How long labrador retrievers live

Also, regular preventative care such as booster vaccinations and parasite treatments help keep your dog well. The Longest Living Dogs. Breed has a part to play. For example, cross-breed dogs live longer than purebreds, but there are exceptions. Breeds with cricket-score life expectancies include poodles, whippets, and Jack Russell terriers.

These guys even out-bat the mutts, in terms of how long they live. Sadly, size seems to have an inverse effect on lifespan. Those gentle giants such as the Great Dane, Bernese Mountain dog, Irish wolfhound, and Mastiffs rarely get to double figures. One theory behind this is that their extended growth in early life to reach those giant sizes uses up a good proportion of their allotted lifespan of cell function.

But, how long do Labrador Retrievers live? Well, they are a large breed, rather than a giant dog. No more, no less. Labrador Retrievers are a breed at heightened risk of some hereditary health problems. They then start on a vicious cycle where eating becomes their main pleasure in life.

Over time the pounds pile on, which sadly does shorten lifespan. This is why health testing plays such an important role in extending Labrador Retriever life expectancy and quality of life. Screening schemes exist for hip and elbow dysplasia, PRA and other inheritable conditions. This enables breeders to use only parent dogs that are free from inheritable conditions for breeding. McGreevy and his team studied more than 33, Labradors in the UK and found that, across all of them, the most common health conditions were obesity, ear infections, and joint conditions.

The brown-colored dogs, however, had more health problems than the rest. They developed significantly higher incidences of ear infections and skin diseases. Among the chocolate Labs, the prevalence of ear inflammation was twice as high and the pervasiveness of a skin condition called pyo-traumatic dermatitis was four times as common.

Cancer in dogs is quite a bit like cancer in humans. There are a variety of factors that may contribute to your dog developing this condition.

A particular type of cancer that affects labradors more than other breeds is lymphoma. If your lab experiences this form of cancer, the prognosis is good! Labs can inherit several diseases including:. At Snowy Pines, our dogs are closely and carefully monitored for developing conditions. Having a spayed female and a neutered male reduces the incidence of certain types of cancers.

It also eliminates the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy, which, in young dogs, can cause quite a bit of stress leading to inflammation. Choose an age-appropriate food formula with the right nutritional value for their health. With labs, less is always more, and regular, once-a-day feeding is enough. While exercise is important for keeping an overweight dog healthy, you want to be careful not to overdo it. Furthermore, some young lab pups are born with a condition known as EIC or exercise-induced collapse.

Once again, the right breeder should make you aware of this and screen dogs before breeding. Dog food is formulated to give your puppy everything they need throughout their life in most cases.

It can help prevent simple health maladies and keep your dog happier, longer. 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. He was retired when my husband who was blind became too sick to use a guide dog. I give him 2 cups of food daily. She was diagnosed with Lung Cancer with a 3m mass and really made breathing difficult along with a dry cough. Her excessive panting prevented her from sleeping as the final week was difficult. The process happens very quickly, she soiled her bed and went all over the floor, and I knew it was time.

I have lost many people very close to me, and each hurt immensely but losing my best friend I would see everyday and a dog who let my son now 4 hang all over her with a wagging tail breaks my heart. I miss her digging the beach or chasing ground squirrels or being so happy when my mom would cook, her perfect little round head and dark set eyes always had me kissing her. She was a bit heavy towards the end but wore it well.

I am writing this hoping to help others know to cherish their time with the best breeds in my opinion as I know lying in my house will feel very empty. I am having a hard time losing my best friend Riley. I had the vet put him down but I wonder if I should have not done more to help him feel better for a while longer with more treatment.

I have just had to have my black lab Shaun put to sleep I took him on as a foster but no body wanted him ,so he became part of my life as I lost my wife and he became all I had he was constantly with me every move I made he followed me then his legs started to go weak as a result of his neglect when he was younger. Then the other day could not get him up and he was by the door trying to get out to do his business but couldnt.

I called the vet and they came for him and advised me that there was nothing they could do. I feel completely lost as I live on my own and he was my companion. I have black lab we get from shelter he have 2 years now is 14 year a lovely dog have some cancer but still in shape. We lost our beautiful black Lab Sasha in Mar 19 aged 15 and a half. Broke our hearts and always will. However we now have Luna tic a nine month beauty. She loves life and is a water baby par excellence.

Highly recommended. We just put our love Tyson down as he developed a rapid pneumonia and was in distress. He went from old age well to dying in a matter of hours. He was 16 years and 3 months. He was walking around the yard and my gardening buddy until the day before he died.

He was diagnosed w heart failure in February but was well controlled with medicine. He also had weakening of his hind legs and a herniated disc that caused stiffness but he refused to let it slow him down. I got him at 8 months old. Best dog ever. I will miss him the rest of my life. He found me a husband literally…his dog and mine were playmates , watched me through six pregnancies and two living children, knew how to open doors, I used signs with him to communicate and he was my best buddy for most of my adult life.

What a treasure they are. He was lean by nature rare for a lab I know and stayed at lbs his whole life until this last month. I think lean living extends life. We also fed grain free and rarely gave more than green beans or peas as treats. We did give him rimadyl and tramadol for the last few years along with his heart meds. He was not fixed bc he was always lean and mild mannered.

We also were careful with flea and tick meds and vaccinations as he aged bc they seemed to cause him to lose his appetite and have other neurologic issues. I am amazed by all the older labs here. I know I will own another one someday. But I do believe they are worth the pain. Next time I will add more supplements and healthy foods to their diet to help them live longer. Our black Labrador, Lady, past away December , at the age of 18 yars and 10 months.

She was like a child to us and really very clever. She has always begged for table scrapes, but does more so since she has gotten older. Just last year I got another fur baby Charley a Cavapoo who has lots of energy and I think that what keeps Lucy going. We adopted him from my grown son when He was 2. He stayed young because of our 2 yorkies and 2 Chihuahuas that were adopted as well. My black lab Lucy is going to celebrate her 13th year very soon. We love Lucy so much.

Hope to keep her a much longer time. She was actually an offspring of my chocolate lab. She was spayed at 6 months. I have a female black lab mix crossed with an English Mastiff. She looks more like a lab. Currently, she is over 15 years old. She has several issues though like being deaf, cataracts, arthritis, trouble walking or backing up. Quality of life really goes down with age. She just eats and sleeps all day. If she stopped walking or something, I would put her down. A few years ago, she went about a week not being able to walk, but she pulled out of it.

Well our second Chocolate Lab passed away unexpectedly yesterday Sunday March 7, He was in excellent heath up to this pont. He was having a breathing issues.