Longevity

[MarketThyme]

Hello, I have a one year old Lab who I want to live healthily for a very long time! Does anyone have experience of having healthy long lived dogs and any recommendations? For example does feeding fresh food including veg / supplements such as salmon oil / lots of exercise / lower end of healthy BMI help most? I want to do right by my gorgeous pup.

I had a long lived healthy dog (not a lab).
His main food was royal canin, plus a bit of our leftovers - not much veg but always the skin off salmon etc.
Exercise is obviously important and healthy weight (I don't think the concept of BMI applies to dogs...what would the 'height' of a dachshund be?) - lean and well muscled.

I don't know if there's been any studies but I'd bet money that being relaxed and not stressed helps their longevity too.

I think it might be down luck mainly if your dog manages to have good health,

But I do have a gorgeous black lab girl aged 15 snoozing at my feet. We have minimised stress for her I.e. I wouldn’t leave her alone for more than 4 hours, and she is in her own home with a vetted and recommended dog sitter when we go away. Obviously nutritious food is essential, a good walk a day, lots of love and attention, and good vet care when needed. She is kept to a routine and always has been, and I think she likes that.

We haven’t given supplements, or not regularly. Apart from Yumove and not sure whether that’s been particularly beneficial or not.

They can be expensive!

Enjoy your gorgeous boy/girl.

@ErrolTheDragon. Your Bmi for dogs made me Google and.. bmi for dogs calculator 😀 says d dog us underweight. Vet does't agree I will admit I guesstimated the height.

We've had 2 that have lived to 16 and 18.
No expensive food. We got the cheapest bags from Asda (about £10 for a huge bag). Then fed occasionally things like carrots and liver when on offer.
We made sure they were never overweight and walked between one and two hours a day. Also lots of cuddles!

They were mid sized mongrels though which tend to not get the issues other dogs get.

We had one of our 11 year old Chocolate Labs put to sleep this week following an acute heart condition. Up until then, he was very healthy, rarely sick and full of life.

Our other 11 year old has amazing fitness and stamina levels for his age and we envisage a good couple of years left with him.

We’ve always fed them a good quality dry complete food. No wet food, no human food (unless it’s cooked meat and the obligatory Christmas dinner! )

We’ve worked very hard to ensure they didn’t put any weight on as they got older so as not to put any extra strain on their joints.

But as PP have said, just like us humans, the lifespan can vary depending on individual dogs.

Enjoy your 1 year old - I remember fondly how much energy they have!!!

My darling mongrel girl ( collie/terrier) lived to be almost 19. Fed on bog standard food, a few kitchen scraps, treats like cheese and plate lickings but never, ever burgers or anything like that.

Obvs regular vet visits.

Kept slim, walked regularly, lots of holidays and adventures, interacted with and talked to all the time, lots of games.

I adored her.

I have had 4 labradors that have lived to 16 years old.

Good breeding helps. Keeping their weight low. You do need to see the labs last rib. The Andrex puppy is obese!

Regular sensible exercise. Not catch up exercise only on the weekends. They can clock up the miles encourage this.

Mental stimulation to fed their predatory motor pattern. Hunting sniffing and retrieving. Even more important for working labs.

Not just the labs. I have a collie with me now who is 18 and still wants to help with the sheep if I let him

Controversial but I titre test all my dogs and vaccinate when needed and wormcount and only treat when necessary.

I didnt initially do this for health benefits but more for environmental issues but it may be a factor I dont know.

All good and important points. I hadnt really considered stress from a longevity perspective but it makes sense. Thanks.

To everyone reading, it goes without saying there will always be things completely outwith our control too like genetics and sheer bad luck. The questions and answers in this thread are in no way intended to deny that. Often there's nothing we can do. This is just about sharing our experiences and doing the best we can for our much loved dogs, which we all invariably do x

All good points too, thankyou!

16 and 18 are great ages for dogs. Sounds like a happy lifestyle. I'm going to google Asda food too! Thank you.

