How to help your dog live longer, according to experts

About once a week, my wife and I play a little game. One of us will call out to the other. “Bab, you’ll never believe it!” “What is it?” “Mona is going to be the first dog in history that lives forever!” “I knew it.” Then we gather our endlessly patient cockapoo up in our arms and celebrate her immortality. This makes us about as unique as hummus at a summer picnic – there are 13 million dogs in the UK (four million more than previously thought) and the bond between dogs and owners is stronger than ever, explains Dan O’Neill, professor of companion animal epidemiology at Royal Veterinary College (RVC). “There is increasing research and evidence that dogs are members of the family. It’s not in a sappy way, but a really positive thing about how humans will build their lives around their dogs,” he says. But a dog’s average lifespan is about 11.2 years to a human’s 81. So it’s hardly surprising that we want to pretend, even for a moment, that we won’t have to face the inevitable pain of saying goodbye. The good news is that the solutions to this are not limited to deluding yourself, or attempting to copy Barbra Streisand and have your dogs cloned (expensive and, frankly, deranged). You can also apply humanity’s current wellness fixation – longevity – to your furry friend. Experts, Dr Susan Little, veterinary surgeon and president of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), and O’Neill explain all the steps owners can take to keep their pet healthy and happy for as much time as possible. Shorts How innately healthy is your dog? The first and most important step, O’Neill says, is to assess your dog’s health. “There are two types of health: clinical health and innate health. Innate health is the stuff you’re born with.” This matters because breeding practices over the last century or so mean many dogs no longer have attributes typical of canines. “Innate health for a dog means: do I have a nose? Do I have a tail? Do I have a spine that can bend? Do I have flat skin? Do I have eyelids that can cover my eyes, and so on. The impact of exercise and food and so on on a dog’s lifestyle is trivial compared to this.” Dan O’Neill, Professor of Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College Earlier this year, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare released a free, 30 second innate health assessment that looks at 10 factors that can compromise the health and welfare of a dog. O’Neill is keen to emphasise that this is not intended to shame owners of dogs who do not pass all the innate health criteria. “But owners need to know if their dog is extreme or not. We’ve normalised dogs with no muzzles, or with short legs, or no tails. These are common traits, but they’re not normal, and they have a huge influence on lifespan and healthspan.” With that clear picture of your dog’s innate health, you then know what health problems you will have to mitigate for. If, for example, your dog doesn’t have eyelids that can cover their eyes, that means regularly cleaning them. If they don’t have a nose, that means reducing exercise, particularly in the heat, and helping them sleep sitting up or with a toy in their mouth. “Dogs with no noses can’t sleep properly because when they sleep they bend their head and kink their neck and suffocate.” If they have very short legs and a long back, that means restricting movement, or if they have no tail, helping them with balance and communication. But even if your dog is innately healthy, there are plenty of factors that can impact their lifespan, also known as clinical health. We live in an era of unparalleled access to care, Little points out. “Many first-opinion practices now have access to ultrasound, dental X-rays, rapid in-house blood and urine testing, advanced monitoring equipment and keyhole surgery. These tools can help vets diagnose problems sooner, treat pain more effectively and support a better quality of life.” However, you don’t need to start throwing money at advanced testing straight away: “Assessing health markers like weight, body condition, mobility, appetite, thirst, toileting habits, dental health and general behaviour is very useful,” she adds. Is your dog overweight or stinky? Be honest Some health factors can – and should – be monitored at any age. Weight and body condition is a major one and O’Neill recommends asking for a veterinary assessment: “There are levels of overweight for dogs and most owners are a little bit generous when it comes to assessing their own dogs’ condition. I would have loads of dogs that used to come in that were overweight, and their owners would swear blind that they were perfect.” The vet or vet nurse will give you a score along the curve of underweight, perfect weight and overweight, depending on the breed, as well as instructions, if needed, on how to help your dog gain or lose weight. “If you don’t deal with what the body condition score tells you then that will lead to other problems,” he explains. “Overweight dogs have a higher risk of joint problems: biomechanically they have to carry more weight. Then there are breathing problems and organic diseases like diabetes.” Both innately healthy dogs and those with innate challenges can be prone to weight gain, either because they have a voracious appetite (golden retrievers, labradors) or they cannot exercise enough (pugs because of breathing issues, dachshunds because of spinal disc issues). The good news is that losing weight, for all overweight dogs, will