I had one sheltie live from 1992 to 2010 eating pedigree (a low rated food) with arthritis the last 7 years of her life; hopefully your fur babies will do as well....
Sheltie lifespan
- Thread starter Justicemom
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I had one sheltie live from 1992 to 2010 eating pedigree (a low rated food) with arthritis the last 7 years of her life; hopefully your fur babies will do as well....
I grew up with shelties and all lived to 15. I just assumed that was average! I have been learning that is not the case.
My sheltie is 14. He has liver cancer that was recently diagnosed with an illness. We thought we had no time left when he started to lose his twinkle and his labs were continuing to escalate rapidly. His nausea meds ended and he has rallied and has twinkle and appetite. He isnt senile and arthritis is controlled with meds. He is still wonderful with the three young kids and follows me around.
My mom lost his sister at 12 to acute renal failure but she had very severe thyroid and meds may have damaged things. All other 8 siblings are still alive at 13 to 14. Father lived to be 15 and mother to 16 1/2 And breeder also had two siblings of mother and they lived to 15 as well.
My sheltie is 14. He has liver cancer that was recently diagnosed with an illness. We thought we had no time left when he started to lose his twinkle and his labs were continuing to escalate rapidly. His nausea meds ended and he has rallied and has twinkle and appetite. He isnt senile and arthritis is controlled with meds. He is still wonderful with the three young kids and follows me around.
My mom lost his sister at 12 to acute renal failure but she had very severe thyroid and meds may have damaged things. All other 8 siblings are still alive at 13 to 14. Father lived to be 15 and mother to 16 1/2 And breeder also had two siblings of mother and they lived to 15 as well.
my Star Baby
Forums Novice
My StAR baby is showing her age
My baby is showing her age and she is not even 8 yet. I read a post above that says their first Sheltie was only 8, but was from a pet store. Makes me sad because my Star Baby is also from a pet store. I would never get another pet from a pet store, and she is my first, I wouldn't change getting her for the world, she is my buddy. Just really thought she would be around longer then she probably will. She is showing her age when I watch her get up after laying down for a while, and the stairs have to really be thought about before she takes them. Loves sleeping on the hard cold tile floor, always has. I have beds all over the house and she will lay on them at night, but still likes the floor. Wondering if it has something to do with getting her from a pet store or is it just tough luck.
My baby is showing her age and she is not even 8 yet. I read a post above that says their first Sheltie was only 8, but was from a pet store. Makes me sad because my Star Baby is also from a pet store. I would never get another pet from a pet store, and she is my first, I wouldn't change getting her for the world, she is my buddy. Just really thought she would be around longer then she probably will. She is showing her age when I watch her get up after laying down for a while, and the stairs have to really be thought about before she takes them. Loves sleeping on the hard cold tile floor, always has. I have beds all over the house and she will lay on them at night, but still likes the floor. Wondering if it has something to do with getting her from a pet store or is it just tough luck.
trini
Forums Sage
Pet store/puppy mill dogs are not bred with any concern for health/good genetics and so there is a greater chance for them to have more health issues than a pup from a responsible breeder. However, that doesn't mean that every pup from a pet store is going to die young or even have multiple health issues. Many live out full lifespans and do so in good health. If your little gal is showing signs of stiffness when getting up have you talked to your vet about possibly putting her on supplements for her joints? Arthritis is pretty common in dogs.
Trini
Chris
Premium Member
Annie Laurie, from a BYB, is 12 -- going on three!! What a little dynamo!! Layla, at nine, is still my little Princess -- no signs of aging. Bitsy Boodle, nine today, suffers from arthritis, but has the spirit of a four-year-old. Her last act will be to fetch the ball, I'm sure. Colonel Underpants, at five and a half, is my serious boy. His myotonia congenita makes climbing stairs a ponderous effort, but he still races down the driveway with joy!!
sable
Forums Enthusiast
Lucky will be 14 in June and has heart problems, he coughs at times but he is on
a med, Lasix and doing better. Love to see him breathe while he is sleeping. He started his problem at 13.
Lil' Lady turned 9 in December and is on thyroid meds but she is doing great and is very stable on her numbers.
Lucky came from what is called a BYB, but questioning the BYB she really did her
homework. His temperament is beyond sweet, we did not run into problems until he reached 13, so that is saying something for this gal who bred her shelties.
Lil' Lady, when she was made the mold was broke and brings us laughter everyday. I could write a book about the Royal Highness.
May I have many more years with them. As I have said, it such an honor to have them with us every single day.
a med, Lasix and doing better. Love to see him breathe while he is sleeping. He started his problem at 13.
Lil' Lady turned 9 in December and is on thyroid meds but she is doing great and is very stable on her numbers.
Lucky came from what is called a BYB, but questioning the BYB she really did her
homework. His temperament is beyond sweet, we did not run into problems until he reached 13, so that is saying something for this gal who bred her shelties.
Lil' Lady, when she was made the mold was broke and brings us laughter everyday. I could write a book about the Royal Highness.
May I have many more years with them. As I have said, it such an honor to have them with us every single day.
My shelties have come from "country breeders" they use them as working dogs not show dogs, and were bred with temperament in mind.
1st lived to 17yrs...put down due to stroke (but seriously I wonder after reading posts here if she really had vestibule disease) Her parents lived to 16 & 17-died of strokes.
