How long do purebred labs live

As with any dog, his diet, as well as inherited diseases and healthcare, will influence his lifespan. These factors include the genetic information that your dog has inherited from his parents as well as all the other events that will happen to your dog over his life including disease, accidents, and injury. The statistics for lifespans are often pretty inaccurate and sometimes based on information that is outdated. Fortunately, now we have a lot more data than we used to from scientific studies.

Studies have placed the average age for a Labrador at 12 years, but this information is also evolving with some evidence that the Labrador Retriever lifespan might be increasing. All purebred Labradors will inherit several Labrador characteristics that he shares with other Labs.

Labradors are pretty lucky in that they inherit a pretty sound body shape. With nicely proportioned bodies, they are designed well for jumping and running. A Labrador will also not have to deal with breathing issues that result in shortened faces or a small skull that may cause damage to their brains.

Temperament is also somewhat controlled by genes. They then, in turn, can pass on these favorable genes to their own puppies. Even though Labradors are a relatively healthy breed, some diseases can influence just how long your Labrador Retriever will live.

And, it also affects how healthy that dog will be during his lifetime. Certain diseases like CNM and hip dysplasia can be tested before you use the dog for breeding. However, other diseases, like cancer, do not have tests available, and Labrador Retrievers tend to be more susceptible to some cancers than other breeds.

A dog DNA test can often be revealing in terms of genetic predispositions your dog may have. For example, some researchers suspect that the gene that causes black fur in wolves could also be related to reducing inflammation and fighting infection.

The researchers noted that coat color in some dog breeds has been associated with aggression, as well as markers for higher rates of deafness and blindness.

Overall, labs were also one of the most obese dog breeds, the study found. Nearly nine percent of the U. Notably, male dogs who had been neutered were more likely to be obese The researchers concluded that the finding might help vets more quickly identify potential health problems, and ideally, affect breeding practices to produce healthier, longer-living dogs.

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We live on a farm so they are out all day, walked morning and night. She has had heart murmurs since a puppy and I was told she would be lucky to make it to 9. She is in really good shape just starting to slow down. He has pretty bad elbow displaysia, had a large cancer lump removed last year and needs thyroid pills 2x day. I know neither has a lot of time left but enjoy it while I can. They are my buds and will be sorely missed.

Daisy is a She joins me on 4K hill hikes at least days a week. I have always feed her high quality grain free food, pumpkin pure.

I adopted my Senor Male Chocolate Daunte when he was already nine years old. He ran away from previous owner and then showed up on my front porch. The previous owner a young Fellow probably was not into an older Dog who sleeps a lot. I walk him daily a minimum two miles and feed him Kirkland Dog food and Dentix chews for the teeth. I get him professional baths twice a year.

I now he has few years left to live so I spoil him as best I can. He spends most of the time indoors but has a good sized backyard to play in. Minimal human food but occasional cheese. Daunte is now 13 Years old and our four Year anniversary comes Sept Our Ginger girl was born in the spring of , making her about I used to follow the book as far as flea treatments and shots, but found she would get sick; her knees would bother her and she would get worms.

About 10 years ago, I decided to let nature be in charge. We have a large wooded yard for her to roam in. She has recently gone to soft foods as her teeth are worn down. But she also helps herself to our compost, so does the wildlife in the area, really funny seeing a fawn with an orange stuck to her nose in the winter , as we garden and eat many veggies and fruits.

She gets table scraps, including lamb and bison bones, but no processed food. Now, even though she is lumpy and bumpy, and near the end of her life, she still has a smile on her white face. He was 24 years old. My dad passed in , and we have had him since. My dad got him when my son was 3 years old, he is 27 now. George was a farm dog, and enjoyed everything. He had arthritis these last 5 years — and he was always a large dog weighed 80 lbs but was muscular, not fat.

My choc lab has just turned 15 I thought that was good, 24 must be a world record. We have a nearly 14 yr old unspeyed pedigree choc lab. She still acts , looks and behaves like a puppy. Pet health and nutrition website has great natural products for laryngeal paralysis.

They have helped my 14 year old boy a lot! I currently have a lab named Katie that I got as a gift for my 15th birthday from my mother. She was 5 weeks old exactly when i got her on August 5. She was the runt of the litter. She is by far the smartest dog I ever owned and seems to be able to adapt to any situation and prevail.

She became an excellent bird retriever with minimal effort because it come natural to her like it does a lot of labs. But not all. I have seen a bunch of labs that will fetch but not retrieve birds and I swear on my life I personally never seen one that was as good as her that had not been trained by professionals.

