maltipoo life span life expectancy

Maltipoo Lifespan – Help Your Maltipoo Live Longer

There are a lot of factors that influence the lifespan of a Maltipoo, and these usually include diet, healthcare and management, and inherited diseases.

Maltipoo lifespan. For a Maltipoo 12 to 15 years is the normal range for life expectancy, with 13.5 years being the average age for a Maltipoo to live if their passing is due to natural causes.

Read on to look at some of these factors, and how you can influence the life expectancy of your Maltipoo.

How Long Does a Maltipoo Live

The Maltipoo is blessed with a rather good lifespan compared to many other dogs. This is partly due to their size; toy and mini breeds tend to live longer than other and larger counterparts. On top of that, life span is also affected by whatever health issues that specific breed is prone to.

If we’re talking about death due to natural causes, this term refers to any fatal illness or bodily malfunction that develops due to the aging process.

While the average age is 12-15 years, many Maltipoos are able to live for a lot longer than that. It isn’t unheard of that a Maltipoo can reach 16 or even 17 years of age. On average, a female Maltipoo tends to live a bit longer than its male counterpart an average of 1 year more.

Since the average dog lives approximately 11 years, Maltipoos live quite a bit longer than the average dog. 

maltipoo lifespan

Leading Causes of Death In Maltipoos

A study conducted by the University of Georgia looked at nearly 75.000 dogs of all breeds from 1984 to 2004, gave researchers the answers to what the leading cause of death for a large majority of breeds was. 

The study showed that the following are the leading causes of death for the Maltipoo:

Maltipoo Puppies

When we’re talking about the premature passing of a dog under the age of 1 year old, it was typically from many different reasons than those dogs’ that passed from old-age related illness.

For a Maltipoo puppy the leading causes of death are:

  • Congenital disease. This also includes conditions that were present at birth. With the Maltipoo and several other miniature dog breeds, liver shunts is a top concern. 
  • Infections. This includes any viral disease that might strike a young puppy when the immunity passed to them by the mother has subsided but the vaccinations aren’t complete yet. This could be diseases such as distemper, parvovirus, and leptospirosis. Bacterial infections and parasitic diseases are also included in this.
  • Trauma. These reasons include such things as being dropped, hit by a vehicle, stepped on, and other equally fatal injuries.

Mature and Adult Maltipoo

  • Cardiovascular Disease. The #1 cause of death for Maltese dogs (21.1%) is due to cardiovascular disease. And between all the heart conditions, mitral valve disease is the top concern for a Maltipoo. This cause of death is quite high with a Maltipoo and only the Newfoundland breed has a higher rate at 23.8%.
  • Congenital Disease. The 2nd leading cause of death with Maltese dogs (9.7%) is a congenital disease. This includes all disorders or diseases that are typically genetically inherited with Maltipoos (Liver shunts, Colitis, and hydrocephalus)
  • Cancer. This is the 3rd most leading cause of death for a Maltipoo (9.2%). It’s worth noting that for a senior dog, the risk of developing fatal cancer increases significantly after the age of 10 years old. 

While cancer is only the third leading cause of death in a Maltipoo, it is actually one of the lowest rates compared to most other dogs. The reason why cancer is ranked 3rd is because of the rather high percentage of Maltipoos that pass away due to cardiovascular disease.

Now let’s take a look at some of the things you can do to increase the life span of your Maltipoo. 

How to Help Increase Life Span for a Maltipoo

There are quite a lot of things that you can do to help your Maltipoo live a longer and healthier life.

1. Preemptive Measures Against Fatal Injuries

Seeing as trauma is one of the leading causes of death for a Maltipoo puppy and is generally a top concern for adult miniature dogs, you should take some steps to help prevent any injuries.

 This could include:

  • Always make sure your Maltipoo is buckled up in a certified canine seat when driving him/her around in your car. You won’t be able to find a better-reviewed booster seat than this K&H Pet Booster Seat, and make sure that you connect the inner buckle to your Maltipoos’ harness, and not to his collar. 
  • Not being attentive enough when you’re carrying your pup around. If you want your Maltipoo up close to you, consider getting a canine carry sling such as the i’Pet Hands-free Small Dog Shoulder Sling.
  • Teach any children in your household about proper puppy handling techniques.
  • Remind every family member or visitors in your home that a Maltipoo is a small dog and if they aren’t careful enough they can easily risk stepping on or tripping over them.
  • Always keep your Maltipoo on a leash when outside of your home.

2. Choose The Best Food You Can Afford

While this is probably the most expensive expenditure when owning a dog, opting for all-natural, wholesome premium food for your Maltipoo, really does make a difference.

These foods aren’t full of added chemicals and other substances that are known to cause cancer.

In the last 2 years, I’ve been giving my dog fresh food from Ollie, and it has made quite a big difference compared to the dry food kibble I previously gave him.

If you would like to take a closer look at this product, follow this link where you can currently save 50% on your first box of Ollie.

Best maltipoo puppy food

3. Keep Your Maltipoos’ Vaccinations Up to Date 

You should also make sure that:

  • Your Maltipoo puppy receives every single of his puppy shots.
  • Don’t take your puppy out into the public until it is 2 weeks past his final round of inoculations.
  • If you live in an area with a lot of wildlife that might enter onto your property, and where your dog frequently occupies, check with your vet to access the need for the leptospirosis vaccine.
  • Talk with your veterinarian regarding booster shots. Your vet can then determine if your Maltipoo is in need of a booster shot by running a titer test and checking for the antibody level. 

4. Take Your Maltipoo to the Vet for General Checks 

A dog should go for a full examination at your vet once per year, and if you have a senior dog (from 7-8 years old) twice per year, to check for any of the issues common to this breed.

With cardiovascular disease being one of the leading concerns, your vet will typically check for heart murmurs, and if anything is found, more thorough testing should be run.  

5. Filter your Water 

In a lot of areas of the country, regular tap water contains toxins and carcinogenic agents, and you could consider connecting a filter to your kitchen sink or getting a filtered water pitcher. 

6. Regular Exercise Your Maltipoo 

The final, and for the most part also the easiest point to help your Maltipoo live longer, is going on a few good walks every day.

This will help prevent a large range of health-related issues, as well as ensuring that your dogs’ heart stays strong and aid in a balanced metabolism. 

Final Words

We would all love for our dogs’ to live as long as possible, and with a handful of different tips, you can at least do something to help to expand their life expectancy, even if just a bit.

If you follow just a few of the points I’ve mentioned above, there’s no reason your Maltipoo won’t live well past the average 13.5 years!

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