How to help your corgi live longer: 7 tips you need to know

I want my corgi to live forever. That’s a fact. ​But unfortunately, there’s some roadblocks to making that happen.

While many of the impacts on your corgi’s lifespan are out of your control, there are a number that you can influence.
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Ways you can help your corgi live longer include good nutrition, safe living conditions, regular check-ups with your vet, and desexing your corgi.

1. Better nutrition for your corgi

The food you feed your corgi can have a big role on how healthy they are. The healthier the food, the healthier the corgi.

When it comes down to it, humans and corgis aren’t so different when it comes to eating. Corgis, like us, are happy eating both meat and plants – and they’re not particularly fussy about either.

Corgis need a mixed diet that meets their fat, protein and vitamin needs. This will help them stay healthy and live longer.

According to the MSD Veterinary Manual, your corgis daily diet should contain approximately 1.3g of fat per kilogram and 2.62 g of protein per kilogram.

If you’re feeding your corgi more than once a day, then this total is across all meals. You need to make sure you're feeding your corgi the right amount of food for their size.

Thankfully, most store-bought dog foods will give your corgi the right amount of nutrition. So whether you opt for wet or dry, cheap or expensive, as long as you corgi is happy and eating, that’s what is important.

You also need to ensure that your corgi has enough water. Without it, your corgi could die within a few days. Most corgis need roughly 50mL per kilogram of body weight. Leaving a bowl of water out for them is usually the safest method of ensuring they have water. You might want to check each day though that it is being used.
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By giving your corgi a balanced diet of nutritious food, you can improve their overall health and extend their life.

2.  Safe clean living conditions for your corgi

Having a clean and safe home can extend the life of your corgi, as you reduce the physical and mental impact on their body. It also makes them less likely to contract sickness or disease.

Having a habitable home for your corgi involves a number of factors.

The first is ensuring that your corgi has somewhere safe, dry and out of the elements to shelter when the weather gets rough.

This may mean keeping them indoors at night or giving them their very own doghouse to tuck away in. Keeping them out of the weather will reduce their chance of contracting frostbite, hypothermia, or infections, among other illnesses.

It will also improve their mental health and wellbeing – just like in humans. I know I’m a misery guts if I’m forced to hang outside while it’s pouring with rain.

The next important factor is making sure they’ve got a soft place sleep.Sleep is so essential, not just for humans, but for corgis too. If you don’t have a safe place for them to sleep (e.g. a bed and some blankets), your corgi won’t get a good night’s rest.

​If you’ve ever had to wake up for an early morning flight, you know how much sleep can affect your mood.

If your dog is constantly not getting enough sleep, their body won’t have enough time to rest and recover. This can make them more susceptible to illness and disease.

The next thing to be conscious of is the temperature. Having your corgi get too hot, especially in the summer, can lead to rashes, irritations, scratching and itching. This is because their heavy coat traps in the heat and makes them sweat. This does not lead to a happy healthy life.

Likewise, you need to be cautious of them not getting too cold in the winter. While the padding on the feet and their furry coat can make them better equipped to handle the winter chill, prolonged exposure to the cold and wind can cause damage to their skin.

Finally, ensure your corgi has access to somewhere to go to the toilet. Corgis are a responsible breed, and many corgis will hold it in if they are inside the house or they sense danger. This can cause damage to their bladders and urinary infections.
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If you can keep on top of these issues, you can ensure better health in your corgi.

3. Lots of exercise for your corgi

Regular exercise can extend your corgi’s life by keeping them at a healthy weight – reducing the pressure on their muscles and joints.

Regular exercise is not only good for humans; it’s also great for our four-legged friends.

A regular exercise schedule will help keep your corgi active and strengthen their muscles and joints. This is important as muscular and skeletal issues are common in the corgi breed. It will also improve cardiovascular fitness and lower their blood pressure.

Similarly, exercise is also a fantastic tool for keeping on top of your corgi’s weight.

Corgis are known for their veracious eating and will happily devour and entire full course meal if you let them. And while you do have to be very careful of what they eat – that’s why health experts say that weight loss starts in the kitchen, not the gym! – regular exercise will help keep off the excess fat.

Finally, exercise is also important step in improving your corgi’s mental wellbeing.

If you’ve ever had a day in the office where you’ve had to skip your lunchtime walk because you’ve been snowed under in work, you know what I mean.