I admit tho that professionally trained labs were more obedient than her but I trained her to the best of my knowledge and was still a kid and had no idea how to train a lab. She would even follow whatever direction I pointed at. But unlike a trained dog that will stop when u blow a whistle to see where u point, she would only turn around to get directions from me if there was not a bird or whatever she was searching for where she initially thought it would be.

But she did not come back without it. Which that proved to be problematic at times. So I would have to keep a training dummy with me to throw or I believe she would drown herself searching. But at 15 the thought of that never crossed my mind while trying to teach her. If it were up to Katie she would already be under the duck as it fell and catch it in mid air.

And she was very good at catching things and very very fast on land. In fact I had to stop throwing a heavy training dummy or sticks for her to fetch and swap strictly to light tennis balls because she was so fast that when I would throw as hard and far as I could it with her at my side, she would make it to the area the ball was going in time to turn around and catch it. That was one of my favorite tricks to show people that she did. But when I stopped throwing the dummy was the day she figured out that she could do that and it almost hurt her.

It was way too heavy to catch in mid air and u could tell it hurt her jaw so I switched to balls. And she knew where every single one was. She somehow figured out that even when people wouldnt throw it anymore from her pouncing and slapping at their feet with both paws they woild, they would when she pinned a super slobbery soaking wet ball to their legs with her paw.

And if u tried to just ignore all of that showmanship she was pulling and go on about your business, next thing u know u felt a super slobbery ball on your hand because she would walk up from behind u and try to stick the ball in your hand lol. I love that old girl but her days of fetching and hunting have been over for several years now because shes 16 and in no shape to do any running but it aint by her choice.

Her back hips give her problems now it seems. We have a girl lab, six years old yellow one, at our home in Japan. She was also born in Japan. She is doing very well now and very healthy. I have a six year old black Labrador dog named Ralph. He has been fine so far but of late he seems to be walking very slowly when we are returning back from our one hour walk. I am worried that there might be some health issues with him. Do I need to contact my vet. Please any advise would be helpful.

When our black Lab Stetson was around the same age he too started to slow down. You should definitely consult your vet before giving any supplements. My ole girl Divey shirt for Godiva is 16 years 4 months.

She eats Kirkland mature food at night with salmon oil. That has really made a difference for her dry skin. We adopted her from the veterinary school research lab when she was 4. We joke they gave her some good stuff there.

Duke a black lab with white spot on chest and hind feet now going on 21 started greying around mouth still the fastest dog on the property and catches the odd rabbit once in a while love him to bits. Wasnt neutered until he was 6 or 7 when he and the other Male started fighting when my dad brought a puppy home. He had twisted kneecaps on both hind legs that kept him from running fast or jumping in anyway. My Chocolate Lab Buddy will be 14 in December.

He has been an outside dog. This past winter something happened to him with his breathing and he has a gagging cough. He has a bad habit of covering up his food with straw and I believe he ingested some of it. Brought him back home expecting to lose him and started handfeeding cooked chicken breast and scooping water in our hands for him to drink.

He recovered but breathing is a problem. Yesterday was just 84 here in Ky and little humid. Husband found him foaming and purple tongue so we think he suffered a heat stroke because of poor breathing. So, now he is in his huge winter kennel in home with us with central air and fan blowing on him.

Breathing much better. His back hips are starting to go and has trouble getting up and walking. Love our Buddy! We got our girl Princess from Lab Rescue never changed her name ; just before her 5th birthday. She will be 16 on the 4th of July this year. She is extremely healthy to this day. Only issues are an arthritic lower back that has weakened her back legs, cataracts, and some hearing loss. She has been through a lot—mostly brought on by relentless counter surfing.

She once ate an entire bag of raw potatoes, she has eaten loaves of bread in the plastic, even coffee grounds. Several times she broke into the trash and ate chicken carcasses.

She has never been sick other than one UTI, and never had surgery, other than being spade. We were told she had birthed a litter of puppies before we got her. She has never lost her veracious appetite, and as I type this, she is breathing hot breath on my leg asking for her dinner. Our pure chocolate lab Katie is turning 15 in 6 weeks. She walks every day, although the walks are getting shorter. We do not feed her table food. Just dry food and have added some canned food for dinner.

I was looking through the comments and was so surpsied to see the long life many of these labs have lived!!! We are hoping Katie feels heathy and well enough to make it many more years!! I have not had any health issue since when my first male was put down for hip dysplasia.

