Health guide
Maltese lifespan and health: the honest, complete picture
The Maltese is one of the longest-lived toy breeds, but the guides rarely tell you what these dogs actually die of or what to watch at each age. Here is the full vet-referenced picture, from puppy blood sugar to the senior heart check, tuned for life in Singapore.
Nelson and Kim, Curious Tails · AVS licence AS24J00046
What is the lifespan of a Maltese and what health issues do they have?
A Maltese typically lives 12 to 15 years, among the longest of any toy breed. The leading cause of death is mitral valve heart disease in older age. The conditions to know are luxating patella, dental disease, puppy hypoglycaemia, tracheal collapse, eye and tear-duct issues, white shaker syndrome and liver shunts. A lean weight, daily dental care and yearly vet checks do most of the protective work.
How long do Maltese live?
A healthy Maltese typically lives 12 to 15 years, with many owners reporting around 13 years and a well-cared-for dog sometimes reaching 16 or 17. That makes the Maltese one of the most long-lived companion dogs you can bring home, and among the longest-lived of any toy breed. As a general rule, small dogs live longer than large ones, and the Maltese sits at the fortunate end of that curve. The AKC breed profile lists the same 12 to 15 year range.
Genetics deal the opening hand, but everyday care plays most of it. The dogs that reach the top of that life expectancy range tend to share the same story: a lean weight for life, daily brushing of the teeth, an annual booster and health check every year, and owners who acted on small warning signs early instead of waiting. This page walks through exactly what those signs are, life stage by life stage.
Maltese lifespan at a glance
- Typical lifespan: 12 to 15 years
- Average around 13; 16 to 17 is achievable
- Among the longest-lived toy breeds
- Leading cause of death: mitral valve heart disease
- Biggest owner levers: weight, teeth, yearly vet checks
What Maltese actually die of: the honest section
Most breed guides list ten conditions and dodge the real question, so here it is plainly. The leading cause of death in the Maltese is cardiovascular disease, and specifically mitral valve disease: a degenerative condition of older small dogs in which the valve between the heart's left chambers slowly stops sealing, letting blood leak backwards and straining the heart. After heart disease, congenital conditions and cancer are the other significant causes, as the veterinary breed guide we reference sets out.
The practical takeaway is not fear, it is the stethoscope. Mitral valve disease announces itself years early as a heart murmur that a vet can hear at a routine health check long before your dog shows anything. Caught early, it is monitored; when it progresses, modern heart medication can add real, comfortable time. Signs to bring forward to a vet in an older Maltese: a soft cough, tiring easily on walks, or faster breathing at rest. This is the single strongest argument for never skipping the annual visit, even when your dog seems perfectly well.
The common Maltese health problems, condition by condition
Beyond the heart, a familiar set of conditions turns up in the Maltese more often than in dogs generally. None of them is a reason to avoid this long-lived, fundamentally sound purebred companion; they are simply what an informed owner watches for. Here is the honest list with the early warning signs for each.
| Condition | What it is | Early signs to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Mitral valve disease | Age-related heart valve leak; the leading cause of death | Murmur at a check-up, cough, tiring easily |
| Luxating patella | Kneecap slipping out of its groove; most common toy-breed orthopaedic issue | A skip or hop on a back leg, then walking normally |
| Dental disease | Plaque and gum disease from crowded teeth in a small jaw | Bad breath, tartar, red gums, reluctance to chew |
| Puppy hypoglycaemia | Low blood sugar in very small, young puppies | Weakness, wobbly gait, glassy eyes, collapse |
| Tracheal collapse | A weakening windpipe, aggravated by neck pressure | A dry goose-honk cough, worse when pulling or excited |
| Eye and tear-duct issues | Blocked tear duct, irritation, later-life cataracts | Heavy tearing, tear stains, squinting, discharge |
| White shaker syndrome | Generalised tremor syndrome of small white breeds | Fine full-body tremors, usually in young adults |
| Liver shunt | A congenital vessel bypassing the liver | Poor growth, disorientation after meals, seizures |
Knees and teeth: the two everyday battlegrounds
Two conditions dominate real Maltese ownership, and both reward attention. The first is luxating patella. The kneecap sits in a shallow groove in toy breeds, and when it slips you see the classic sign owners describe on forums: the dog does a little skip or hop on a back leg for a few steps, then trots on as if nothing happened. Mild cases (vets grade them 1 to 4) often need nothing beyond keeping the dog lean; frequent skipping, limping or pain warrants a vet review, and only the more severe grades are surgical. Keeping joints padded with a lean weight, and avoiding constant jumping off sofas, is genuine prevention.