2nd was just a mth shy of 17yrs, she battled seizures in her last mths. She crawled up in my arms, and I thought she was about to have one, she breathed hard, then expired in my arms, peaceful but sad. She had a great day before playing in snow, ate well that night. I knew her time was short-good days and not so good, and had made arrangements with peaceful partings to come-mobile euthanasia- because Vet visits stressed her out and I wanted her to go in her home environment. Vet had said she was aging and wearing out fast. Her quality of life was just ebbing. I was hoping to make it to her bday, but vowed to make the decision if she showed any signs of suffering or discomfort whatsoever.
Kaleigh & Savannah... I hope live as long...I am scrutinizing their diet, limiting invasive stuff. Doing EVERYTHING I know to promote longevity. Too many friends have lost their dogs early due to foods/vaccines and such/china treats, etc. So I am opting for the proactive holistic route.
1st lived to 17yrs...put down due to stroke (but seriously I wonder after reading posts here if she really had vestibule disease) Her parents lived to 16 & 17-died of strokes.
2nd was just a mth shy of 17yrs, she battled seizures in her last mths. She crawled up in my arms, and I thought she was about to have one, she breathed hard, then expired in my arms, peaceful but sad. She had a great day before playing in snow, ate well that night. I knew her time was short-good days and not so good, and had made arrangements with peaceful partings to come-mobile euthanasia- because Vet visits stressed her out and I wanted her to go in her home environment. Vet had said she was aging and wearing out fast. Her quality of life was just ebbing. I was hoping to make it to her bday, but vowed to make the decision if she showed any signs of suffering or discomfort whatsoever.
Kaleigh & Savannah... I hope live as long...I am scrutinizing their diet, limiting invasive stuff. Doing EVERYTHING I know to promote longevity. Too many friends have lost their dogs early due to foods/vaccines and such/china treats, etc. So I am opting for the proactive holistic route.
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LaddieKatieMom
Forums Enthusiast
My wonderful Katie was almost 17 when she passed. She was rescue but I was in touch with her original family for years. They got her from a store. Hard to tell with my angel boy Laddie - he was found as a stray so we don't know his background. Rescue thought he was 4 when I adopted him, but in retrospect, both my vet and myself thought he was older. He would have been 9 this past December, but he had several medical problems and sadly passed after 4 1/2 years with us. Not sure what Lady's background is, but she is a happy, healthy little girl and I hope she makes it to 17 like Katie did.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
And of course, there is the not happy stories. I always expect my Shelties to live 11, 12, 13 years. When Timber died suddenly with a tumour at age 12 I was shocked because he really showed no indication of being ill. It happened in a 12 hour period.
And then my Bacca.....the best dog ever....but one medical issue after another.....and finally at age 6, he succumbed to a liver disease. I miss this boy so much, I cry everytime I think of him. Everytime I think about his death, I think the the gods are testing me yet one more time. Like I haven't been test enough. I mean really! How much more do I have to go through.... Sorry.....having a "feeling sorry for myself moment"
And then my Bacca.....the best dog ever....but one medical issue after another.....and finally at age 6, he succumbed to a liver disease. I miss this boy so much, I cry everytime I think of him. Everytime I think about his death, I think the the gods are testing me yet one more time. Like I haven't been test enough. I mean really! How much more do I have to go through.... Sorry.....having a "feeling sorry for myself moment"
BeauGizmoMax
Forums Regular
Our family pup, Brodie, was a couple of weeks shy of his 15th birthday when we put him down. He was well bred, his mother was a champion.
He had pretty bad teeth though, which was definitely due to our ignorance and "negligence" as pet owners :/ He developed a cough and we took him to the vet, who told us he had pneumonia. Over the next couple of months he really got worse but we didn't want to face that he was sick. Took him to the vet again and they said lung cancer and we could take him home and let him pass there or put him down. We figured he suffered enough and accepted it was his time. He was an amazing dog. We got him when I was a year old, so I literally grew up with him.
It's been almost 6 years since Brodie passed and now I have my own Sheltie, Beau. He will be 2 this April and he is very different than Brodie. Though their birthdays are 1 day apart! He is from a farm with parents who are working dogs and had a litter. So I don't know much about his history or anything but he is HUGE, 50lbs/21 inches at the shoulders and all legs (I call him a super model haha). I'm hoping my diligence will help give him a long life
Although this thread is sad to read, I like to imagine all of the Sheltie angels running around playing together
He had pretty bad teeth though, which was definitely due to our ignorance and "negligence" as pet owners :/ He developed a cough and we took him to the vet, who told us he had pneumonia. Over the next couple of months he really got worse but we didn't want to face that he was sick. Took him to the vet again and they said lung cancer and we could take him home and let him pass there or put him down. We figured he suffered enough and accepted it was his time. He was an amazing dog. We got him when I was a year old, so I literally grew up with him.
It's been almost 6 years since Brodie passed and now I have my own Sheltie, Beau. He will be 2 this April and he is very different than Brodie. Though their birthdays are 1 day apart! He is from a farm with parents who are working dogs and had a litter. So I don't know much about his history or anything but he is HUGE, 50lbs/21 inches at the shoulders and all legs (I call him a super model haha). I'm hoping my diligence will help give him a long life
Although this thread is sad to read, I like to imagine all of the Sheltie angels running around playing together