As a dog-lover, you’re going to want to keep your best friend healthy, happy and alive for as long as possible. And new research shows that you can!
Good news
A study from PURINA in the United States shows pet owners may have the power of pet longevity in their own hands.
In the first-ever lifelong canine diet restriction study, Purina researchers have shown that a dog’s median life span can be extended by 15 per cent – 1.8 years for the Labradors studied – by feeding to ideal body condition through diet restriction.
The 14-year PURINA Life Span study (whose findings have been published in the respected Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) found that dogs that consumed 25 per cent fewer calories than their littermates during their lifetimes maintained a lean or ideal body condition, resulting in a longer life.
Study findings
According to experts, the study provides the most significant data to date on the effects of diet restriction as the...
- First diet restriction study completed for the entire life span of a larger mammal;
- First completed study to document that diet restriction increases survival time in mammals larger than rodents;
- First study to achieve these health benefits for dogs with moderate reduction of food intake (25 per cent versus the 30 per cent to 50 per cent typically used in rodent studies)
"We all know that obesity, whether in humans or canines, is generally bad for health,” says Dennis Lawler, PURINA scientist and a lead study investigator. “What’s exciting about this study is that, for the first time in a larger mammal, we have shown scientifically that by simply feeding to maintain ideal body condition throughout a dog’s life, we can increase length of life while delaying the visible signs of aging. That’s powerful stuff.”
Study design
When the study began, 48 eight-week-old Labradors from seven litters were paired within their litters according to gender and body weight and randomly assigned to either a control or restricted-fed group.
The control group was allowed to eat an unlimited, or free choice, amount of food during 15-minute daily feedings. Dogs in the restricted, or lean-fed, group were fed 75 per cent of the amount eaten by their paired littermates.
All dogs were fed the same 100 per cent nutritionally complete and balanced diets (puppy, then adult) for the entire period of the study, from eight weeks of age until death – only the quantity was different.
Dogs were weighed weekly as puppies, periodically as adolescents and then weekly as adults. Beginning at six years of age, they were evaluated annually for ideal body condition using the PURINA Body Condition System, a scientifically validated standard used by vets in the US to evaluate body physique in pets and thus assess weight and health.
Key points
Lean or ideal body condition refers to the evaluation of body physique in pets as an indicator of their overall health and well-being, generally falling into three categories: underfed, ideal and overfed.
- Underfed – Ribs are highly visible.
- Ideal body condition – Can feel and see outline of ribs. Dog has a waist when viewed from above. Belly is tucked up when viewed from the side.
- Overfed – Dog has no waist when viewed from above. Belly is rounded when viewed from the side.
Other health indicators – including body fat mass, lean body mass, bone mass and glucose, glucose and insulin use, and cholesterol and triglyceride levels – were measured annually to assess condition and health.
Conclusions
Study findings revealed that the median lifespan of the lean-fed dogs was extended by 15 per cent, or 1.8 years. Median life span (the age at which 50 per cent of dogs in the group died) was 11.2 years for the control group, versus 13 years for the lean-fed dogs.
By age 10, only three lean-fed dogs had died, compared to seven control group dogs. At the end of the 12th year, 11 lean-fed dogs were alive, with only one control dog surviving. Twenty-five per cent of the lean-fed group survived to 13.5 years, while none of the control group dogs lived that long.
The study showed that the lean-fed dogs maintained a significantly leaner body condition from six to 12 years of age than the control group dogs, with mean body condition scores between four to five (ideal) and six to seven (overfed), respectively. On average, the lean-fed group weighed less, had lower body fat, and after a certain age, experienced a two-year delay in the loss of lean body mass as they aged, compared to the control group dogs.
In addition, according to observations of the researchers, the control dogs exhibited more visible signs of ageing, such as greying muzzles, impaired gaits and reduced activity, at an earlier age than the lean-fed dogs.
What it means for your dog
The study reveals the crucial role ideal body condition plays in health and longevity. However, obesity remains the number one nutritional problem among dogs. Studies have documented that at least 25 per cent of dogs in the US may be overweight – a figure that is reflected in Australia, too.
To maximise their dogs’ health, dog owners should learn how to recognise the signs of obesity and feed to ideal body condition.
It’s certainly something to think about if you want your loyal and loving companion around for as long as possible.