For dog owners, having an idea of the life expectancy of their companions can allow them to take various measures to maintain it at different key stages of their life (a different diet, less sustained physical activity, etc.). good health. Members of the Royal Veterinary College are therefore committed to defining the life expectancy of dogs in the UK based on a sample of over 30,000 dogs by breed, sex and sterilization. The purpose of such work is to give permission to its owners.develop realistic expectations for the typical remaining lifespan of their dog through life expectancy knowledgeThis guides them to the most appropriate medical decisions to be made in the company of veterinarians.
18 breeds and 30,563 dogs were examined
For this study, the researchers decided to approach the question of life expectancy in the form of a mortality chart, unlike other studies of the same kind. “Rather than presenting a single value for the mean age at death, the life table is a tabulated expression of life expectancy and probability of death at different age groups in a given population.“, in the words of the authors of this study. This format is used, for example, by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Research (Insee). Thus, it is possible to track the probability of death and probability of death over the year for all ages. This study provides the first table of its kind for British dogs. Anonymous VetCompass uses the database and translates the life expectancy of 18 breeds and crossbreeds after 30,563 dogs, 47.7% female and 57.4% female.
Jack Russell front
According to the results obtained, the life expectancy at birth for English domestic dogs was 11.23 years, and this figure decreases with age. Indeed, the probability of death increased almost systematically at all times of the year (except at the very beginning of life). Females have a higher life expectancy of up to 12 years than males. Later, it became the same for both sexes. The study reveals that sterilized dogs have an overall better life expectancy.
For dog owners, having an idea of the life expectancy of their companions can allow them to take various measures to maintain it at different key stages of their life (a different diet, less sustained physical activity, etc.). good health. Members of the Royal Veterinary College are therefore committed to defining the life expectancy of dogs in the UK based on a sample of over 30,000 dogs by breed, sex and sterilization. The purpose of such work is to give permission to its owners.develop realistic expectations for the typical remaining lifespan of their dog through life expectancy knowledgeThis guides them to the most appropriate medical decisions to be made in the company of veterinarians.
18 breeds and 30,563 dogs were examined
For this study, the researchers decided to approach the question of life expectancy in the form of a mortality chart, unlike other studies of the same kind. “Rather than presenting a single value for the mean age at death, the life table is a tabulated expression of life expectancy and probability of death at different age groups in a given population.“, in the words of the authors of this study. This format is used, for example, by the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Research (Insee). Thus, it is possible to track the probability of death and probability of death over the year for all ages. This study provides the first table of its kind for British dogs. Anonymous VetCompass uses the database and translates the life expectancy of 18 breeds and crossbreeds after 30,563 dogs, 47.7% female and 57.4% female.
Jack Russell front
According to the results obtained, the life expectancy at birth for English domestic dogs was 11.23 years, and this figure decreases with age. Indeed, the probability of death increased almost systematically at all times of the year (except at the very beginning of life). Females have a higher life expectancy of up to 12 years than males. Later, it became the same for both sexes. The study reveals that sterilized dogs have an overall better life expectancy.
The breeds with the best life expectancy at birth were Jack Russells (12.72 years), Yorkshires (12.54 years), Border Collies (12.10 years) and English Springers (11.92 years). Conversely, particularly fragile French Bulldogs had a life expectancy of just 4.53 years at birth. Minor point of semantics: “life expectancy at birth equals life expectancy“dog, explains Science and the Future Kendy Tzu-yun Teng, co-author of this study published April 28, 2022 in the journal Scientific Reports. “We calculated the life expectancy for this age (0 years, editor’s note) using all dogs still alive up to that point. Since all dogs in this environment are viviparous at birth, life expectancy at that time is the average lifespan of all dogs.‘, says the researcher.
Life expectancy at birth for 18 breeds and a range of crossbreed dogs, United Kingdom (click image to enlarge). Credits: Sciences et Avenir
Differences by country
This study focused on UK dogs only, as life expectancy can differ between countries. Thus, a Labrador lives an average of 14.1 years in Japan, 12.5 years in the UK and 10.5 years in Denmark. And in France? “Life expectancy at birth is fairly similar in France, explain Science and the Future Dr. Benoît Hédan is a veterinarian and research engineer in the dog genetics team of the Rennes Institute of Genetics and Improvement (CNRS). However, in the UK as well as in France there is an enormous longevity heterogeneity with respect to the French Bulldog, mainly due to the presence of dogs with more or less brachycephaly. These hypertypes are responsible for health problems (respiration, heart, etc.) but their effects can be limited to a certain extent, especially by surgical operations that prevent the dog from having too long soft palate.. Dogs that have been operated on tend to live longer because of this.
However, the figures for this study have limited coverage due to dog fashions that differ between countries. “When a breed is popular, there are many young dogs and a few older dogs. This automatically results in an overrepresentation of mortality rates of young dogs because they are more numerous for their age. Conversely, in a declining race, life expectancy is artificially increased.“, says Dr. Hédan. Small and even miniature breeds are more common in Japan than in the UK, for example.
However, even within the same breeds, the life expectancy of dogs in Japan is higher than in the UK. “These differences between countries may be due to cultural differences between owners and veterinarians, such as maintaining heavy therapeutic follow-up, such as euthanasia or, conversely, chemotherapy. Emphasizes Benoît Hédan. And some countries are more intrusive than others in terms of prevention. For example, about the policy of early neutering, which may affect the animal’s health.Therefore, it seems difficult to get a homogeneous and global picture of the life expectancy of dogs.