How Long Do Pitbulls Live?

Despite the hanging stigma, Pitbulls can make a great family pet. If you are planning to add a new member to your family, then you might be wondering- how long do Pitbulls live? Read this post to find out.

Sadly, there is no dog breed that can live for as long as we would wish for. However, it is always nice to know the life expectancy of a pet and ways to extend its lifespan.

In this article, we will discuss everything about pitbull, their life expectancy, and ways by which you make them live longer and healthier. 

Pit Bull Lifespan

On average, Pitbulls live for 12 to 14 years. Your dog, at times, may also live for 20 years or die tragically with or without any serious health conditions. Nevertheless, you can expect to spend around 12 years with your furry member. 

Factors Influencing How Long Pit Bulls Live

There are plenty of factors that can influence how long Pitbulls live. Some of the things are responsible for shortening the life of your four-legged friend. 

• Obesity can cause many serious health problems in a dog, similar to people
• Hip dysplasia affects the dog’s mobility and also the quality of life
• Poor diet has a major negative impact on the health of pitbull
• Heart disease can decrease a Pit Bull’s life span dramatically

Read More- Can Dogs Have Down Syndrome?

How To Make Your Pitbull Live Longer?

While you can’t undo a serious health issue like heart disease, there are few things that you can do to give your pitbull a long healthy life.

Keep Your Pit Bull a Healthy Weight

Most of the pet dogs fall under the obese or overweight category. Obesity in dogs can cause many serious health issues like:

• High blood pressure
• Reduced quality of life
• Kidney disease
• Some types of cancer
• Arthritis
• Shorter lifespan

How to tell if your pitbull falls into the overweight category? 

A full-size adult American Pit Bull Terrier is 17-21 inches tall and can weigh around 30-50 pounds (female) and 35-60 pounds (male).(Source)

When your dog is standing, you should be able to waistline when looking from the sides and also feel their ribs. Like humans, the main way to keep your pitbull healthy is by feeding them a healthy diet and a lot of exercises. Avoid giving a lot of treats to your dogs to lower the calorie count. 

You can feed your pitbull healthy foods like vegetables and fruits instead of packed treats. If you think your pitbull is obese, consult the vet and find a safe way for your dog to lose weight. 

Choose the Right Pit Bull Breeder 

Pitbulls are genetically prone to several health conditions, like heart diseases, hip dysplasia, allergies, and thyroid problems. When buying a dog, be careful in choosing the breeder. Reputable breeders work hard to lower the chances of any genetic conditions in the dog and do tests to ensure proper health before breeding.

Puppy mills, backyard breeders, and pet stores are intended to make more money and not produce healthy puppies. Building a pitbull from a disreputable breeder will more likely have genetic diseases. They are also more prone to suffer from infections like parvo, which is extremely deadly.

Get Regular Vet Care

Many dog conditions are easier to treat if spotted in the early stages. Take your pitbull to regular vet visits at least once every year. When your pitbull is young, take them twice in a year so that any health issues can be spotted early and treated before it gets serious.

Plenty of Exercise and Training

Pitbulls are an active dog breed and require at least 4 hours of exercise daily. When not given enough training, Pitbulls tend to get bored and destructive. Bored pitbull will start swallowing and chewing things that are not good for them. This can lead to intestinal obstructions and can become deadly if not performed the surgery. 

Pitbulls are more likely to attack people or dogs as compared to any other dog breed, and they can also cause massive damage in one bite. The best possible way to keep your pitbull calm is by giving them enough daily workouts, training, and lots of socializing from a young age.

You need to become firm and assertive without making your pitbull feel dominated. Positive reinforcement is the best training style than punishing or is dominant over your pitbull. 

Read More- Healthy Human Foods You Should Be Feeding Your Dog

Feed High-Quality Food

People who eat junk food have shorter life spans than people with healthy diets. This holds true in the case of dogs as well. Do you know what does your dog’s food includes? 

Cheap dogs are mostly made of filler ingredients with no nutritional value, like meat by-products and corn. You must look for food that contains real meat as the first ingredient without any added corn or by-products. 

Brush Their Teeth

Most people do not even care about brushing their dog’s teeth. Did you know a dog’s dental health can have a huge impact on their overall health? You do not brush your pitbull’s teeth; bacteria growth can increase under the gum line and enter the bloodstream. This can have a huge impact on the internal organs of a dog.

If possible, brush your dog’s teeth every day using a soft-bristle toothbrush and toothpaste available at pet stores. If your dog doesn’t like to brush teeth, you can buy chew bones for them.

Chewing the bones removes plaque and tartar from teeth and eventually stimulates the gums close to brushing the teeth. 

Read More- General Digestive Issue in Every Dog

How do I make sure my PitBulls Live Long & Healthy?

As a beloved family members, we would want our Pitbulls to stay healthy and happy overall. When it comes to us, we believe preventative care is better than treatment; the same is true in the case of dogs.

Routine veterinary exams, blood work, screenings, and vaccination is essential to minimize any chances of health issues in Pitbulls. Pitbull breeds need several vaccinations in the first six months, and then they should get routine health checkups done at least once a year. 

Pit Bulls are susceptible to various health issues like allergies, thyroid problems, ligaments, cataracts, hip dysplasia, and many others. Allergies known as Atopy are quite common. 

Unlike humans who can sneeze and have watery eyes when allergic, dogs often get itchy skin, frequent ear infections, excessive rubbing on the face, or excessive paw lickings are all signs of dog allergies. There are many different ways to treat allergies, so as soon as you suspect the symptoms, visit the veterinarian to get treatment started. 

Pit Bull Veterinary Costs

If taken proper preventative care, many health problems can be eased, treated, and even entirely avoided. Sadly, vet care is becoming highly expensive, which makes it difficult for pet parents to take care of their beloved pet regularly.

If your pitbull is suffering from a health issue, it may cost you thousands of dollars to get them treated. For instance, all types of Pitbull breeds are prone to develop cataracts, and typical cataract surgery may cost somewhere around $2,700 to $4,000. 

According to a survey, only 1 out of 9 pet parents could afford to pay this big amount for Veterinary expenses, which leaves them to take a step back in treatment of the dog. This is where pet insurance comes into play.

Pet Insurance can reimburse upto 90% of your veterinary expense and will give you peace of mind even in the worst condition. Like us humans, our dogs live longer, and long lives require constant veterinary care. Pet Insurance will act as a safety net in case your Pitbulls require medical care without having you worry about the cost.

Final Words:

While nobody can guarantee a long, happy, and healthy life to your Pitbull breeds, these tips can definitely increase the chances of long life and help in improving the years they spend with you.

With lots of love and little luck, your pitbull may beat all the odds and live an average life span of 12 years. We hope now you know everything about how long do Pitbulls live. How old is your Pitbull? Share your answers in the comments below.