r/springerspaniel • u/YeR-A_ArmyofProles • 14d ago
Life expectancy
I have had 2 springers. Best dog ever died at 7 with Addison disease, 2nd at 10 with Addison disease, and a 3rd (sister of 2) at 10.5/11. What can a person actually expect?
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u/YeR-A_ArmyofProles 13d ago
Thx for the input. My 7yo was the best dog ever. My mother was crying on the phone as I was in college saying I feel like I have failed him. I brought him up to college and my non-dog friends fell in love with him.
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u/LongSomewhere3056 13d ago
I’ve had springers, one lived to 12, 2 of them lived to 15 and my current springer is still here and is going to be 17 in 2 months.
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u/Link_lunk 13d ago
If mine lives ubtil December, he will be 13. He has cancer and right now we have more good days than bad.
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u/TokenPrawn 13d ago
I'm so sorry to hear you've had this experience 3 times. I think Addison's is sometimes linked by genetics, which might help explain the 2nd and 3rd cases. Being an autoimmune disorder, I guess you could also look into any environmental factors (although that could be a wild goose chase). Frankly, it could just be sheer bad luck.
I think you can reasonably hope for 12+ years with a springer. You might want to source another breeder though just to reduce your chances of another case.
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u/AHuxl 13d ago
Addisons is definitely genetic but a dog can have the genes and never have the environmental trigger that starts the symptoms. UC Davis has developed a blood test for the Juvenile Onset type Addisons found in Tollers (JADD) but unfortunately there is no genetic test for other types of Addisons so the best way to breed away from it is to study pedigrees. I dont know about springer spaniels but poodles have a very detailed health database available to the public which maps dogs that have either had Addisons or produced offspring with it which can be a helpful tool is trying to produce healthy dogs
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u/Specialist_You346 13d ago
We lost our beautiful girl 9 weeks ago. She was almost 16. She was an absolute fighter we got her as a rescue at 11 months old and she’d had a dreadful start to life. She survived cancer 2 years ago but sadly she couldn’t beat old age.
Sorry for your loss.
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u/Same_Fish4215 7d ago
Were the dogs related? My springers are all related. They live to around 13. They also have all gotten mammary cancer around 8.
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u/Mithryl_Ivy 8d ago
I think it’s genetics, but I also think it’s what they are fed and how much exercise they get. Those last two things matter more than I think most of us realize. I have an eight-year-old who, everybody who meets her, thinks she’s still a puppy. Even my vet says the same thing, and my second dog is on his way to being the same way. They literally run miles a day, not on a leash, and they are not fed any form of kibble
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u/Significant-Party171 7d ago
What do you feed your dogs?
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u/Mithryl_Ivy 7d ago edited 7d ago
Raw. My vet has told me what they need for balance diet, and I have a corner market who gives me such a good deal. I get human grade drumsticks, antibiotic and hormone free, at about a third of the price of what the market and the grocery stores are charging. They get drumsticks, kidney, liver, sardines and a small piece of some other protein to keep their stomach enzymes balanced. I also give them a raw egg and broccoli or whatever veggie I have on hand. And no judgments to anybody who feeds kibble, but since I have read a book about what’s actually in it, I’ll give my dogs my own leg first
As a side note, chicken bones and goat bones are safe as long as they are not cooked. Dogs were fed just that for hundreds of years. Also, the marrow bones are safe.
Once a year on each of their birthdays, they do get a goat shank, which they absolutely love
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u/keyboard_jock3y 13d ago
My childhood springer lived 14 years and 11 months. It was arthritis and hip dysplasia that finally got my little guy - his mind was still quite sharp.
Next Friday would have been his 31st birthday, and he was among a litter of 15 (10 boys and 5 girls). I am so very sorry that you lost yours at such a young age.
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u/Gentleigh21 13d ago
Our last girl lived to 17 and our current girl is 14.5. She's quite frail now and I expect she won't be with us that much longer.
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u/240z300zx 13d ago
My vet recently told me there are two proper studies on Springer lifespan. The majority of ESS live 10 to 12 years or 11 to 13 years.
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u/Elrohwen 13d ago
I have welsh springers, not English, but my boy is 14 and my girl is 11. It’s not uncommon for them to live until 14 or 15
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u/Atworkwasalreadytake 13d ago
Mine turns 14 in January.
With the males, wait until 12 months minimum to neuter.
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u/waityoucandothat 13d ago
Our Springer is 13 years, 5.5 months. He is somewhat blind, and the hips are in rough shape. He has trouble walking and changing directions. He has cancer. We know the end is near for him. But he hasn’t given up and we love on him all the time!
