A study carried out with data provided by owners of more than 25,000 dogs in the United States, 238 different breeds, has allowed one of the first large-scale studies on the relationship between the size of dogs, their life expectancy and risk patterns for health problems throughout the animal's life. The results of this research led by researcher Yunbi Nam, from the Department of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health at the University of Washington (United States) in collaboration with the Dog Aging Project consortium, have been published in the journal PLOS ONE (17 January).
The authors note that, on average, smaller breed dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs. However, this is not necessarily because larger dogs have more serious health problems than their smaller counterparts. The results of the new study detail, in this sense, that dogs of different sizes have different levels of risk of suffering from different types of conditions. The most notable part of this study is, consequently, the presentation of tables in which the risks of diseases are related depending on the size of the dogs.
To further understand the relationship between size and health, researcher Yunbi Nam and her colleagues analyzed survey data on 27,541 dogs representing 238 breeds, as reported by dog owners participating in the Dog Aging Project. canine).
In general, the larger dogs in the study were more likely to have faced certain types of health conditions at some point in their lives, including cancer, bone-related diseases, gastrointestinal problems, ear/nose/throat problems, conditions neurological and endocrine diseases and infections. diseases.
Meanwhile, smaller dogs were more likely to have experienced eye, heart, liver/pancreas, and respiratory diseases.
Data on prevalence of kidney/urinary disease did not differ significantly between large and small dogs.
For many types of conditions, including cancer, eye, heart, orthopedic, and ear, nose, and throat conditions, different dog sizes were associated with different risk patterns over a dog's life.
The results obtained statistically take into account the sex of the dogs, the place where they lived and whether they were pure or mixed breed.
The researchers note that this study does not confirm any causal relationship between dog size, age and disease. Still, "the findings could help achieve a deeper understanding of the types of conditions that may be the cause of the shorter life expectancy of older dogs," indicates a dissemination note on this study released by the University of Washington. . For example, within the disease categories explored in this study, future research could focus on age and size patterns associated with specific conditions.
The authors add: "These results provide insight into the categories of diseases that may contribute to reduced lifespan in older dogs and suggest multiple additional avenues for further exploration."