The second is dental disease, and it is the one owners most underestimate. A Maltese carries 42 adult teeth in a genuinely small jaw, so crowding traps plaque, tartar builds, and periodontal disease follows: bad breath, sore gums, loose teeth, and chronic inflammation that vets link to wider health strain. The fix is unglamorous and effective. Daily brushing with a dog toothbrush and enzymatic toothpaste, vet-approved dental chews as a supplement rather than a substitute, and professional dental scaling under anaesthesia when your vet advises it. For a breed that can live 15 years, a clean mouth is one of the highest-value habits there is.
Tiny-dog specifics: blood sugar and the windpipe
Two more issues come with the small package itself. Hypoglycaemia, low blood sugar, mainly affects very small, very young puppies whose reserves are tiny: a missed meal, a chill or an exhausting day can leave a pup weak, wobbly and, in serious cases, collapsed. It is managed with frequent small meals and sensible routine in the early weeks, and it is a core reason we place puppies at around nine weeks, at a robust weight, rather than earlier and smaller. It is also a key reason we refuse to sell so-called teacup Maltese: deliberately undersized dogs carry this risk for life.
The other is tracheal collapse, a gradual weakening of the cartilage rings of the windpipe seen in several toy breeds. The tell is a dry, honking cough, often when the dog pulls on the lead or gets excited. You cannot prevent the cartilage ageing, but you can remove the aggravator: walk your Maltese on a chest harness, never a collar, so there is no pressure on the neck. It is a one-purchase fix that every Maltese owner should make on day one.
Small-dog rules of thumb
- Harness, not collar, from the first walk
- Frequent small meals for young puppies
- No unsupervised sofa-diving; use a ramp or steps
- A wobbly, weak puppy is a same-day vet call
Eyes, tremors and the liver: the rarer ones to know
The eye and tear duct deserve their own mention because they connect to the breed's signature cosmetic issue. Heavy tearing on a white face usually shows up as tear staining, and most of it is cosmetic, but a blocked tear duct, infection or irritation can sit underneath, and sudden or one-sided changes belong at the vet. Our full tear stains guide covers the cosmetic-versus-medical line in detail. Later in life, cataracts and other age-related eye changes are worth asking about at senior checks.
White shaker syndrome, formally generalised tremor syndrome, is the strange one: fine, whole-body tremors that typically appear in young adult small white dogs. It looks alarming, but it generally responds well to vet-prescribed treatment, and most dogs recover fully. A liver shunt (portosystemic shunt) is a congenital vessel that lets blood bypass the liver; the signs are a puppy growing poorly, seeming disoriented after meals, or seizing, and a vet confirms it with a bile acid blood test. It is uncommon, serious and treatable, and it is exactly the kind of thing a pre-sale vet health check and healthy, well-grown parents stack the odds against.
Life-stage timeline: what to watch at every age
Maltese health is not one list, it is a timeline. What matters at nine weeks is irrelevant at nine years, and vice versa. Here is the whole 15-year arc in one table: what each life stage asks of you, and how often the vet should see your dog.
| Life stage | Main things to watch | Vet cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy (to ~12 months) | Hypoglycaemia in the early weeks, growth and appetite, liver-shunt signs, teething | Vaccination visits at weeks 6, 8 and 12, then sterilisation and check-ups as advised |
| Adult (1 to ~7 years) | Weight creep, dental disease, patella skipping, tear staining, coat and skin | Annual booster and full health check every year |
| Senior (from ~7 to 8 years) | Heart murmur and cough, slowing down, lumps, cloudy eyes, stiffness | Twice-yearly checks plus a yearly senior blood test |
The Singapore angle: heat, humidity and an indoor life
Overseas health guides never mention the climate your Maltese will actually live in. In Singapore, heat and humidity are a daily management job for every dog, and a small white companion is no exception. The good news first: the Maltese is a natural indoor dog, perfectly suited to an HDB flat, and its single white coat has no thick undercoat trapping warmth. The caution: no toy breed should be pushed in tropical conditions. Walk in the early morning or evening, skip the midday sun, test the pavement with the back of your hand (hot pavement burns small paws fast), keep fresh water always available, and treat heavy panting, drooling or wobbliness as overheating and cool the dog down at once. Heatstroke is an emergency. Our guide to Maltese in Singapore's heat covers the full routine.
