Lean Dogs Live Longer

Want your dog to live longer? Two long-term studies have some amazing news!

In a 2002 study, researchers put 48 Labrador Retrievers into pairs, feeding one dog 25% less food than the other. This was done for the entire lifespan of the dogs - the study went for over 14 years! It’s obviously super expensive to conduct research like this, which is why we don’t have many studies like this.

But the results are eye opening. 

The study found that compared to the “normally” fed dog, the calorie restricted dog weighed less and had lower body fat content. That makes sense, less food means less dog.

But here’s the kicker: the median life span was significantly longer for the dogs that were kept lean. 

There were other benefits too. The onset of chronic disease was delayed for the diet restricted dogs, meaning an improved quality of life. The lean dogs also showed significantly less visible signs of ageing (like grey hairs) and had higher activity levels. Not only the lean dogs live longer, they looked and acted younger too!

By age 10, seven of the heavier dogs had died compared to only three lean dogs. By age 12 only one heavier dog survived, compared to eleven lean dogs.

That is absolutely astonishing. 

These results have been expanded on by a 2019 study of nearly 60,000 dogs over a 20 year period. This study looked at differences in life span between dogs with “normal” and “overweight” body conditions, across 12 different breeds of varying sizes.

Here’s how it worked. Dogs in this study were put into two group according to their Body Condition Score (BCS). The dogs were regularly graded by a vet to determine their BCS. Dogs that were never classified at thin or heavy using BCS were called “normal”, and dogs that had been classified as heavy at each visit were called “overweight”. 

The results? This study shows that overweight dogs had a significantly shorter lifespan regardless of breed. Overweight dogs lived up to 2.5 years less than lean dogs.

In addition, the study suggests that being overweight can increase the likelihood of other diseases like osteoarthritis. The authors also note that “obese dogs have a poorer quality of life than dogs in ideal condition”.

It doesn’t get clearer than this folks. 

Please don’t overfeed your dog! Lean dogs live longer.

** IMPORTANT NOTE **

These findings apply to fully grown dogs, it’s slightly different for puppies. While your dog is growing and developing (up to 12-18 months) it’s important that they are receiving enough nutrition. You certainly don’t want them overweight, but you don’t want them too lean either. 

Here’s a quick rule of thumb:
Puppy - if you’re not sure, feed more.
Adult Dog - if you’re not sure, feed less.

And of course, if you have any concerns or questions get in contact with us 🐾