Can We Make Dogs Live Longer?
Longevity has become one of the hottest topics in human medicine. Everyone is clamoring to learn the best ways to improve both lifespan and “healthspan,” a term now being used to describe the period of life before you start developing debilitating medical conditions. It’s a fascinating topic, and specialists from seemingly every area of health and medicine are chiming in with the next tip, trick, or biohack to make you the next centenarian. With all this buzz, animal lovers naturally want to know whether we can help our beloved dogs live longer, healthier lives, too.
The answer is yes, and not with some magic pill. Multiple companies are developing longevity-increasing medications for dogs, which is an incredibly exciting area of research and development! However, as pet owners, we have many opportunities to improve our dogs' lives and healthspans with simple interventions. But first, we need to ask: What are the primary conditions that shorten a dog's lifespan?
As a veterinarian, one of the hardest things to see on the schedule is “QOL.” That means that an owner is bringing their pet in to discuss their quality of life. More often than not, that appointment leads to euthanasia. The fact of the matter is, most dogs in the U.S. don’t live long enough to die from whatever underlying conditions they have. The vast majority of our patients are euthanized when their owners feel that they no longer have a good quality of life. So, if we can improve the factors owners use to measure quality of life, we can extend dogs' lifespans!
Everyone measures quality of life a bit differently for their individual dog, but most owners focus on two primary categories: mobility and behavior. Can they still do the things that they once loved? Can they still interact with the family the way they always have? These are important questions owners often consider for their elderly dogs. Luckily, mobility and behavior are two areas where early intervention and consistent effort can make a huge impact! We’ll be discussing each of these topics in more detail in subsequent posts, so stay tuned!