The tropics also shape the maintenance calendar. Year-round warmth means year-round parasites, so heartworm, tick and flea prevention continues every month with no winter off-season. And constant humidity keeps a long coat damp for longer, which is a skin and comfort issue as much as a cosmetic one; most local owners keep a short, practical clip and a steady grooming routine. Managed this way, the climate takes nothing off a Maltese's lifespan.
Prevention: the four habits that add years
Strip away the condition lists and Maltese preventive care comes down to four habits. First, keep a lean weight: ribs easy to feel under your fingers, a visible waist, measured portions. Obesity strains the heart and the knees at once, and it is entirely in your control; our what a Maltese eats guide covers portions. Second, own the mouth: daily brushing and scaling when advised, as above. Third, stay current: complete the puppy vaccination course, then keep the annual booster going from Year 1, alongside monthly parasite cover.
Fourth, buy screening and use screening. Start with a puppy from health-screened parents with known parentage, then let your vet do the same job for life: regular check-ups are cheap, and early detection turns most of the conditions on this page from a crisis into a management plan. Breed clubs such as the American Maltese Association push the same message: this is a robust breed whose owners largely write its health story. Budget honestly too; vet costs rise in the senior years, and pet insurance taken out young is worth pricing.
How we screen before a puppy goes home
Everything above is why our process looks the way it does. We are an AVS licensed shop, and every purebred Maltese we place starts with health screening on our side: puppies come from health-screened parents with known parentage, follow the standard vaccination schedule at weeks 6, 8 and 12 with deworming at each visit, and go home at around nine weeks already microchipped, at a robust weight, with a vet health check completed before handover and every record in your hand.
We do not trade on paper certification, because a document never kept a dog healthy. What protects your Maltese is genuine screening, an honest handover briefing on the warning signs in this guide, and a vet relationship that lasts the whole 12 to 15 years. If you are weighing up the breed, come and meet our available Maltese puppies, ask to see the health records, and ask us the hard questions. We would rather you walked in informed than walked out surprised.
Frequently asked questions
How long do Maltese live?
A Maltese typically lives 12 to 15 years, often around 13, and it is not unusual for a well-cared-for Maltese to reach 16 or 17. They are among the longest-lived toy breeds.
What do Maltese usually die of?
Heart disease, especially mitral valve disease in older age, is the leading cause of death, followed by congenital conditions and cancer. That is why a vet listening for a murmur at every annual check matters so much.
What health problems are common in Maltese?
Luxating patella, dental disease, puppy hypoglycaemia, tracheal collapse, eye and tear-duct issues, white shaker syndrome and liver shunts are the ones to know. Most are manageable when caught early.
Do Maltese have bad teeth?
They are prone to dental disease because 42 teeth crowd a very small jaw. Daily brushing and vet scaling when advised are among the highest-value things you can do for a long life.
Why should a Maltese wear a harness instead of a collar?
The breed can develop tracheal collapse, a weakening of the windpipe. A chest harness avoids pressure on the neck, while pulling on a collar can trigger the classic goose-honk cough.
When is a Maltese considered a senior?
From around 7 to 8 years old. Nothing changes overnight, but that is when twice-yearly vet checks and a senior blood test start earning their keep.
Is Singapore’s heat a problem for Maltese?
Managed sensibly, no. Walk early morning or evening, avoid hot pavement and midday sun, keep fresh water down and watch for heavy panting. The single white coat copes, but no small dog should be pushed in tropical heat.
Are your Maltese health checked before going home?
Yes. Every puppy has a vet health check before handover, comes from health-screened parents with known parentage, and goes home vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped with records.
Meet your Maltese
Come say hello at Balestier
2 Balestier Road #01-701, Singapore 320002 · Weekdays 12pm–6pm · Weekends 10am–6pm. Or message us first: tell us about your home and routine, and we'll tell you honestly if a Maltese fits.
The signature care job
Tear stains sit right on the line between grooming and eye health. Here is the full routine.
Maltese tear stains guide