# Are dogs living longer these days? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792 "2019-09-06T15:39:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/1 "2019-09-06T15:39:33Z")
I understand that today many dog owners buy “healthy” food for their pets, and in general give them treatment that parallels current human approaches. Has the life expectancy of dogs increased over the past 20 years or so? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/2 "2019-09-06T16:36:42Z")
I doubt there’s an answer. There are many different breeds of dog varying in life expectancy, plus a huge number of mixed breeds with no established life expectancy, plus all the dogs whose age is not accurately known. Even if there is some indication of increased life expectancy in dogs it would be difficult to correlate that to the so called healthy foods as opposed to better medical treatments. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/3 "2019-09-06T17:18:36Z")
According to this () article: > [@](#): > > Life expectancy for humans born in 1901 was 49 years. Now it’s 77. Dogs also live longer than they used to. In 1987, 32 percent of dogs lived past six years. Now about 44 percent do. There is no cited source for this information linked in the article. > **[How do you calculate dog years?](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/05/how-do-you-calculate-dog-years.html)** > > The oldest dog in the world, a dachshund from Long Island named Chanel, turned 21 on Wednesday. Some news reports listed her age as 120 in "dog... That’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/4 "2019-09-06T17:28:15Z")
I can’t seem to bring up the referenced study, but supposedly yes: [https://blog.neogen.com/study-shows-pet-life-spans-increasing/](https://blog.neogen.com/study-shows-pet-life-spans-increasing/) My expectation would be that, if nothing else, pet lifespan will have increased at least with the reduction of smoking by humans. I believe that we have also been doing a better job of identifying poisons in the food over time and we have almost certainly reduced lead contamination levels across all food sources since we’ve gotten rid of leaded gasoline. Pets should be living longer for most of the same reasons that humans are living longer. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/5 "2019-09-06T17:44:42Z")
Yes, According to one [study](https://www.banfield.com/Banfield/media/PDF/Downloads/soph/Banfield-State-of-Pet-Health-Report_2013.pdf) it was up 4% from the years 2002-2013. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/6 "2019-09-06T17:45:19Z")
Also, at least in urban or more affluent locations, pets (dogs and cats) are more likely to be kept in the home rather than being chained in the yard or left loose outside at all times. Living in the home means that the animal is kept cleaner, less likely to have parasites and is better fed and vetted. (I’m not saying 100% of any of these, just better than when they’re left as stray/feral.) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/7 "2019-09-06T18:01:27Z")
anecdotally, the breed my folks’ have typically had have a stated lifespan of 12-15 years, but all of their dogs have gone to 16-17 years. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/8 "2019-09-06T18:43:58Z")
Golden retriever lifespan has gone from 16 to 13 years, due to inbreeding. > **[Doggy Health: Are Golden Retrievers Prone to Cancer? - Official Golden Retriever](https://www.officialgoldenretriever.com/blog/health-nutrition/doggy-health-are-golden-retrievers-prone-cancer)** > > Cancer is one of the worst diseases that affect dogs and humans alike. Because of the smaller genetic pool, some pure dog breeds are prone to getting certain types of cancers, and the Golden Retriever is no exception. The Goldy is one of the most... ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/9 "2019-09-06T18:48:03Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Golden retriever lifespan has gone from 16 to 13 years, due to inbreeding. That’s curious. I’m currently on my 3d golden. Buster is about to have his 11th birthday. Seems to be going reasonably strong for an old dog. Neither Bowser nor Daisy made it to 11. Cancer for both at age 10. But meaningless sample size. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/10 "2019-09-06T19:58:21Z")
I don’t know about the last 20 years, but 40 years ago it was common to put bone meal into dog food and throw dogs a real bone on a regular basis. Ending those practices had to have added a year or more to the average dogs life. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/11 "2019-09-06T20:19:23Z")
I had Rat Terrier who came from Bitch that was 16yo. My dog lived to 20+. Died in her sleep on her favorite chair. Rat Terriers are known for longevity. But keeping her on good chow and keeping her health-care up to date had to have helped. She had one litter of pups at age 5. Never doing that again. I got her spayed right after that. Smartest dog I ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/12 "2019-09-06T20:30:47Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > That’s curious. > > I’m currently on my 3d golden. Buster is about to have his 11th birthday. Seems to be going reasonably strong for an old dog. > > Neither Bowser nor Daisy made it to 11. Cancer for both at age 10. But meaningless sample size. My uncle’s ex-wife breeds show champion Goldens for a living. Despite fawning care, the majority of her personal dogs have died before 12, many from cancer or leukemia. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2019, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/13 "2019-09-06T23:08:10Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Even if there is some indication of increased life expectancy in dogs it would be difficult to correlate that to the so called healthy foods as opposed to better medical treatments. I believe nearly all domestic animals are evolving/being bred for longer lifespans (except food animals – they are often bred for faster growth/shorter lifespan). Components of this are: - better veterinary care (including preventative care). - safer environment. (It’s common knowledge that domestic cats, dogs, & horses live longer than feral ones. And that ones kept indoors outlast those allowed to roam outside.) - better feed. mainly, more feed, fed every day. Quality of the feed isn’t that improved, and hasn’t as much to do with longevity changes. (For domestic animals. Most of the feed research is related to improved production for feed animals.) In pet food, many of the changes (different colors, formed into little shapes, etc.) are mainly to appeal to the owner buying the feed. They don’t have much effect on the pets longevity. - Breeding. This has had a mixed effect. Most domesticated animals have been bred to have a longer lifespan than their ancestors. But humans also are prone to fads where they overemphasize some breeding traits, leading to accompanying genetic defects. For example, Persian cats have been bred so flat-faced that they often have breathing problems, hip displacia is common in dogs like Labs, golden retrievers, & German shepherds, Quarter horses have been bred with excessively muscled hindquarters but insufficient lower legs & hooves to carry that (plus HYPP metabolic problems), etc. Often these genetic weaknesses reduce breed lifespan. How each of these factors rank in terms of effect on lifespan is much disputed. > [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I don’t know about the last 20 years, but 40 years ago it was common to put bone meal into dog food and throw dogs a real bone on a regular basis. Ending those practices had to have added a year or more to the average dogs life. What in the hell are you talking about? My Vet specifically advises giving a bone (uncooked, large beef bones) to dogs for an occasional treat. (Better than the commercial dog ‘treats’.) ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/14 "2019-09-07T00:35:20Z")
A special mention should go to Taurine supplementation in commercial cat food. It seems that the role of taurine was not appreciated in cats, or rather their inability to synthesise enough, and when fed cheaper commercially produced foods, especially those bulked out with carbohydrates, the deficiency caused a clear reduction in lifespan, with a range of major health issues. The problem has been alleviated by supplementing food and general education about the issue. Not dogs however. Dogs synthesise enough not to be dependent on dietary intake. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-living-longer-these-days/839792/15 "2019-09-07T00:54:13Z")
I am not sure dogs live so much longer. Horses do though. Way longer. A few reasons, but one of main ones is dental care. Used to be that old horses essentially starved to death in the midst of plenty, because they couldn’t chew any more. Now it is standard good care to have the chewing surfaces 'floated" or rasped level again on an annual basis. 45 years ago, 20 years was about the usual limit, now 30 year olds in good shape are no longer at all remarkable.