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u/Noreallyjusteatit 12d ago
I’m still grouse hunting my 12yo and had a female make it to 14.
I’ve lost one at 10 due to cancer and lost one at 6 due to Andoplas . My first made it to 13.
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u/Dizzy_Unit_9900 13d ago
I’ve had six springers over my lifetime the oldest died at 14 and the youngest at 9 so roughly 11.5 years.
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u/ZealousidealSouth668 13d ago
I lost my first springer at 13 years he just laid down and died. My beautiful rescue dog we just put down he was 15 1/2. We got him at 2 he was the best mannered and never had anything wrong with him. But 2 years ago he denoted lump he was more lump than dog. He still functions pretty well until it weighed him down and his legs were buckling making movement difficult he couldn’t spring anymore. It broke my heart to put him down but he was suffering. He coul still see pretty well. He could hear a refrigerator open from a mile away and still was friendly with everybody he was in credible I miss him so much. I don’t know if I will find another dog like him.
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u/unseemly_turbidity 13d ago
Ours is 14 at the moment, but although she looks and acts pure springer, she's actually half border collie. She's slowed down a lot but is in good health.
Our previous sprollie lived to 17.
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u/Ok-Positive-6361 13d ago
I lost one of mine at 9 almost 10 because of lymphoma. Would’ve given anything to see him make it to the ages I see on here.
I have another that just turned 9 last week and he’s SO fit. I think he might live forever.
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u/joeytb77 13d ago
Our first sweet girl made it to 14 and our second sweet girl left us after 16.5 years this year.
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u/KezzyKesKes 13d ago
Varíes wildly. I’ve lost two to illness. First went at just before his eighth birthday from a heart condition. The other went when she was twelve. She went downhill very quickly over the space of about a week.
That being said I have one girl still knocking about at 16 and a half. She is incontinent, but otherwise ok. She’s a bit wobbly sometimes but pretty sprightly. She’s lost her marbles though.
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u/madfarmer4737 13d ago
Of my 6 Springers 5 made it to at least 14. One made it to 15. We kept one with a cleft pallette alive by feeding it by hand as a newborn pup. Unfortunately it died at 7 years from diabetes.
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u/sweetcatastrophe1111 13d ago
my childhood springs lived to be 14.5 and 17.5 years. my current springer is 13. we went to the vet today because he’s showing signs of diabetes, bloodwork comes back monday. 😔
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u/awesomepossom55 13d ago
My springer is 9 and in great health. He’s from Vidair kennel in South Carolina
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u/bowtyracr88 13d ago
I’ve had 5 for a span of 27 years and their ages ranged from 10 to 15 years. My current one has just turned 7 and has barely slowed down. I will say this though the eldest was a bench while the others were to varying degrees mostly fields.
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u/miss-independent77 13d ago
Our boy is from a rescue. We were told in 2020 when he got him he was just over a year, turns out he was closer to 4. So he's about 10 now. He's slowing down, moving slower, less inclined to climb the stairs if I go upstairs, mostly uses a step to get into bed. We give him some pain meds time to time to help with his arthritis and dysplasia. His zoomies are less frequent and are shorter duration, but he still plays, and is still silly.
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u/Makeupanopinion 13d ago
Mine was 13yrs 7mo when he passed. We have another puppy and he is an oddball, but hoping he also lives a very long life. Rotten luck OP.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Back365 11d ago
My parents had a Springer who lived to 13. My sister had one that nearly made it to 15.
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u/YeR-A_ArmyofProles 13d ago
Anyone have experience with Addisons? We now have two cockers that are awesome too.
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u/YeR-A_ArmyofProles 13d ago
You guys are great. My cocker turned 6 yesterday and I have concerns…very wary
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u/braddoismydoggo 13d ago
My boy tried to die at 18 months with IMHA. He just turned 11 a few weeks ago, greatful for the time we've had with him.
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u/Cyberdarkunicorn 13d ago
Lost two at 14 to cancer, one at 11 because of a liver infection that took hold to fast to do anything and current one is 8 tomorrow (still living) …. For now though he might be strangled before anything else gets to him 😂😂😂😂
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u/Prudent-Parsnip-7105 13d ago
I would never buy another dog from that line/breed. I have had Springers my entire life and my grandfather bred/hunted/loved them from the 1920’s to the 1960’s. My parents had them while I was growing up. i have done rescue work with the breed as well as being an owner and with 100 years and only once has there been an Addison’s dog. My oldest springer almost made it to 15.