The Purina Institute marked the 25th anniversary of the Purina Life Span Study, research that linked lean body condition to an extended life span in dogs and continues to inform how veterinary professionals approach healthy weight and longevity.
The 14-year study found that Labrador retrievers kept in lean body condition from puppyhood throughout life lived a median of 1.8 years longer than heavier matched littermates and went longer before chronic disease required treatment.
According to the Purina Institute, the study was the first lifelong dietary study conducted in dogs. Researchers followed 48 Labrador retrievers from seven litters throughout their lives. Matched littermates received the same complete and balanced diets, but one dog in each pair was fed 25% less food than its littermate to help maintain lean body condition, while the other was fed as a control.
Lean-fed dogs lived longer, delayed chronic disease
Lean-fed dogs had a median life span of 13.0 years, compared with 11.2 years for control-fed dogs, a 15% extension. Lean-fed dogs also reached a later age before requiring treatment for age-related chronic conditions: 12.0 years, compared with 9.9 years for control-fed dogs.
At age 8, 10% of lean-fed dogs had osteoarthritis affecting two or three joints — hip, shoulder, elbow or stifle — compared with 77% of control-fed dogs.
Researchers have since used the study’s longitudinal data to develop and validate a biological clock and clinical markers that may help estimate biological age and predict health trajectories and mortality risk in dogs.
“The Purina Life Span Study reflects our commitment to high-quality, long-term research,” said Brittany Vester Boler, Ph.D., of Nestlé Purina PetCare Global Research and Development. “Its data and samples are still helping us ask — and answer — new questions about healthy aging in dogs.”
According to the Purina Institute, routine body condition scoring and nutrition counseling can make healthy weight part of preventive care. Purina’s 9-point Body Condition System is designed to help veterinary teams and pet owners assess body condition, with an ideal score of 4 to 5 for dogs.
“The Purina Life Span Study has profoundly shaped how I practice and teach veterinary medicine,” said Dr. Julie A. Churchill of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. “I integrate the findings and talk about this every day with pet owners. The message is simple but powerful: feeding pets to maintain a fit and lean condition supports longer, healthier lives.”
More information is available at 14-Year Life Span Study in Dogs | Purina Institute.