The oldest female I had passed it I currently have a 17 year old a two year old and one year old. My 17 year old still runs and plays just like she did at 7. My yellow lab friend is 12 years old and till about weeks ago he still went on a 30 minutes walk twice per day or more and he was a bit running too. He was not like a year before but still moving around, fetching a ball … and then suddenly about 2 or 3 weeks ago he started to stopping on walks after 20 meters… last days he is stopping on 5 meters maybe he goes 10 and then he lays down.

The vet gave him some pain killers and glucosamine. At night he sleeps in my bed, but I was thinking that through the day he might be happy to lay on an ortopedic bed if I buy one? Does anybody have this for their lab? I have small stairs 4 stairs and I made him a rampe… Do you maybe have some other recommendations or suggestions? I will be very happy! Thank you for every comment i'll receive! My dogs also started to slow down around 12 years old. The Glucosamine really seemed to help my dogs when they got older.

Something else you might consider is getting him something to help him walk on slick surfaces. There are dog booties and toe nail grippers that can be helpful. Hopefully that helps.

Thank you very much for the advise! I will talk about it with my vet. Thank you :. My girl Nellie was 16 in May she had both knees replaced 5 years ago, she is strong as an ox and sets the pace when we walk. I credit it to healthy diet, excercise, regular vet visits and a loving home.

She survived two bouts of cancer Mast cell and is doing great except for arthritis in her hind quarters, loss of almost all hearing, and minor loss of sight. We feed her Natural Balance dry food and table scraps such as leftover meats. I always cook extra vegetables so that she can have a serving or two with her dinner. She is always happy. We started her on Galliprant this week, to see if will help with her arthritis.

The 1st, Korbel, was a beautiful yellow lab, very smart.. About a year before he died Korbel was retired but we still had him. However, there are some serious illnesses they are susceptible to that can impact their lifespan and even shorten it greatly. All of the above health issues can be serious and devastating for a Labrador Retriever, but there are some that are more dangerous than others. In fact, one study suggested that cancer is a leading cause of death Labradors, followed closely by musculoskeletal disorders.

Labs were also found to suffer a high rate of obesity, skin and coat issues, ear issues and joint problems. Hip and Elbow Dysplasia can be devastating for lager, athletic dog breeds like the Labrador. When you think of hip and elbow dysplasia, you may immediately think of large or giant breed dogs. While it is true that these ailments are more common in dogs like Great Danes and Labrador Retrievers, they can also crop up in smaller dogs.

Unfortunately, these conditions are very common in Labrador Retrievers , and this is something you should consider when considering how long do Labs live. Both hip and elbow dysplasia are hereditary skeletal conditions that occur in the hip and elbow joints of dogs.

It happens when the ball and socket of these joints either are not properly developed or do not fit properly within one another. This causes wear and tear on the joint over time as the ball and socket bones grind together instead of rotating smoothly when the dog moves. Dogs with hip and elbow dysplasia are typically born with the condition, though not all of them experience symptoms at the same time.

Although hip and elbow dysplasia are both inherited conditions, there are some lifestyle factors that could either trigger the condition or even lead to it becoming more severe over time. Puppies who do not maintain a proper diet specified for large breed dogs are at higher risk of developing bone and joint issues as they age because they grow so large so quickly. Some other factors that can lead to hip and elbow dysplasia or even make it worse include improper or overly strenuous exercise, an injury, obesity, and poor nutrition.

There are a variety of treatments for these conditions that range from lifestyle shifts to surgical procedures. You can also work to prevent hip dysplasia in your Labrador Retriever by ensuring he is properly exercised, eats a quality dog food specified for his age and weight, ensuring he is at a healthy weight, and by providing him glucosamine treats for dogs.

Arthritis is most commonly found in older Labrador Retrievers. Most of us are familiar with arthritis in people, but it is also a common condition in dogs. So, how long do labs live with arthritis? It also progressively worsens as dogs age, which can lead some veterinarians to consider euthinasia if managing severe arthritis is not an option.

This leads to a rubbing and grinding in the joint socket, which further damages the area. Some types of arthritis can also cause inflammation, which can lead to spurs, which are abnormal growths of bone around the joint. Damage caused by arthritis often goes unnoticed until the condition is severe.

This is for a few reasons. First, most dogs are excellent at hiding pain and discomfort. Arthritis has a variety of causes, but it is common in large breed dogs like Labradors mostly due to their size and oftentimes their lifestyle. Labs are high energy dogs that can be prone to obesity, which can further impact complications from arthritis. So, how long do Labs live with arthritis? Luckily, arthritis is not life threatening on its own. There are plenty of treatments for arthritis that can be implemented.