Why do Great Danes have such a short life expectancy?
Many times I have been asked why Great Danes have such a short life expectancy. Like all giants, the Great Dane doesn’t live as long as the smaller breeds, it’s really not hard to understand, when you consider that a newborn Dane puppy is between 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 lbs at birth and by 6 months old is usually about 100 lbs. This is an enormous amount of growth. A vet once told me that by 3 1/2 years old the organs on a Dane were equivalent to a 9 year old Cocker Spaniel. While the greatest drawback to the Great Dane (in my opinion) is the short life expectancy, they fill those years with the greatest love, and devotion of any breed I have ever owned. and I have had several different breeds, including Shelties, Pekingese, and Whippets. None has ever equaled the enormous love of my enormous Danes.