My first Labrador, born 1991, lived to fourteen. Second, born 2005, lived to sixteen. Current Labrador, born 2021, should go on even longer. All fed mid-range kibble, trained and exercised and loved.

Sorry to hear about your dog. I'm glad to hear your other dog is well. I think it's a very relevant point about how dogs, just as with people, who share same lifestyle live to different ages. I wish your dog so many more years of healthy happiness with you x

It sounds like your girl had a wonderful dog life with lots of happy adventures. 19 is a fantastic age for a dog. You're adding to the view that there's so much more to a healthy happy life than what we eat (of course always with the above caveat that so so much is outwith any of our control).

@keenotter all very good points. I'd be interested to learn more about your experiences of titre testing and Worm counts (what is that?). I give my pup monthly Worm treatments and follow the recommendations on vaccinations just in case I need to send him to dog care or boarding in an emergency. But I often wonder if it's OTT. Your dog's sound like they've lived to very healthy old ages x

That's lovely, and promising to hear that each of your Labs has lived longer (or you expect them to). Do you think it's a sign of advancing vet care and nutrition in complete foods for dogs? I'm with you in hoping my Lab lives even longer than 16 (which is well above average for a Lab).

I want to do all I can to try to help ensure it. The responses in this thread have given me a lot to think about. It's a given that luck is a big part for all (dogs and people) but it also sounds from others experienced that (if we're on the right side of luck) factors other than diet play as big a role.

@Pinkbendyman so sorry

OP I do wormcounts every 3 months you send a sample of their poo off to the lab really easy to do they give you all the stuff you need. They test for worms IF they are present you then worm with the wormers. In many decades I have only had to treat for worms twice. Think of all that unnecessary medication I would have given the dogs!

Titre test is a blood test to check that their immunity levels are high and that they do not need to have booster vaccines. You cannot titre test for lepto so you may choose to give that vaccine yearly but cuts down on excessive vaccination but still knowing your dogs are protected and not at risk.

Really interesting study done on Labs which highlights the importance of keeping them slim from a young age:

www.purinainstitute.com/science-of-nutrition/extending-healthy-life/life-span-study-in-dogs

Mine got vaccinations, wormer and bravecto on the vet recommended schedule and was fine with it.

Interesting...and the control group presumably had a 'normal' diet rather than, as is too common especially with labs, being overfed.

I'm not an expert on labs but apart from the hip problems which presumably are worse as a function of weight, a lot seem to suffer from arthritis in later life. Is that the sort of thing where excess weight and inflammation plays a part?

@MarketThyme Yes I think there is a lot more to it than diet alone - good breeding is a huge factor but also, as with us humans, it is also the luck of the draw.

My scruffy little moppet of a dog ( my Scottish vet said she was 'A wee black dog' when asked) just happened to inherit the best from all her genes.

I love Labradors but have never owned one. I've also had several generations of sheepdogs.

I highly recommend Andrew Cotter's channel about his two- Mabel and Olive - on YouTube.

Unless they have signs I've never given my dogs worm tablets. We have had 5 dogs over 20 years and only needed them twice. The current two eat all manner of horrible things and never seem to suffer.

Keep the weight off.
Also check advice for age at neuter, as for some breeds it's advised to leave it a while.

I have two labs - almost 14 and 9

Ensure parents are health tested and query longevity with breeders. So many problems are inherited

Weight and good diet is a major factor - don’t overfeed.
Exercise appropriate to age and stage.
I do supplements - salmon oil and plaque off from 1 year; others as age appropriate. Fibre as necessary.
Find a vet you like and can see consistently. Look at Physio and other treatments as necessary.
Stress is a killer. Keep them happy, according to their needs - one of mine loves other dogs & people, other one not so much

I agree that only treat if dog has worms unfortunately lung worm and other worms can not be seen visually so the wormcount test covers all bases and ensures your dog is not at risk if not wormed.