have redefined Shiba Inu, and no longer simply raise them as Shiba Inu, more They are raised as family members.
We who have Shiba Inu all hope that the Mao children can stay with us longer and longer. But there are still many owners who raise fur children with wrong ideas, such as adopting a stocking system, feeding leftovers, allowing Shiba Inu to go shopping on the road, and condoning Shiba Inu’s overeating.
The above behavior will not only ruin the health of the fur child, but may also endanger his life. In order to prevent yourself from becoming the murderer who pushes the fur boy into danger, the following five key points, please note and implement the master!
(1) Provide a high-quality diet
Clean drinking water and high-quality food help Shiba Inu have healthy skin and bright eyes.
And good eating habits can also strengthen the Shiba Inu’s immune system, intestinal health, improve mental acuity, and maintain joint and muscle health.
(2) Maintain ideal weight
Being overweight or obese in Shiba Inu is a health risk and the cause of many diseases (such as joint disease, heart disease, diabetes, etc.). And foreign studies have found that the life span of an overweight Shiba Inu is two years shorter than that of a normal-weight Shiba Inu.
The way to maintain the ideal posture of the Shiba Inu is actually similar to that of humans. Good eating habits (feeding regularly and quantitatively, not feeding human food, not enough snacks) and regular exercise habits are the most basic health rules!
(3) Regular veterinary care
All Shiba Inu require regular veterinary care. By allowing Shiba Inu to undergo regular health checks, some health problems that we cannot predict from the appearance can be found early.
In many cases, early detection and treatment of the disease is beneficial to increase the successful cure rate.
(4) Maintain oral health
Oral disease not only brings pain to Shiba Inu, affects eating, but may even cause heart disease or kidney disease.
The easiest way to help Shiba Inu to maintain oral health is to brush your teeth! If your Shiba Inu cannot accept brushing, there are other ways to choose from, such as toothpaste, tooth-cleaning snacks or toys, regular visits to beauty salons or beasts. Dental cleaning in the hospital.
(5) Shiba Inu is forbidden to roam alone in the street
On the premise that no one is watching the Shiba Inu, letting Shiba Inu roam alone or adopting a stocking system is tantamount to putting the Shiba Inu at risk, including car accidents, deliberate injury by a deliberate person, infected diseases, accidental ingestion of toxic substances, and finding Can’t wait for the way home.
Updated on: August 31, 2021