Westies how long do they live

The typical West Highland White Terrier lives about years. Of course, individual dogs can have a life span outside that range based on care and pure luck. Like all dog breeds, Westies are prone to certain diseases, disorders, and behavioral problems. Some of the more common problems include allergies and other skin problems, hip problems, knee problems, and chronic hernias.

A jaw problem known as craniomandibular osteopathy is also seen more often in Westies than in any other breed. It can cause pain and make it difficult for a young Westie to eat. So-called designer dog breeds have become increasingly popular in recent years, with people mixing purebred dogs of two different breeds to produce a unique combination. Here are the most popular Westie mixes, along with their cutesy designer dog breed names.

The West Highland White Terrier is well-known among dog people, especially terrier lovers. Here are some interesting facts that any Westie owner should know. The Westie is a descendant of the vermin-hunting terriers of Scotland. Meg, my West Highland Terrier died a couple of months ago. She'd reached the grand old age of 19 years and four months.

A few days later, I was reminded of the oft-quoted statistic that every human year equates to seven dog years. This mental calculation looms more largely in an owner's mind as a dog gets older, and thoughts turn to how long the pet has left. But if that stat were really true then Meg would have been years old when she died, which seems very unlikely. So if the seven dog years to one human year is wrong how do we work out an accurate calculation?

Dogs are the most diverse mammal species on the planet. They can vary in weight from 6 lb 3kg to lb 90kg when fully grown and have widely differing body shapes and hair types. This also means that there is a lot of variation among breeds in terms of life expectancy. Took her to the Vet this week because she was behaving different.

My westie Monti just turned I have only had him for four years but he has been an absolute joy. He has slowed down significantly as sleeps a lot but he is still the most amazing little guy and I am truly lucky to have him in my life.

My McDuff is 15 and in excellent health so I think he will make it to 19 or How is Monti this year? Our 11 year old Westie blew out his ACL 2 years ago. Expensive but worth the fix. We will also have it fixed because he really is still very spry.

Anyone else out there with this issue? Yes our 10 year old Westie has had both his ACLs repaired! One at 3 years old and the other at 8.

He is running around just fine now. Absolutely our Andie is She snapped both patella at 9 years old it was pretty traumatic that literally she could not walk. The specialist was wonderful, she had surgery on one leg allowed for rehab and then we had the second surgery. It worked out beautifully.

I took her to rehab for a total of 8 Saturdays over the summer of she walks like a champ 5 years later. The surgery was totally worth it. Now she has developed diabetes and cataracts in the last few months so we know her time is not forever but she still has a good appetite and good lungs- she definitely barks us around so we will take care of her for as long as she lives. Sorry for your loss. I lost my westie in jan. He was 12 and had a lot of ongoing health issues which he had had for the last 4 yrs.

I miss him every single day as it was just me and him. I lost my best friend and companion. I said goodbye to my darling Westie on 7th July she became ill on 7th June. She had been perfectly healthy, I thought, up until she collapsed three times on 7th June. I rescued her at three years. She was only twelve years eight months.

I feel your pain. I lost my westie on Thursday and I am absolutely devastated. He was my soul companion and he was a big presence in my house.

The house feels so empty. I am so, so sorry for your loss. Losing your best friend must be the hardest thing. Two westies.. Little deafness in the older one and needs dental work regularly. Both love a gallop around the field with our German shepherd.

No major signs of slowing down yet.. We have an 11 year old Westie named Freddie. The best thing we ever did for him was to get a lab puppy. He was pretty lethargic before we got Kodi. Within 2 months he started acting like a puppy again. They run and wrestle and play. Kodi is very gentle with him. We were actually wondering about this as well, for our Sami.

That getting him a playmate would make him more energetic. Not that he needs to, most of the time :. My beloved Westie GG lived to 16 years and 11 months. We lost him on September 9th. He was doing well for his age. I changed his diet over the years to accommodate his needs. Over the past couple years I fed him shredded chicken mixed with peas and carrots, and brown rice.

I saw him gradually slowing down and one days he refused to eat. It was downhill from on there. Yesterday my sweet 19 year old, Annie, crossed over the rainbow bridge.

She had stopped eating 3 days ago and was acting very confused and had gone blind. Yesterday she had 2 grand mal seizures. The ER vet put her to sleep.

My moms westie Charlie is 18 and we think this is the end for him. My girl, is Salty, she is just coming up to 9, but in the last few months has had a rapid change in her movement in that going from all the regular jumping and activity, to getting stiff if still too long, and sitting down occasionally on walks. To the Westie owners who have tummy troubles, oh my goodness, yes that is Salty — from the off she has had issues.

Basically because she is such a picky eater will not touch dog food or any kibble, grain free or not so she will often leave her tea. If she leaves her tea, I am up early walking her and watching her eat grass like a mini sheep in our nearest meadow. Unfortunately in true Salty fashion she refuses the plain yoghurt and I do have to give her vanilla but at least her tummy troubles have gone from weekly to monthly.

Hope this helps anyone with the same issue. Any advice on sudden onset of arthritis would be much appreciated. The magnetic collar has been on a couple of weeks. All these things combined seem to have helped a bit, but only a bit.

Thanks for any ideas, from Andrea and Salty. He has to have blood work every 6 to 12 months as the anti-inflammatory may cause bladder or kidney issues. I know many people prefer natural remedy treatments, but have I tried multiple different options, yet he was only continuing to go down hill. Happy Joints! I know we have no way of truly knowing what they are experiencing, but it really does hurt our hearts.

Maxwell can also be a picky eater. He has suffered from skin allergies most of his life until I began feeding him grain-free kibble. It made ALL the difference in the world.

He went from literally ripping out the hair all around his tail and as far above it as he could reach, to not having a single issue. Flat-faced brachycephalic breeds are currently the darling of the nation but this has created huge welfare problems for breeds such as the Pug and French Bulldog. However, the breed does seem predisposed to lower respiratory tract disease which was a common cause of death in the Westie.

Owners should be aware of this as their Westie ages. What is particularly interesting is the level of skin disorders, which although relatively high, are still lower than might have been predicted a decade ago. It is possible that the reduction in Westie ownership has relieved the pressure on breeders to breed from less healthy individuals to meet demand and therefore contributed to improved skin health within the breed.

Paradoxically, reducing popularity may have led to better health in the Westies that are now being born. Sadly this contrasts with many of the increasingly popular breeds, like French Bulldogs, Bulldogs and Pugs, which are often being bred indiscriminately to match the soaring demand leading to some serious health and welfare issues.

This underlines just how important it is for puppy buyers to do thorough research and go to a responsible breeder.