help their health immeasurably. “If you have flat-faced dogs that are overweight, that puts a load of extra adipose fat within their thorax and reduces their ability to breathe,” O’Neill explains. “So one of the best mitigations you can do for your bulldog or pug, is to help them lose weight – their breathing will improve dramatically.” Dental health is another health factor that owners can often miss, especially as dogs can often power through pain. “Gum disease and infected teeth can affect a dog’s comfort and overall health, but many dogs keep eating even when their mouths are affected,” Little says. “Bad breath, drooling, chewing on one side, red gums or visible tartar are all reasons to ask your vet for advice.” Prevention being preferable to cure, both recommend attempting to get into regular toothbrushing, or at least using special chews and toys made to try and work dog’s teeth and toys that help as well. A polite dog is actually a healthier dog Perhaps the less obvious way that we can help our dogs live longer, healthier lives, is by making sure that they’re well behaved. If your dog is aggressive, don’t assume it’s an inherent trait. “A lot of dogs that we deem as aggressive are just in pain. Any human that has chronic pain will know how that can make you short tempered,” O’Neill says. This is just the dog’s best attempt at communicating. But even if there is no physical cause behind a dog’s behaviour, it’s only beneficial to your dog’s health to train them. “Dogs are bred to bond with us and their natural behaviour is reliant on us, to allow them the freedom to express that behaviour,” explains O’Neill. “But they live in our world so they have to abide by our rules: no soiling in the house, no outside time without a lead and so on.” It’s up to owners to give our dogs the tools to live in our world without the constant risk of being told off. Stress and anxiety are thought to negatively impact a dog’s lifespan. “A dog barking excessively is not a problem for the dog, it’s just alerting you to what it perceives as threats,” O’Neill says. “The problem is that this is a behaviour you don’t desire. If you don’t actively work to help the dog stop the undesirable behaviour, that dog is going to be impacted by constantly being told off for what is an innate behaviour.” If you are struggling with behavioural issues, O’Neill recommends using the support of a dog behaviourist who can shape training in ways your dog will understand. And rest assured it’s a myth that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks – O’Neill says working to train your dog out of undesirable behaviours can benefit at any age. Don’t let changes creep up on you As a dog ages, it becomes important to also pay attention to things like their agility and their senses. But what really matters is the pace of change. “A gradual change may simply reflect ageing, but anything sudden, unexpected or steadily worsening should be checked,” Little says. “Owners know their dogs best, so trust your instincts. Speak to your veterinary practice if you notice increased thirst, a change in appetite, altered toileting habits, fainting or falling over, new lumps, worsening sight or hearing, breathlessness, confusion, restlessness, reluctance to exercise, or behaviour that feels out of character. Dogs cannot tell us they feel pain, nausea or anxiety, so changes in behaviour are often one of the first clues that something is wrong.” Little recommends using the free PetSavers’ Ageing Canine Toolkit to help owners note down small changes. This then means you can get the most out of vet appointments and make any necessary adjustments to their day-to-day. “Older dogs often feel more settled with a predictable routine,” she adds. “Keeping meals, walks and rest times fairly regular can help, especially if they are less confident with change. Even if they cannot walk far, a gentle sniff about can provide important mental stimulation. If they are less aware of their surroundings, using a lead may help them feel secure and connected to their owner.” She recommends small changes, such as a ramp for steps, non-slip flooring, extra bedding, raised bowls if helpful, gentle grooming, and a quiet den away from noise and bustle. But more than anything else, “companionship matters. Being present, noticing changes and working with your vet can help a dog’s later years remain comfortable, engaged and full of the routines they know and love.” Manage your expectations And finally, understanding what to expect at the end, and when to expect it, can greatly benefit both the owner and the dog. “Different breeds have different life expectancies and knowing that shapes what our expectations are too,” says O’Neill. “For breeds like pugs, their life expectancy is about seven and a bit years, for example.” O’Neill adds that as humans, we not only have agency about what sort of dogs are born into the world – we also have agency on how that dog leaves. “It’s one of the most traumatic events for most people, but it can also be one of the most liberating if they frame it in their head that they are taking one for the team. They’re going to break their own hearts to help their dogs.” But he adds that that grief doesn’t break that bond: “Your dog doesn’t have to be on four legs walking around on this planet to be with you.” He still uses the name of the dog he grew up with in some of his passwords and thinks of that Jack Russell all the time: “She was everything to us. And every time I log into some things, my dog is still with me.”