The corgi was originally bred as a working dog, set off to herd their master’s cattle and chase of predators and trespassing wildlife.

So going on walks and running around is in their nature, and makes them feel better doing it. And it’s not too bad for your mental health either.

Through exercising your corgi regularly, you increase the chance of them having a longer healthier life.

4. Regular health care for your corgi

The best thing you can do to help your corgi age well is making sure it is healthy. This includes regular visits to your vet to check for disease, as well as grooming care.

Corgis, like all dogs, can develop a number of diseases or conditions. When your corgi is young, you should find a veterinarian that you feel comfortable with and whose advice you trust.

By choosing a vet early in your corgi’s life, and sticking with them, you help give your corgi the most comprehensive care available to them.

Many dog owners make the mistake of going to a new vet every time their dog needs a check-up. A vet who knows what your corgi was like as a puppy is more equipped to diagnose problems in them as an adult. They will also be able to monitor your corgi for changes in their development.

Much like in humans, health care in corgis is much better when it is preventive. That is, going to the vet for regular check-ups, not just when you think there is a problem. Likewise, a healthy lifestyle is the best prevention against disease.
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For the reasons, it is essential that you manage your corgi’s health if you want them to live a long life.

5. Consistent dental care for your corgi

Dental care is important for your corgi's health, as it is one of the key areas where problems can occur.

Keeping your dog’s teeth healthy is a simple and often overlooked way to support their overall health and longevity. While corgis may not need their teeth professionally cleaned by a veterinarian, they do require regular tooth brushing at home.

Corgi teeth should be brushed on a schedule that’s approved by your veterinarian. This can be anywhere from twice a day to once a week. This will help prevent dental disease and rotten teeth.

Rotten teeth can cause abscesses and pain and can lead to infection. These infections can cause to an overgrowth of bacteria that can flow from your dog’s mouth into their body and throughout their bloodstream.

This can lead to kidney and liver disease, heart disease, and even jaw fractures – caused by white blood cells trying to clear the infections in the mouth, eroding the supportive structures of the jaw.

If your corgi has dental disease, it should be treated as soon as possible to prevent further complications. That’s because dental disease is progressive, it will only get worse if not treated.
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If you keep on top of your corgi’s dental health, you can prolong their health and their life.

6. Regular grooming for your corgi

Good grooming for your corgi will help keep them free of parasites and limit the impacts of rashes.

A key issue you need to be aware of is grooming your corgi.

Regular grooming helps keep your corgi free of dirt and grime that can cause rashes and irritations and can lead to infection. They need daily brushings to remove dead hair and distribute skin oils.

Daily brushing will also keep eyes free from tear stains and help prevent matting in the corgi’s long coat.

A regular grooming schedule also makes you more alert and more prone to checking for ticks and fleas. These can get onto your corgi’s skin and fur every time they go outside or go for walks. These should be careful removed if you spot them.
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With a good grooming routine, you can fight off problems before they happen, letting you corgi live a longer life.

7. Neutering your corgi

Surprisingly, neutering your dog is one of the best things you can do for them. It can reduce aggression, behavioural issues and even cancer risk.

One of the main benefits of neutering your corgi is that it can reduce aggression. Aggression can be caused by testosterone which is associated with dominance and territorial behaviour. That is why neutering your corgi will reduce this type of aggressive behaviour.

Neutering your pet can also help improve other behavioural issues, as they are less driven by hormones.

This might include destructive behaviour such as chewing furniture, digging holes in your yard or destroying other family pets' toys by playing with them until they break apart – just to name a few examples!

Neutering your corgis can also provide health advantages, including reducing the risk of uterine infections and prostatic hyperplasia, or cancers of the breast, ovary, or testicles. These cancers are deadly in around 50% of dogs. However, it's important to remember that the risk is not eliminated by neutering your pooch!
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As well as reducing the risk of developing certain health conditions, neutering your corgi will also help give you peace of mind as they less likely to get into any trouble with other dogs or cats while they are outdoors. So, hey, it might just help you live longer too.

Final thoughts on tips to help your corgi live longer

While we’d love our furry friends to last forever, unfortunately, life has other ideas. There are a number of factors that are out of your control and are just part of corgi ownership.
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However, you do have power to make a difference.

Thankfully, we a strategy of nutrition, healthcare, exercise, and safe living conditions, you can increase the time you get to spend together with your corgi.

So, get out there and give your corgi the best life you can. You, and your corgi, will be better for it.

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