Cane Corso pronounced as “Kah-neh kor-so” is large size southern Italian dog breed, which was bred for protection and tracking. They are also used as guard dogs and police watchdogs.
Cane Corso is a brave, strong, and dominant breed. They possess high-level intelligence and confidence in themselves. But, how long can they live on average?
The average life expectancy of Cane Corsos is between 10 and 12 years which is relatively low compared to other breeds. Due to their large size, Cane Corsos have a shorter lifespan than other smaller size dogs such as Chihuahua. This is because large-size dogs age faster and tend to develop some health issues.
In this article, we’ll explain in detail the common health conditions of Cane Corsos, factors that determine their lifespan, and how we can improve their life expectancy. So, keep reading!
How Long Do Cane Corsos Live?
The average lifespan of Cane Corso is around 10 to 12 years, similar to most of the large size breeds. Some owners also state that their Cane Corsos live up to 9 – 12 years on average.
However, the overall life expectancy of Cane Corso can be more than its average lifespan if you provide them a healthy lifestyle and enough physical activities.
The lifespan of dogs depends on multiple factors, including their lifestyle, diet, training, and proper healthcare. In my opinion, the most important factor which can tremendously affect the Cane Corso’s lifespan is the diet and nutrition.
So, it is crucial that you give your Cane Corso, a proper diet of high-quality dog foods. This could help them to stay healthy and live longer with you.
Common Health Problems of Cane Corsos
There are some genetic or inherited health concerns and risks for Cane Corso. You should be fully aware of those health concerns as they can decrease Cane Corso’s life expectancy. I will discuss them in detail below.
Here are some common health concerns related to Cane Corsos:
Hip Dysplasia
Ectropion
Entropion
Epilepsy
Skin Allergies
Gastric Torsion
Hip Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is the most common health concern in most dogs, no matter what the size of your dog is. It always tends to have this disorder once in their lives. In hip dysplasia, the balls and sockets between the hind legs don’t fit with one and another properly.
Hip dysplasia can appear early at the age of 5 months. The man symptom of hip dysplasia is the discomfort in the hind legs such as stiffness and lameness.
Luckily, it can be treated more easily by corticosteroids or anti-inflammatories. They are given the dog food as a nutritional supplement. In severe conditions, the injections anti-inflammatories used to be injected, and, if necessary, surgery can also happen.
Ectropion
Ectropion is one of the eye disorders that is common in Cane Corso, especially a concern with the eyelid of your pup. It is the condition in which the lower eyelid rolls out or droops. It can affect one or both eyelids at the same time. It can happen to nerve injury or corneal injury in the eye.
Usually, dogs with loose skin are more susceptible to this disorder, and your Cane Corso is also vulnerable to it.
Entropion
Entropion is another eye disorder, in which the eyelids of your pup rolls inwards. Because of the inward rolling of the eyelids, it brings itself a lot of issues such as pain, conceal ulcers, perforations, and development of figments on the cornea due to the rubbing of eyelids with the cornea of an eye.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a condition called “Seizure” happens. A seizure is an electrical disturbance in the brain, which is uncontrollable. Due to this unruly behavior of the brain results in the sudden change in the level of consciousness, behavior feelings, and movement.
There are two types of epilepsy:
Primary epilepsy (Idiopathic epilepsy)
Secondary epilepsy
Epilepsy, which is genetic or inherited by the parents in your pup, is called primary epilepsy or idiopathic epilepsy. On the other hand, epilepsy, which is caused by infections or toxins, is called secondary epilepsy.
Skin Allergies
Skin allergies are common in Cane Corso, everyone Cane Corso in four is affected by skin allergies, which can lead to Pyoderma. There are a lot of skin issues that your Cane Corso can be affected in the future.
They tend to have skin allergies like Deep Pyoderma, Elbow Hygroma, Skin Fold Dermatitis, and Chin folliculitis.
The most common skin allergy is Demodectic Mange, according to coalition survey, 37% Cane Corsos are affected by Demodectic Mange.
Gastric Torsion
Gastric Torsion is a disorder of the digestive system in which the stomach is affected in two ways. The first way is the bloating of the stomach, which means that the stomach fills up with a mixture of gases, froths, and fluids.
The second way is torsion. Torsion is caused by bloating in the stomach, in which the stomach is twisted inside the abdomen. They can co-occur or after one another.
