Eukanuba has published the results of a 10 year study to evaluate the health and longevity of continuously Eukanuba-fed dogs, in which 90% lived beyond the breed's typical lifespan.

Before the start of the study, a independent panel of veterinary academics and experts assessed existing evidence concerning the longevity of Labrador Retrievers and came to a consensual conclusion that the average lifespan for the breed is 12 years.

39 Labrador Retrievers in early to mid-adulthood were then enrolled in the study¹, which began in 2004. All the dogs were neutered and had identical housing, standardised daily care and veterinary care. The dogs were fed the amount of food needed to maintain each dog within an optimal body condition score.

Remarkably, 28% of the dogs in the study achieved exceptional longevity, living beyond 15.6 years. One dog very nearly made it to 18 years of age.

The study was overseen Eukanuba's Longevity Council, a panel of international vet and industry experts including Professor Stuart Carmichael, Dr Penny Watson, Dr Vicki Adams, Professor Steve Dean and David Morgan, which collectively agreed that the secret to healthy ageing in canines is a careful balance of nutrition, good husbandry and effective veterinary care.

Professor Steve Dean, Former Chairman of the UK Kennel Club said: "Nutrition is a major contributor to the health of dogs in the long term, of course it isn’t the only contributor; good husbandry and good veterinary care are the other major pillars for health and longevity. The correct nutrition has a big part to play in maintaining dog health throughout its entire life, which we’ve found out from the Eukanuba Long Life Observation, can be a lot longer than we have previously expected. We’ve always assumed that Labradors will live 12 years if we’re lucky, but now we have a whole new target to aim for…16 and 17 years. It is quite phenomenal."

Dr Penny Watson, Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine, Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge said: "Vets as a profession are very good at treating diseases in animals, but perhaps slightly less good at giving preventative advice to pet owners about healthy lifestyles. As vets, we should be thinking all through an animals life cycle, from puppy to geriatric, about the preventative aspects, such as good diet, maintaining the right body condition score and other aspects including dental care, rather than just looking disease and treating it."

David Morgan, Eukanuba’s Senior Scientific Communications Manager said: "The hope is that we can take the message that it’s not only about nutrition but what we call appropriate care, which is veterinary care and husbandry, looking after the dogs in a responsible way. Because, yes we have some great observations and we are starting now with Dr Vicki Adams to break down into more detail what we’ve actually seen in the Eukanuba Labradors and what recommendations we can give in the future so that all dogs can have that longer, healthy and more vibrant lives."

Reference

1. Healthy ageing and longevity in dogs - a lifelong approach. Eukanuba Veterinary Symposium. Pre-Congress Symposium at the VetMadrid 2015, the XXXII AMVAC Annual Congress. March 5th 2015.

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