Every time I see my dog, I imagine how it would be her life on the streets without me, just on her own, like the typical stray dog…
Life on the streets is rough, and despite many of them can go through it, just a small percentage have a decent life. That's why it is very funny for me when an owner says that technological and medical improvements in veterinary medicine aren't necessary because stray dogs are always "healthy" and they haven't been treated ever.
How is the life expectancy in stray dogs compared to domestic dogs?
You can see 4 years old stray dogs looking like 8 years old, with barely all their teeth, scars, and an 8 years old domestic dog looking like a puppy.
Medicine is making big changes in our life and in animals as well. Every recommendation, drug, dog food, health care or any advice from the vet has a background and a purpose, reducing everything to make their life quite long.
I can't deny that mixed breeds that go around the streets have a great resistance to diseases, but most of the time they have subclinical diseases or just they resist it. Because one of the main actions that stray dogs/cats do is to stay strong, no matter what, because signs of weakness make them lose power in their herd, they just show weakness when they are really in bad conditions.
But things have changed for domestic dogs, some people would say that humans made them weak, but the reality is that we improved their life 100% much better, despite most of them depends on us for living, they expectancy of life has increased so much that they now die because for organic failures, like us when we get old, and there isn't too much to do in those cases, because we will all go to the hole one day.
Part of the family
The life cost is increasing as well while new advances keep going in the industry, some clinical exams or treatments are unaffordable for some people, but like in humans they do everything in their possibilities to pay the medical bill.
Today, Pets have an emotional value bigger than ever! People have them like they were kids, and give them the love and care they deserve, letting them have a healthy and longer life.
The problem starts when they give them "too much love" or "don't put restrictions", making them overweight, with bad habits, aggressive and all the things that come because of a bad education. People need to understand that they are animals and they are always going to be that, even how much we love them, restrictions must be made, because those limitations will help a lot in their lives.
Dogs can be very annoying sometimes, but they are part of our life. It is very exciting to be able to see 20- and 23-years old dogs around the clinic, very obsolete, but still living! A proof that great healthcare can make our pets live longer than the average, until we create a new average!