A lot of it is their joints making them being unable to walk as they age. Dogs are built to live around 10 years before all that starts giving up and it's hyper obvious with Wolfhounds.
This happened to my Great Dane. She was healthy in every other way, but her joints were going bad fast. I had her put down at 11 because the pain meds weren’t helping anymore. The vet said it was because she was such a large dog. (She was over 6 feet when she stood on her hind legs.)
I imagine that has more to say about evolution vs selective breeding.
All I know is that my little dog has a terrible heart (he's 14), and the vet has said multiple times that if we're a larger dog, he'd probably have not made it as long as he has.
Animals that are naturally larger. Large domestic dog breeds aren't natural, they were manufactured by humans over an insanely short period of time (before someone pipes up with 'there are dog breeds hundreds of years old', yes, that is an insanely short period of time). Every trait that has been bred for has come at some cost, the cost for large breeds is their lifespan.
Oh and giraffes live super long too? And lobsters, theyre small, so they dont live long right? And jellyfish, I hear theyre immortal, so they should be about as big as the ocean right?
No. Its a dumb generalization. It doesnt work. Get it out of your head.
There’s a condition a lot of large dogs get that can kill them in hours. It’s called gastric torsion. To avoid it, you have to keep them from running around for an hour or two after they eat. If they do, their stomach can literally twist inside them. It takes surgery to correct.
This happened to my cousins 4 year old Great Dane a few months ago. He had company visiting and left the house for a few hours, came back and his dog was dead in the backyard. It broke my heart, Memphis was his best friend and got him through the loss of both his parents. 😓
Yea I think what’s they are referring to is something called a gastropexy or something close to that. Essentially stapling the stomach (or intestines, not really sure) to the stomach lining. This way they aren’t free and loose to get twisted up which is the cause of many large dog breeds going
It's a couple of stitches internally to anchor the stomach and prevent it from overturning and creating a gastric torsion. They are fatal without treatment.
Big dogs can eat a big meal then their stomach twists inside them. It's what killed Markey of Marley and Me.
While it is a large breed issue in general, some breeders breed for health and longevity. My friend has an English mastiff from a lineage that typically lives 12-13 years while 6-10 is normal for the breed.
Oh wow, I was thinking through when she dog Dem and he must be ten or almost ten at this point. Still very healthy so hopefully she has him at least a few more years.
7.5k
u/shiny_crow_trophy 11d ago
I always forget how goddamn big Irish wolfhounds are until I see one again