What Are the Factors That Determine the Lifespan of a Cane Corso?
As we have come to the point on which we have learned the common health issues related to Cane Corso, taking good care of them can be one of the factors of your Cane Corso’s longer lifespan.
Some of the factors that can determine the lifespan of a Cane Coso:
Exercise and training
Quality of the diet
Healthcare
Family history
Size
Exercise and Training
Exercise and training are the major factors that determine the lifespan of Cane Corso. Proper training and exercise enable your Cane Corso to live longer than its average lifespan.
Cane Corso is a very dominant breed. They need the right amount of socialization training because they are very susceptible to the threats around them.
Regular physical activities and exercises also keep a dog healthy and fit which increases its life expectancy. A dog without exercise may get overweight easily and lead to a shorter lifespan.
Quality of the Diet
What your dog eats says a lot. Diet is one of the factors which can single-handedly increase the Cane Corso lifespan. You can determine the lifespan of your pup by its diet.
A statistical study shows that dogs fed with home-made raw food have an average lifespan of 13 years while dogs fed with industrially processed food have an average lifespan of 10.4 years.
This study shows that the quality of the diet is an important factor in the overall lifespan of dogs. Home-made foods work best for your Cane Corso. It can be meats, vegetables or a combination of both.
However, it depends on your dog, whether a mixed diet of meat or veggies makes it happy or not.
Healthcare
Proper healthcare and regular veterinary visits are necessary to maintain the lifespan of your Cane Corso. Because of the longevity of your pup, it depends on the healthcare you are giving to it.
Early diagnosis and treatment of any disorder not only prevent your Cane Corso from pain but also improve its lifespan.
Family History
You can determine the overall life expectancy of your Cane Corso by investigating or knowing the family history of it from the breeder who has bred it. Reputable breeders usually maintain a proper history of every breed.
Get some information such as family health history of the puppy from the breeder. A family health history can determine puppies with a higher-than-usual chance of having common disorders such as cancers.
Body Size
The size of a dog matters a lot. We know that the smaller breeds live longer than larger or jumbo breeds. There is a big difference in their average lifespan.
Larger dog breeds usually have a shorter life expectancy because they grow faster and age quicker than smaller size dog breeds. Because they grow faster, they develop age-related diseases such as cancers earlier.
How to Improve the Lifespan of Cane Corso?
There are certain ways to improve the lifespan of your pup. Some of them are as follows:
Nutritional diet
Regular veterinary visits
Deep attachment and sentiments.
Keep your Cane Corso out of hazardous chemical products
Nutritional Diet
A nutritional diet is necessary to improve the lifespan of your Cane Corso. A nutritious diet is a form of a balanced diet in which protein and other supplements are provided in the diet to enhance its lifespan. Make sure to feed your pup with high-quality brand foods that have balanced nutrition.
You can also create a custom dietary plan for your pup other than the high-quality brand foods such as meat and veggies. You can also feed bones to your pup.
Regular Veterinary Visits
Regular visits to your near veterinary are necessary for your Cane Corso’s healthcare. It is recommended to visit your pup once in a year.
If you can bear the expenses of weekly visits, you should consider that to diagnose the health problems at the early stages.
Deep Attachment and Sentiments
Dogs are closer to humans in terms of attachments and feelings. The more you will be closer to your Cane Corso, the more it will be deeply attached and happy with its life, which can ultimately increase the lifespan of your pup.
They feel sad and lonely when you spend less time with them. Make sure to spend as much time as possible with them. Build a good relationship by playing some fun games with them such as hide-and-seek and frisbee.
Keep Your Cane Corso Out of Hazardous Chemical Products
Chemical products such as detergents and hazardous liquids should be kept out of the reach of your Cane Corso, and they can be extremely dangerous for your Cane Corso. Always make sure your household is clean and neat from any harmful things.
My Final Thoughts
Wrapping up to the conclusion, we know the average lifespan of Cane Corso, which is from 9 to 12 years.
But as we have discussed above, the life expectancy of Cane Corso can be increased by proper healthcare, diet, exercise, training, and a great healthy lifestyle with deep attachments.
Your Cane Corso seems to be confident and protected for the external world. But under its short coat, there is a demanding heart and attachment from the owner, which inevitably pushes it a little further in its lifespan.
Comments